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02-Stand in The Circle

The document describes the "stand in the circle" kaizen exercise, which originated from Taiichi Ohno's teaching method of having an employee stand in a circle drawn on the floor to observe issues. It outlines the 8 steps of the exercise: 1) find a safe spot to observe; 2) just observe without commenting; 3) document 30 problems; 4) review findings with team; 5) identify waste types; 6) find root causes; 7) resolve one issue in 30 minutes prioritizing safety; and 8) share findings. It also lists what is needed: a template, pencil, hard surface, and chalk or tape to mark the circle.

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Boboc Georgiana
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85 views1 page

02-Stand in The Circle

The document describes the "stand in the circle" kaizen exercise, which originated from Taiichi Ohno's teaching method of having an employee stand in a circle drawn on the floor to observe issues. It outlines the 8 steps of the exercise: 1) find a safe spot to observe; 2) just observe without commenting; 3) document 30 problems; 4) review findings with team; 5) identify waste types; 6) find root causes; 7) resolve one issue in 30 minutes prioritizing safety; and 8) share findings. It also lists what is needed: a template, pencil, hard surface, and chalk or tape to mark the circle.

Uploaded by

Boboc Georgiana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Stand in the Circle

Overview of Module

Ohno would often return to check on what the person had


learned through observation and WOE to the manager who
answered "No problems here, sir!" as he was sure to spend
some more hours in that circle until they identified some
issues.

Energy

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Space

Safety

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Environmental

Defects

Facility

Inventory

Processing

Waiting

Observation
Parts stacked on a cart sitting on the floor
Pallet in aisleway
Stacks of pallets in aisleway
Kaizen newspaper not kept up
Poor 5S at Area 21B (no straightening)
No 5S in finishing area
Paint mixer running when no one is working in area
Assembler Walking to Shipping
Pallet jack in aisleway
Empty shelves on racks
Hour by Hour board has no "Action" column for abnormalities
Operator reaching for pneumatic screw gun
Production board in Finishing area seems unused
Hearing protection not being worn in Machining area
Sharp end of chisel contacting laminated surface of part
Router area has no 5S
Unused and old employee notices posted in Router Area
Sawdust on wall behind saw
Cans of paint stored on top of 5 foot high cabinet
Unused banding machine located in the middle of the shop
Dusty Parts sitting on cart behind the machine
Cables strewn on the floor
Missing machine guard on banding machine
Trash under cart in banding area
Edge band workers idle due to machine crashing
Workers not aware of productivity improvements they achieved during kaizen
Slamming down and breaking scrap fiberboard across trash can to make it fit
Edge band materials stored on mezzanine
Tape storage area is disorganized
Large empty can of lacquer on the floor

Motion

No
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Transportation

Muda (7 Wastes)
Overpoduction

The kaizen exercise we call "stand in the circle" originates in


the teaching method Taiichi Ohno used which involved a
piece of chalk, a circle drawn on the concrete floor, and an
employee left to stand in it for hours.

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8 Steps to Standing in the Circle


1. The first step is to simply find a safe spot to stand so you can easily see whats happening in
the workplace. If possible, take a piece of chalk and draw a circle to help you from walking
around.
2. The second step is to simply stand and observe the activity around you. Its very important to
just observe. In other words dont comment or discuss what youre seeing with others at this
point.
3. The third step is to write down at least 30 small problems or types of waste that you observe.
This could be anything from watching an operator straining to reach his tools to computer
cables strung out all over the floor creating a trip hazard.
4. Review findings with team members, where among other things youll work to identify the
type of waste or inefficiencies weve observed which is the 5th step of our process.
5. Work with team members to identify the type of waste or inefficiencies youve observed
while standing in the circle.
6. Work with team members to identify the root cause of at least some of the items on the list
by asking why several times. By involving your team members youre often able to quickly
identify some countermeasures to several items on the list
7. Resolve at least one issue within the next 30 minutes. Prioritize any safety or environmental
issue.
8. Share findings as future improvement opportunities. A kaizen newspaper is an excellent tool
to help with this.
What you need to stand in the circle
1.
2.
3.
4.

A template to document what you see (free download available in resources section)
A pencil to write with (no pens allowed as you cant easily erase ink)
A clipboard or something hard to write on
A piece of chalk or some tape to create a circle to stand in

2. Stand in the Circle

Page 1

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