3 Frameworks and Introduction to TIM WOODS

FRAMEWORKS FOR OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Mike Dixon, PhD

The Path to Excellence: Using Frameworks

The journey toward operational excellence can seem overwhelming. Organizations face complex challenges across multiple dimensions- from process design to people management, from technology implementation to cultural transformation. To navigate this complexity, leaders need structured approaches that help them see the whole picture while maintaining focus on specific improvement opportunities.

Frameworks provide this crucial structure. They serve as mental models that help organizations:

• Organize knowledge and insights
• Guide decision-making
• Focus improvement efforts
• Measure progress
• Build a common understanding

The TIM WOODS Framework

In this course, we will use the TIM WOODS framework powerful lens for identifying and eliminating waste in operations. This framework, derived from lean principles, identifies eight fundamental types of waste that impede value creation and flow:

1. Transportation: Unnecessary movement of materials, products, or information.
2. Inventory: Excess materials, work-in-process, or finished goods
3. Motion: Unnecessary movement of people
4. Waiting: Delays between process steps
5. Overproduction: Making more than needed or before needed
6. Over-processing: Doing more work than necessary to meet customer needs
7. Defects: Errors requiring rework or causing scrap
8. Skills: Underutilization of people’s capabilities

Each waste type represents opportunities for improvement that directly impact both value creation and flow. By systematically addressing these wastes, organizations can build excellence into their operations.

Weekly Deep Dives

Each week, we will explore one type of waste in detail:

Week 1: Transportation

• Impact on value creation and flow
• Common causes and symptoms
• Assessment tools and metrics
• Improvement strategies and best practices

Week 2: Inventory

• Understanding inventory’s role in operations
• Distinguishing necessary from wasteful inventory
• Impact on cash flow and organizational agility
• Techniques for inventory optimization

Week 3: Motion

• Analyzing workplace layout and design
• Ergonomics and worker safety
• Standard work development
• Workplace organization methods (5S)

Week 4: Waiting

• Process timing and synchronization
• Queue management
• Critical path analysis
• Load leveling and flow balancing

Week 5: Overproduction

• Pull systems versus push systems
• Demand-driven operations
• Batch size optimization
• Production scheduling strategies

Week 6: Over-processing