Have you always wondered why your problem solving meetings failed before they even started? How do you calculate the actual time that you need or do you just do it from experience or maybe just pick the time slot available?
Most Continuous Improvement, Lean experts know the answer but I am not sure that they translate it into action. If you are holding a Kaizen Event, Value Stream Mapping Session or just working on an A3, we know that 50% of the time should be spent on the planning side or the big “P” as in PDCA. The problem you have is do you really understand how to schedule that from a time perspective? Well a recent podcast guest of mine, Edward Muzio of Group Harmonics has a great tip on how to use the hourglass principle to help.
How to solve a problem in a group setting during a solution-oriented meeting. Referenced in Chapter 8 of Make Work Great. Amazon Link: Make Work Great: Super Charge Your Team, Reinvent the Culture, and Gain Influence One Person at a Time
If you use Ed’s philosophy in scheduling, you see how that would improve your time management. Even during the meeting you can make adjustments, know when to take breaks and so on.
