Spot DOT Company Simulation

(An Illustration of Lean Tactics)

Objectives of Simulation Number of participants needed
Create a metaphorical understanding of Lean Tactics minimum of 7
and how/why they drive improvement.
Objectives by Round: Roles of participants:
Round 1 - Demonstrate current state practices 5 production, 1 shipping/receiving/stock, 1
Round 2 - Demonstrate effects of cellular layout inspection. Any additional participants will be
Round 3 - Demonstrate flow control and one piece observers. (NOTE: If there are enough participants,
flow the facilitator can delegate roles such as time
keeping and recording metrics.
Materials needed:
 One stop watches Prior to Running the Simulation:
 Dot supply - One packet each (1000 dots) Avery 3/4  Set up room according to layout provided
inch stick-on dots in red, yellow, red glow, yellow  Draw “Metrics Chart” (found on page 3) on flip chart and
glow, orange glow (Any five colors are fine, but you use to record metrics
will need to then modify the dot order sheets to  Write department names on table tents and set at
correspond.) appropriate locations. (i.e. “Yellow Department”, “Shipping”)
 Dot order sheets ( Model A - 1000,) found on page  Stock each work station with one sheet of dots in the color
12 for that station
 3 Flip Charts  Stock Receiving/Shipping/Stock work station with Model A
 markers sheets, dot supply and stapler
 stapler  Assign roles and place participants (5 production, 1
 masking tape shipping/receiving/stock, 1 inspection)
 table tents  Read instructions (beginning on the next page) out loud to
the group
Time requirements:
Total: 1.5 - 2.5 hours
15 minutes introduction
10 minutes per round running time
15 - 30 minutes debrief per round
LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 1
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Instructions to the Group - Script
(Note to facilitator: Giving clear instructions will significantly contribute to the success of this exercise. The
following script will help you deliver the instructions effectively)

You are employees of the Spot Dot Company. Your company produces papers with colored dots attached.
You will each have a specific department and task. You will be working on a full order which consists of 5
pages stapled together. (Show model) Your factory operation goals are to 1)work fast 2)do quality work
3)complete as many orders as a group as possible and 4)have fun. Here are your job descriptions and
tasks:
(Facilitator Note: After going through each job description, ask for questions/check for participants’
understanding.)
Shipping/Receiving/Stock Inspection
 Staple 5 sheets (an order) together and release orders to  Check completed order to make sure every circle has a
production by carrying to the first work station. dot
 Stock room management: Give out dots when the  the dot is completely inside the circle - not touching the
operators come t you. You may only give out one sheet of line dot is fully pressed down on the paper
dots at a time.  If it passes, take to shipping. If it does not pass, take it
 Receive completed orders from inspector and ship back to the work station responsible for the flaw. Keep a
(represented by folding the order in half and placing it in record of rework and scrap. (attached)
an area that indicates that it has been shipped.) Observers
Production Operators: Watch the production process and be ready to comment
 The order will be passed to you for your part in production. using the observer feedback form(attached). You will be
Apply colored dot on paper as indicated on the model. The a major source of information during the debrief.
dot must be inside the circle and not touching the lines. Customer
 Complete the full order, then take to the next work station. (Role may be filled by facilitator or a participant)
 Get additional dots from stock as needed. You may only Take shipped orders and decide to accept or to refuse if the
get one sheet of dots per visit to the stock room. quality doesn’t meet expectations. (Keep track of the
 Any rework returned to your station takes first priority. number of sheets accepted.)
 Work at maximum speed.

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 2
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Instructions to the Group –Script
continued
Metrics
Rules  During the simulation, we will measure: (show metrics flip chart)
 Once stapled, dot order sheets must stay
stapled.
 You must complete the entire order (5
sheets of paper) before moving on.
 Operators can’t perform any other task but
the one assigned at their work station.
 Shipping and inspection can only perform
their assigned tasks.

Time
 We’ll run production for 10 minutes.
10 minutes = one month
2.5 minutes = one week
1 minute = 2 days
 I will give you time updates as we go along.
 When I say go, start the production process
at shipping with the stapling.
 First, let’s do a practice round.

Facilitator Note For Practice Round

Give each operator one sheet to practice on so they get a feel for applying the dots.
Show them an example of an order and, beginning with shipping, have them walk the order sheet through the entire process
so they know where the order goes after each operator is finished.

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 3
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Running the Simulation – Round 1
Begin the Simulation
(Instructions for the Facilitator)
Facilitator:
 Start stop watch - tell the group to begin. Points for Facilitator to Make During Simulation
 Check and record time when first order is complete.  Make regular announcements about time. After 2.5 minutes,
Record on metrics chart. announce that the first week of production is over. Comment
 Don’t stop the stopwatch for this or any other reason, about the orders (or lack thereof) that have been received.
 Push them harder as the “month” draw to a close.
i.e. confusion, questions, etc.
Six minutes into the simulation
- Stop the line (but not the clock). Inform group that, due to customer feedback, they have to purge the line because of a
quality problem. Remove all Work in Progress after the second operator’s station. Give scrap to the inspector.(At station 2,
leave WIP, take any completed work.)
Special Note: You have to judge this section carefully. Although instructions say to purge at 6 minutes, do not purge the
line if there are NO completed orders. Then, allow enough time for the production line to be refilled. All of these steps must
happen to complete one cycle. This may mean running the round for more than 10 minutes. If that is the case, Run the
following rounds for the same amount of time in order to make accurate comparisons. Example: if the first round takes 12
minutes to complete, then run rounds 2 and 3 for twelve minutes, purging the line at the same point in the round as you did
in Round 1.
At Ten Minutes
 Stop the simulation.
Running the Simulation - Round 1
 Capture metrics.
• Inspector should report on # of reworks and # of scrap
• Operators and shipping should report on WIP NOTE: This includes any sheets, including sheets IN WORK AREA in
shipping with no dots applied
• Customer reports # of returns and # shipped (accepted)
• Calculate productivity

Facilitator Note
When tabulating , you are counting units (or sheets). 5 units (sheets) = 1 order. Record metrics in UNITS (sheets)
Instructions for the Facilitator
LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 4
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Debriefing The Simulation
Goal of Round 1 Debrief
To demonstrate current state practices

Debrief Questions
 Have Observers share observations.
 Ask all production people the following:
Describe your month.
What were your work patterns?
How did you feel?
 Ask entire group:
Is this different in your production or administrative areas?

FACILITATOR: Points to Reinforce

 This simulation is generally not an exaggeration, but a simplification
 Usually there is more distance, movement and obstacles as well as worse communication
 This simulation may resemble their work situation both in production and administration
 Lack of communication had an impact on results
 Some parts of process just don’t make sense, i.e. too much walking, one bad dot holds up
5 sheets, etc.
 Some people hurried, some sat waiting

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 5
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Round 2 - Instructions
(Product Cell … Batch Process)

BEFORE RUNNING
• Re-set the room using the attached layout.
• Re-assign roles to different people.
• Have one sheet of dots at each operation.
• Explain revised roles:
• OPERATORS: Each operator will place dots AND inspect their own work, then pass order to next work station.
• RECEIVING/SHIPPING/STOCK: Staple orders, ship (fold) orders, AND deliver materials.
• INSPECTION: Inspection can move around to the work stations
• Explain revised rules:
• Work at normal speed.
• Complete the full order before passing it on.
• If you make any mistakes, put the order out in front of work station.
• Ask for dot material when you are out. (You will have two sheets at your station. You may ask for more when you are
working from your remaining sheet. Stock room will deliver.)

RUNNING THE SIMULATION

Facilitator:
• Start the stopwatch and begin simulation.
• Record completion of first order.
• PURGE THE LINE AT SIX MINUTES! (from second station on)

STOP after 10 minutes

• Calculate metrics
• Debrief (see next page)

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 6
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Debriefing the Simulation – Round 2

Goal of Round 2 Debrief

To demonstrate the effects of cellular layout

Debrief Questions
 Have Observers share observations.
 Ask all production people the following:
 Describe your month
 What were your work patterns?
 How did you feel?
 Ask entire group:
 What were the benefits to the changes? (Possible responses: transport time, less confusion, better
communication, line of site)
 How do those translate into results?

FACILITATOR: Points to Reinforce

 Better Communications
 Too close together
 Can see what is happening
 Waste Eliminated (effects on productivity and scrap)
 WIP may go up or down (depending on behavior)
 Principles addressed: 2, 4 and 5
 Still not smooth; imbalance of work
 Elements/Tools addressed: JIT:POU materials, flow(some), line design ;PEOPLE: metrics

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 7
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Round 3 - Instructions
(Pull)

BEFORE RUNNING
 Re-set the room using the attached layout.
 Re-assign roles to different people.
 Explain revised roles:
 OPERATORS: Each operator will place dots, inspect their own work, AND validate work from station before
yours. Place completed page in “kanban”. Don’t complete another order if ”kanban” is full.
 RECEIVING/SHIPPING: Ship (fold) orders, AND deliver materials. When bin in front of work station is empty,
restock with two sheets of dots.
 INSPECTION: Inspect materials. Inspection can move around to the work stations to take rework to appropriate
station.
 Explain revised rules:
 PRODUCE SINGLE SHEETS (one piece flow): eliminates need to staple
 Work at normal speed.
 If you make or see any mistakes, put the order out in front of work station.

RUNNING THE SIMULATION

Facilitator:
 Start stopwatch and begin simulation.
 Record completion of first order (5 sheets completed)
 PURGE THE LINE AT SIX MINUTES! (from second station on)

STOP after 10 minutes

 Calculate metrics
 Debrief (see next page)

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 8
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Debriefing the Simulation – Round 3
Goal of Round 3 Debrief
To demonstrate the effects of flow and one piece flow

Debrief Questions
 Have Observers share observations.
 Ask all production people the following:
 Describe your month
 What were your work patterns?
 How did you feel?
 Ask entire group:
 What were the benefits to the changes? (Possible responses: transport time, less confusion, better communication, line of
site)
 How do those translate into results?
FACILITATOR: Points to Reinforce
 Waste Eliminated: production up, scrap down, WIP down
 Principles Addressed: All 5, especially 2, 3 and 5
 Elements/Tools used:
 CUSTOMER: QFD
 JIT: Flow, pull, POU, kanban, line design, one piece flow
 STABILITY: Six Sigma, Visual Control
 Better Communication
 Still imbalanced
 Perhaps driving flow through line design and JIT is more efficient than using Six Sigma first on scrap and rework.
 People issues
 see unfair work loads
 too close together
 challenge value vs. non-value-added
 reduced time for socialization
 increased level of dependency on each other
 non-value can be perceived as elimination of jobs
LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 9
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Room set up – Round 1 Functional
Layout
Notes
 Tables should be as far apart as possible
 Use chairs, flip charts, etc. as obstructions.
This is to replicate walls, buildings from real
life.

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 10
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Room set up – Round 2 Product Cell /
Batch Process

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 11
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Room set up – Round 3 Product Cell /
Pull System

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 12
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Observer Feedback Sheet

• Comment on the Following:

• Workload equity or inequity:

• Walk patterns:

• Compare to your experience in the real world:

• Other general observations (layout, real world work patterns, people’s

behaviors):

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 13
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Rework / Scrap Record Sheet

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 14
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary
 Model A

Red Orange Yellow Red Yellow

Glow Glow Glow

LE1-DOT Handout.ppt 15
© 2004 Honeywell International, Inc. Confidential and Proprietary