Joel Boyles
All work

Food manufacturer

Addressing a Palletizing Pain Point with Value Stream, Process Mapping and A3 Problem Solving

A production bottleneck requires a food manufacturer to coordinate problem solving efforts cross-functionally.

The problem

Palletizing was a major pain point in the production flow, and the team needed a fast resolution. Labels were missing or wrong, shrink wrap was poorly applied, and product was getting damaged. Was it an IT issue? An equipment issue? A production issue? Finger-pointing and passing the problem around weren’t moving us forward.

VSM: getting everyone on the same page

A geographically split team had fallen into siloed thinking, but bringing everyone together for a value-stream mapping session began to break those walls down. Mapping the entire stream provided the context and alignment the team had been missing and shifted the dynamic from “us vs. them” to “all of us vs. the problem.”

For many team members, it was the first time they had ever seen how the business operated beyond their own area.

Process mapping & pain point assessment

Process mapping helped us dive deeper and truly understand the current state. A Pain Point Assessment began to engage people by fostering discussion in a safe and focused way. This approach allowed us to address disagreements and encourage healthy debate, which is essential for creating alignment.

FMEA helps us find the top 3

After extensive work, we developed 18 clear, agreed-upon problem statements. So, where do we start? Conducting a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) helps us prioritize these problems based on risk and impact. From this process, three critical issues rise to the top, ready to be addressed using A3 thinking.

Using A3 thinking to focus in on a singular issue

After all that work, we’ve reached the starting line. The A3 process guides the problem owner through a disciplined approach to problem solving. It clarifies goals and targets, maps the future state, and ensures a high-quality, long-lasting outcome.

We started by mapping out the value stream. This was the first time that several team members were exposed to how the business worked outside of their area.
We started by mapping out the value stream. This was the first time that several team members were exposed to how the business worked outside of their area.
Doing a deep dive on a specific process allowed us to collaborate and expose known pain points.
Doing a deep dive on a specific process allowed us to collaborate and expose known pain points.
Using FMEA helped us prioritize issues by business impact and risk. This fact-based approach helped us ensure we weren't just focusing on the loudest voice in the room.
Using FMEA helped us prioritize issues by business impact and risk. This fact-based approach helped us ensure we weren't just focusing on the loudest voice in the room.
Each problem has its own A3, ensuring the problem owner addresses the issue in a disciplined, scientific approach.
Each problem has its own A3, ensuring the problem owner addresses the issue in a disciplined, scientific approach.