Muri means unreasonableness in Japanese. It is overburdening your machines and employees wherein you are placing them under unwanted stress because of demands, which are very often unreasonable and pointless. Muri is one of the three wastes in lean manufacturing—Muri, Mura and Muda. Muda is all about the 7 lean wastes, which are Overproduction, Inventory, Waiting, Motion, Transportation, Rework and Over Processing and Muri (Overburden) is one lean waste that creates most of the non-value adding phases of Muda.
Examples of Muri:
• Unclear instructions
• Unreliable processes
• Lack of correct equipment and tools
• Poor workplace location
• Work mismatch (working on process you did not train for)
• Fluctuating demand
• Poor maintenance/defective equipment
• Bad communication directions
It is evident in the examples given that Muri produces waste and a horde of problems in both service and manufacturing companies, which eventually lead to more complications, and wastes within processes. Lean practitioners sometimes fail to discuss these areas and rather concentrate on the improvement of the timetable taken to perform single steps in a certain process through moving things around. Afterwards, they will claim savings but the truth is that what they did just made the machine and the operators to do the work for no realistic benefits on the process at all. To avoid Muri, make sure that operators are working through the processes efficiently with low stress levels.
To Reduce Muri
There are a number of lean industrial tools that are designed specifically for the reduction of Muri in manufacturing processes. This has to be given focus and common sense should be applied because is not a stiff approach—it is all about doing what’s best for the customers and workers. Below are few lean tools that can help reduce Muri:
 Standardization
5S (or Seiso, Seiton, Seiketsu, Seiri and Shitsuke) which is a lean tool begins with standardization. Your manufacturing processes should be fully documented and all workers should be well trained and are fit to work so that they can give their best in doing their work easily. SOPs allow ease of communication in the workplace and things are done in the best way. The operators can have simple instructions using cameras or word processing sets to guarantee that all of them are engaged in the working process. SOPs need to cover every single aspect of work from machines through delivery and billing.
 Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
This lean tool can help reduce waste like Muri when implemented well. Well-planned maintenance program that can be utilized in the workplace ensures that disruptions regarding equipment are minimized.
 Jidoka
Jidoka is also known as Autonomation. This lean tool lets you trust your machine’s output. It works like poka-yoke devices, which makes manufacturing process, empowered. It avoids waste because things are corrected easily.
There is a necessity to eliminate Muri because it adds and contributes a lot to Muda, which will result to low productivity. Inefficiencies and stress on workers and machines will cost too much money. Money and effort is better saved when Muri is removed or reduced. Minimal waste can benefit companies’ additional profit.

— Slimane Zouggari

Kata is referred to as the patterns that are practiced as fundamental movements in martial arts in Japan. It can also be referred as any routine or basic forms of behavior. These are patterns that can easily be recognized. With clear expectations and through it, problems will be able to instantly be identified. Kata is the basis of improvement, attainment and setting of standards. Kata is linked in two behaviors in lean management—the coaching kata and improvement kata.
Improvement Kata is the repetition of the four-step pattern that an organization adapts and continually improves. This continuous improvement is done by specific problem-solving procedure, and it is a plan, do, check, and an act routine. PDCA habit as they call it. The steps are:
1. Determining vision
2. Understanding current condition
3. Identify next target condition
4. Moving towards the target
Improvement Kata’s pattern is very essential in innovation, improvement and adaptation because it is specific and goal-oriented. The practice of it is purposely helping businesses so that they can meet challenges and achieve their endeavors. It aims to alter mental operating systems in order for human abilities to be more nurtured. The context of Improvement Kata in lean tools needs to be applied. The absence of it is going to stop improvement because it should be reinforced in the daily management, problem solving, events improvement, quality, and circles in the lean environment. This program creates continuous learning and improvement to organizations.
Coaching Kata is the repetitive routine in which lean leaders are able to teach Improvement Kata to all members or employees of the organization. They are called coaches who give procedural guidance to their learners and this will enable their learners to be more successful in surpassing their obstacles.
Toyota Production System (TPS) is integrating and observing Kata. As a matter of fact, there is a management book written by Mike Rother entitled Toyota Kata. The book has been focused in the explanation of Improvement Kata and the Coaching Kata, and these are the ways to make repetitive improvement procedures possible. Toyota Kata regarded management as a methodical pursuit of anticipated conditions through utilizing human competencies in an intensive way. Rother said that it has the aim of providing sustainable competitive advantage to the company. Furthermore, another of its benefits is that it is long term. Their organizations have mastered the effective routines in order to develop solutions. Toyota is utilizing this approach as a primary job of their leaders to achieve the goals that they ever wanted to be done.
The integration of Kata in TPS is a big leap of innovation to the car company. This is because they are very concerned about the lean manufacturing and the minimizing of waste in their production. They also included Kata in their improvement process because they know that it has done big changes in the behavior and thinking of their workers with constant practice. Their workers can derive confidence in working and they will eventually avoid waste.

— Slimane Zouggari

Jidoka is considered as the forgotten foundation of the Toyota Production system and the lean manufacturing yet is the principle to be the most important on lean that can able to help achieve the real excellence. Jidoka is all about the source quality, or a quality, which is built in; there are no business company can be able to survive without the product and services excellence and jidoka is a route through on which this excellence is achieved.
Where Jidoka Come From?
Jidoka started its life through Sakichi Toyoda’s invention in the year 1986 is a simple device able to stop the shuttle in the automatic loom is thread is broken. It simply means that it can stop the machine from not only the defects creation but it also make the operator alert to the problem. Well, that meant one operator can operate many looms rather than to stand and watch a single loom to see is something will go wrong to it. This kind of principle is known as autonomation or sometimes automation with the human touch.
The Jidoka Principles
Its principle can be may be broken down in the following simple steps:
1. Discovering the abnormality
2. STOP
3. Fixing the immediate issues
4. Investigating and correcting the root cause of the problem
These principles are not only coffins to be used in the machines in the autonomation; jidoka is also visible in most aspects of the lean manufacturing when examination to it takes place.
Examples of Jidoka
Here are the few examples of device used for autonomation that can be seen in manufacturing and in daily situation:
 Tension detector
 Sensor
 Proximity switch
 Sheet detector
 Presence sensing device
 Surge protector

Jidoka Problem Solving
There are various machineries being produced nowadays that have incorporated the autonomation ideals in the designs. In addition, with the technology today, it is very expensive while the incorporation of autonomation for the machines’ designs is very simple. We tend to fail not of recognizing the highlighted problems but in making an effort to take action to make the problems corrected and solve its root cause. It is necessary perhaps that we are not only giving our supervisory staff and operators a responsibility and authority to stop the production if they see a problem but we also need to train them in the most accurate problem solving tools that enable them to remove the problem root cause.
We also need to ensure action that documentation process is updated in order to incorporate the changes and we are able to communicate those existing changes across the similar processes and similar products to impart the earning to all. In the process of Jidoka, the primary action is it detects the abnormality, for autonomation, the machine is using a simple sensor to trace the problem and stop and highlight it to the operator or to the supervisory staff. For the line stops the operator to detect the abnormality and stop the line and to highlight the problem for everyone to see in the andon boar.

— Slimane Zouggari

Where Did Gemba Come From?
It is a Japanese term which means “the real place”. The Japanese detectives are calling the crime scene as gemba and the Japanese television reporters will refer themselves reporting from the gemba. In the world of business, it refers to a place where the value’s created; in the manufacturing, it is the floor of the factory. In addition, it may refer to any site like construction site, floor of the sales or from where the provider of the service directly interacts with the consumers.
Gemba and its Examples
 In the lean manufacturing, gemba’s idea is that problems are visible and the best ideas will come from going to it gemba. Gemba walk, is like MWBA or Management By Waking Around, is an activity that able to take the management to the front line to seek for opportunities and waste to practice the gemba keizen, or practical improvement of shop floor.

 While in the quality management, it means the manufacturing floor and its idea is when the problem occurs, the engineers are required to go there and comprehend the problems full impact and get information from the sources available. Different from surveys and focused groups, gemba visit is not bound or scripted by what one would want to ask.
Glenn Mazur had introduced this term QFD or Quality Function Deployment (the quality system for the new products where the manufacturing never start yet) to mean the business or lifestyle place of the customers. The idea is to be customer driven, a person must got to customer’s gemba to help understand the opportunities and problems with the use of own senses to collect and process the data.
Gemba walk implies the action of walking to see the process in actual mode, ask questions, understand the works, and able to learn from it. It is also one of the fundamentals of the philosophy of lean management. Taiichi Ohno, the Toyota executive, lead the concept development of gemba walk. It is an opportunity for the staff to make a stand back on their day-to-day works to walk in the floor of their working place to see some wasteful activities happen around.
The term used “going to the gemba” is more to be like a Japanese terminology “genchi gembutsu” perceived to compare to the term “management by walking around”. The method is manifesting a more resemblance to the motions and time studies of Frederick Winslow Taylor, even more recent on contextual design and contextual inquiry methods, which based in the context-specific learning of the work practices, enables to produce a design-relevant product insights and process.

— Slimane Zouggari

What is Andon?
In English terminologies, andon means “signal” or “sign” and it is a visual aid alerting and highlighting the required action. Just for example, a signal light is lighting in the manufacturing plant, implying that the line had been stopped by the operator or supervising staff due to some malfunctions and problems. It is also a principle and a typical tool to apply in the jidoka principle in the lean manufacturing- Jidoka also referred as autonomation that mean highlighting the problem that occurs and introduce an immediate countermeasure to top the problem occurrence.
At the Toyota, the andon principle is differently applied than how a person might see it in the manufacturing.
Where Andon Come From?
Andons’ word origin come from the word for paper lantern- a common Japanese ornament. At the bottom, it is the terminology used to refer an illuminated signal that notifies other problem within the production stream or quality-control. It is usually activated by a button or pull-chord, which able to automatically halt the production so that team can gather and apply the PDCS and the root cause analysis, then effectively and quickly apply a corresponding solution.
The warning light is incorporated to an easily visible and overhead signboard that can also identify the specific workstation or area where the problem had occurred. The nature and frequency if the occasional problems are being analyzed being a part of the Toyota program for the continual improvement and development. The andon principles need to be applied for any specific situation. The concept of the andon principle will look differently if you are not in the manufacturing industry. For example, the amazon applies andon in their customer service in such a way it makes sense.
Remember: It’s a method used to stop the process and allow the team to apply a root cause analysis and implement as countermeasure to the issue arise. Doing it is to prevent the process to continue produce damage to the defective parts.
Examples of Andon
The following are the examples of andon:
 Signal lights
 Production board
 Flags and audio
Andon Signals and Board Components
The andon signals and board components may vary from the process to another process and applications for the andon system seems to be countless, generally be used to communicate the information to production plant just like the following:
 Product line status: produced, stooped, idled or overload
 Product settings like temperatures, weights, pressures, electricity, speeds, gas consumption, etc.
 Workstation status
 Different production goals or KPI’s such as planned production
 Production volume, product produced and WPI
 Call signs for the managers and supervisors to the certain area
 Different times: downtime, current time, running period time
The Japanese manufacturers of auto and other organization that implemented ancon system in their process of production have seen it to be very useful because if the factors it contributed to the company cultures and also because of its efficiency and initiatives in lean manufacturing.

— Slimane Zouggari

The word mura stands for “lack of uniformity” and “unevenness”. This Japanese expression is one of the three terms collectively describing different forms of waste that occur in production: muda, mura, and muri.
Mura type of wastefulness can be seen in many business sectors. Being able to identify it and using certain methods to correct it can lead to saving a lot of revenue and company’s effort.

How Mura is Leads To Waste

Mura is not as widely cited as muda type of waste, but it is just as important to address within your business operations. However, it is quite different, and it is important to understand how the two relate.

Most people recognize muda easily and fast, but mura, or unevenness actually often gets overlooked. An expression of this type of waste is companies trying to sell out on their stock and therefore offering promotions that lead to a large amount of sales coming in during a short period of time, leaving the company extremely low in inventory. This technique is a part of muda practice, which suggests that excess inventory is wasteful.

As a consequence, the factories are prompted to manufacture massive amounts of new stock, which often leads to over-production. This results in clear unevenness of sales numbers, as well as too much fluctuation in inventory. Lack of stability is also wasteful as the decisions are being made from the reactive point of view and lack careful planning. Furthermore, this facilitates worsened work conditions, over-time, and that can be a patch to more waste: defects, over-processing, waiting.

Such lack of stability is deemed wasteful as it isn’t based on clients needs. Therefore, according to these waste principles of it isn’t adding value, and it corrupts the processes.

Lean Technique to Avoid Waste

These days agile and lean methodologies are the most popular practices to eliminate waste. These techniques are actually based on the same principles defined by muda,mura, and muri system. Lean manufacturing takes into account all three forms of waste and provides a model of the three method united into a system. Its key idea is focusing on that which adds value, and then reducing all other practices.

Agile Methodology

Agile traditionally refers to software development. It is based on a group of key principles which promote planning, active involvement of users, early delivery of products, testing, and frequent reviewing of achievements and methods. A lot of agile development strategies can help eliminate waste and focus on product quality and evenness of the system. Adapting the main agile principles in different business sectors can be a useful tool to reduce a number of wasteful operations.

There are many variables that determine how successful your business becomes. Mura and other types of waste can harm the workflow and negatively affect productiveness. Being aware of these harmful components gives the better understanding of how to structure the operations side of your business. Becoming a lean practitioner and working on reducing mura is a sure way to minimize unnecessary expenditures and promote a healthy business growth.

–Slimane Zouggari

Translated from Japanese word muda means “wastefulness; uselessness”. Any part of your process that doesn’t provide value can be called a wasted activity, or muda. It has two types:

• Type I Muda is a task which doesn’t provide value, but at the same time, it can’t be eliminated, because that would affect other processes
• Type II Muda is an activity which provides no value, and also can be eliminated. The goal is to detect and eliminate as much of such waste as possible.

The idea of muda is that useless activities should be avoided as they are wasting money and resources. This concept is often used in manufacturing when talking about minimizing the waste of production, but muda is also applicable to other industries, such as software development.

7 Muda Waste Categories

Transportation

A lot of waste can be eliminated by business optimizing their transportation and logistics. A lean manufacturing business would use this principle to plan the details transporting products, carefully plan routes etc. This can be interpreted in different ways and applied to different industries, but the general rule is to avoid too much movement which unnecessarily wastes energy.

Inventory

Whether in pre-manufacturing phase or finished products, inventory here stands for value which hasn’t yet been delivered to a customer, therefore it is considered wasteful. There is an obvious application of this principle in industries that produce goods, but it can also be meaningful to agile developers. An example can be creating code not requested by a paying customer. Since it doesn’t work to increase the revenue of the business, it may be considered waste.

Defects

This is one of the most obvious ways of wasting, as defects always result in loss of money, and additional energy needed to resolve the issues. Repairing physical product defects is a common problem for manufacturers.

Waiting

Any product that is not being sold, shipped, or otherwise transported to the consumer, is waiting. This doesn’t produce any increase in business value. In software development, this could mean programmed delays.

Motion

This category refers to waste that occurs due to the physical movement of items. Motion waste can happen in many different circumstances, including product handling, machines wearing down due to too much intense usage.

Over-processing

Anything you do, that has not been required by the client is unnecessary as it isn’t what is being paid for. This happens a lot when businesses don’t fully understand the needs of their client and create unnecessary features.

Over-production

Producing an excessive amount of products is another version of muda activity. It is likely to lead to too much inventory. Anything that is above of the required number may result isn’t immediately adding to business value, thus, it is also to be avoided.

To avoid unnecessary energy expenditure and money loss businesses should apply lean methodologies to their operations. The best practice to eliminate muda in manufacturing, agile development, retail, or any other industry to plan, test, and review the processes carefully and on a regular basis. Most muda can be successfully avoided with these diligence tactics in place.

–Slimane Zouggari

Many people that are new tо Lean Manufacturing will at ѕоmе point end up saying, “Kаіzеn? What іѕ Kaizen? Whаt dо you mean by Kaizen? Whаt dоеѕ Kaizen dо?” Sеvеrаl terms аnd dеfіnіtіоnѕ come tо mіnd when talking аbоut Kаіzеn.

Kaizen іѕ a Jараnеѕе tеrm mеаnіng “Chаngе fоr the better” оr “іmрrоvеmеnt”. It іѕ mоѕt соmmоnlу trаnѕlаtеd into Englіѕh аѕ “Cоntіnuоuѕ Imрrоvеmеnt”. Kаіzеn is оnе оf the forerunners іn Lеаn thіnkіng аnd rеԛuіrеѕ discipline and соnѕtаnt rе-еvаluаtіоn. It wоrkѕ on thе basis thаt nоthіng can еvеr become реrfесt. Thеrе іѕ аlwауѕ ѕоmеthіng that can bе іmрrоvеd.

Kaizen оn a company ѕсаlе саn mеаn ѕеvеrаl thіngѕ. Aѕ раrt оf a continuous іmрrоvеmеnt сulturе, mоѕt соmраnіеѕ hold whаt аrе called Kaizen Events. Thеѕе аrе gеnеrаllу аn activity thаt rеmоvе people frоm their dаіlу tasks аnd рlасе thеm оn a tеаm, tо ассоmрlіѕh a gоаl wіthіn three tо fіvе days. Thеѕе аrе highly tаrgеtеd projects with achievable rеѕultѕ, ѕuсh as mоvіng mасhіnеѕ so that thеу can wоrk сlоѕеr to оnе another fоr соntіnuоuѕ flоw, оr dеѕіgnіng and іmрlеmеntіng a nеw ԛuеuіng system fоr a specific purpose, оr a SMED еvеnt, etc. Nо mаttеr whаt thе goal is, thе рrосеѕѕ іѕ rеlаtіvеlу the same: Plan, Dо, Check, Aсt.

Plаn, Dо, Check, Aсt (PDCA) wаѕ developed by W. Edwаrdѕ Deming and introduced in Japan in thе 1950ѕ. It іѕ bаѕеd on thе Scientific Method аnd іѕ a precursor to Sіx Sіgmа’ѕ DMAIC рrосеѕѕ (Dеfіnе, Measure, Anаlуzе, Imрrоvе, & Control). Thіѕ is how PDCA brеаkѕ dоwn:

Plan – Dеvеlор a ѕоund, well thоught out gоаl (thаt саn bе асhіеvеd wіth mоdеrаtе еffоrt) аnd hоw tо асhіеvе іt.
Dо – Implement the іdеаѕ and/or changes needed to асhіеvе thе goal, іnсludіng training.
Chесk – Review whаt уоu’vе done; be сrіtісаl, but not nеgаtіvе.
Aсt – Dереndіng on hоw thе Chесk ѕtер went, sustain these rеѕultѕ оr реrfоrm the whоlе PDCA сусlе оvеr аgаіn.

Yоu саn see thаt this іѕ pure continuous іmрrоvеmеnt as thе сусlе can bе соmрlеtеd over and over аgаіn. In thе Toyota Prоduсtіоn System, they hаvе slightly сhаngеd thіѕ lаnguаgе to bе Plan, Try, Rеflесt, and Standardize. Dіffеrеnt verbiage, but same expectations оf process аnd rеѕultѕ.

Tурісаllу, mоѕt Lеаn trаіnіng аnd resources dеfіnе twо tуреѕ оf Kаіzеn: System оr Flоw Kaizen and Prосеѕѕ Kаіzеn.

A Sуѕtеm оr Flow Kaizen deals wіth аn entire value ѕtrеаm bеіng еvаluаtеd for орроrtunіtіеѕ оf іmрrоvеmеntѕ аnd will uѕuаllу іnсludе асtіоn frоm ѕеvеrаl lеvеlѕ of management.

A Process Kaizen is a соnсеntrаtеd іmрrоvеmеnt оf a ѕіnglе process (оr grоuрѕ оf thе ѕаmе type оf process). Thіѕ tуре of Kаіzеn wіll usually іnсludе a сrоѕѕ functional team dedicated to improving that individual process.

Bоth of these tуреѕ оf Kаіzеn аrе аbundаnt in any ѕuссеѕѕful Lеаn еntеrрrіѕе, аnd аrе at thе vеrу hеаrt of thоѕе оrgаnіzаtіоnѕ. Wоrkіng wіthіn a соmраnу that nееdѕ hеlр іmрlеmеntіng Lean can begin to wеаr оn your mіnd, especially іf уоu аrе thе agent оf сhаngе. Fоr my еntіrе рrоfеѕѕіоnаl саrееr I’vе hаd to take on thіѕ rоlе. Yоu push and рuѕh еvеrуdау for changes bесаuѕе уоu can ѕее thе wаѕtе ѕіttіng all around thе plant аnd оffісе; іn stacks оf wаѕtеd іnvеntоrу and DMR’d mаtеrіаlѕ tо frivolous ѕtерѕ іn product dеvеlорmеnt рrосеѕѕеѕ. It’s tоugh tо kеер a роѕіtіvе attitude.
On a personal lеvеl, use Kаіzеn tо іmрrоvе you lіfе аnd it wіll wоrk іtѕ wау into уоur professional саrееr. Incorporate it іntо уоur daily life wіth еxеrсіѕе, еаtіng hаbіtѕ, vices, еtс. If you wаnt to ѕtаrt working оut, ѕtаrt ѕmаll аnd buіld frоm thеrе – аdd a lіttlе bіt еvеrуdау. Thаt’ѕ small, incremental improvements that wоrk. If уоu eat tоо muсh, try to еаt 1 lеѕѕ bіtе аt 1 mеаl every оthеr dау, and еvеntuаllу mоvе uр tо 1 bіtе fоr еvеrу meal, everyday. If уоu ѕmоkе аnd wаnt tо ԛuіt, сut back ѕlоwlу аnd your bоdу will respond fаvоrаblу. These mеthоdѕ wоrk for уоu and thе ѕаmе tуре оf ѕtерwіѕе іmрrоvеmеntѕ drіvе роѕіtіvе сhаngеѕ in уоur соmраnу.

If уоu knоw someone whо claims to bе реrfесt – thеу’rе not. Even a lоt оf the most successful реорlе will tеll уоu thаt thеу аrе nоt perfect and thаt thаt belief іѕ whаt gоt thеm tо whеrе thеу аrе tоdау – and it kеерѕ them thеrе. Yоu maybe thіnkіng: “Wоn’t thаt thinking juѕt mаkе mе dерrеѕѕеd?” Thе truth is, no, it won’t. Onсе you аllоw уоurѕеlf tо ѕее thе flаwѕ thаt are hоldіng уоu bасk, уоu wіll be muсh more lіkеlу to overcome them. A gооd mоttо thаt I try tо lіvе bу is: Alwауѕ be hарру, but nеvеr be ѕаtіѕfіеd. Thаt is the еѕѕеnсе оf Kаіzеn. Thаt wіll brіng соntіnuоuѕ іmрrоvеmеnt tо уоur lіfе. Thаt іѕ Kаіzеn.

–Slimane Zouggari