"Fix What Bugs You" is one method that managers are using to get EVERY employee at a company practicing Continuous Improvement and Lean. The idea is that, every day we encounter processes that include small inconveniences or components that drive us crazy! So, instead of making a plan" or putting it on a schedule to fix or buying some gadget to fix it, we just encourage making a small change that will get rid of the problem RIGHT NOW. Just by fixing what is troubling you in your processes, you are making it better improving Productivity AND Quality .... And, you are beginning to adopt a Lean mindset. These small improvements are also called 2-Second-Lean" improvements, because they might not save very much time Maybe only 2 seconds of savings. So, you might ask, why would I spend 15 minutes to fix a problem that only costs me 2 seconds? Well a couple of reasons: QUALITY: When you eliminate problems from your processes, those processes become more enjoyable and quality is improved. PRODUCTIVITY: If you save 2 seconds on a process, and you repeat that process 4 times per day, 300 days per year. You just saved 40 minutes .... Every Year (what could you do with an extra 40 minutes?) This assignment is YOUR chance to try it for yourself. During our first few weeks of class, I have shown you how to identify WASTE in a process and have given you ideas for creative innovations (countermeasures) to remove that waste. As you are participating in our lecture-time together, think about your personal processes .... Especially think about the situations that you encounter every day that you wish were better ... and FIX WHAT BUGS YOU! Write a paper with accompanying pictures of your improvement. There are no requirements for the length of the paper, but the paper must contain the following elements: o Describe the problem that you were experiencing How often you were experiencing the problem? What trouble the problem was causing you? Why this problem is annoying to you? How the problem impacted your productivity or quality? List which Lean Wastes were being created by your problem o Show AT LEAST one picture where I can clearly see the problem in your process o Describe, in detail, what you did to fix your problem Show AT LEAST one picture of your improvement (low cost or no cost) o Describe how your improvement has changed the process How much time did it save? (if any) [Predict how much time will be saved over the next year] How was quality improved? (if any) In what other quantifiable or observable ways did the improvement change your process? O