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B Terms
Back Office / Front Office
The terms “back office” and “front office” refer to customer contact. Those that have direct customer contact are the front office. Others who work in administrative roles are the “back office”.
Backflushing
Backflushing is an accounting method that applies costs to production but can also be used to manage inventory. It is also known as “postproduction issuing.”
Backlog (Order)
The concept of an order backlog is pretty simple. It is the queue of orders that are waiting to be fulfilled.
Backsliding
Backsliding it the act of reverting to a pre-improvement process.
Backups (Employee)
Employee backups are the people who fill in when the regular operator is absent.
Baka Yoke
Baka yoke is the Japanese term for “fool proofing” or “idiot proofing”.
Balanced Scorecard
The Balanced Scorecard is a management tool developed by Robert Kaplan and David Norton and published in their book titled The Balanced Scorecard.
Bar Charts
Bar charts are generally used to differentiate between the values of a parameter for buckets of data. The length of the bar shows the relative value of that data point.
Barrier to Entry
Barriers to entry are the variety of factors that keep new entrants from competing in a particular industry. It may be the strength of the brands of the incumbents.
Barrier to Flow
Most continuous improvement efforts, either directly or indirectly, are centered on improving flow. Flow is the condition where work moves from one process to the next without stopping.
Baseline
Baselines are essential to improvements. They are the starting point for a process to be changed or are reference points for ongoing processes. Baselines can be used in two main ways.
Baseline Metrics / Baseline Measures
A baseline metric is a snapshot of the state of a process or operation prior to making improvements. In effect, it is the “before” measures of a process.
Batch and Queue
In traditional manufacturing, there is a tendency to run large lots, or batches. This occurs for a variety of reasons—large distances between processes, long setup times, or simply poor processes.
Batch Manufacturing
Batch manufacturing is the traditional form of manufacturing where production is completed in lots of various size, and the lots are passed along en masse to the next step.
Batches
Batches are groups of products that go through a process together.
Bells and Whistles
“Bells and Whistles” are the extras on a product…or on a process. On a product, bells and whistles are the features that enhance the product, but don’t significantly change the function.
Benchmarking
Benchmarking is simply the practice of finding someone who does something well and using it as a reference to set the bar for improvement.
Best Practices
The term “best practice” is commonly used to describe a standout process that is the best known way to do something. “Best practice” is really a misnomer.
Beta Risk
Beta risk, statistically speaking, is the risk associated with accepting a null hypothesis when it is actually false.
Better, Not Perfect
"Better, Not Perfect" is a mantra about conserving resources. It does not mean stopping the pursuit of perfection.
Bias (in Data Collecting)
There are two ways to look at the term “bias”. The first is the technical, statistical meaning.
Bimodal Distribution
A bimodal distribution is a distribution that has two separate and distinct peaks in it.
Birdcage
The term “birdcage” has two basic meanings in continuous improvement. The most common usage applies to when a work area encloses a person, trapping them inside.
Black Belt
There are a variety of certification ranks in continuous improvement environments. Most use the belt system that originated with Six Sigma, but has spread to Lean.
Blamestorming
In good Lean operations, blame is never the goal of problem-solving efforts. It is sometimes a byproduct, as, on occasion, the facts lead you to a specific person.
Blitz, Kaizen
A blitz is an intensive project, typically a week long, with focused gains in mind. The term kaizen or kaizen event are sometimes used interchangeably with blitz.
Boredom
Boredom, not surprisingly, is simply tedium or a lack of excitement in your job. Boredom (or lack thereof) plays a big role in job satisfaction.
Bottlenecks / Capacity Constraints
The term “bottleneck” (capacity constraint) comes from the area at the top of the bottle that limits the flow coming out.
Bowling Charts
“Bowling chart” is the nickname given to the tracking sheets used to monitor either KPIs or policy deployment objectives. Its name comes from the similarity to a bowling scorecard.
Brainstorming Techniques
Brainstorming techniques have varying degrees of structure, but they are all used to generate ideas.
Brand
This may seem obvious, but a brand is the identifier that lets customers know the company producing the product or service they are buying.
Break-Even Point
The break-even point is the point (number of units sold) where the company can “break-even” and start earning profit.
Breakthrough Improvements
Breakthrough improvements are major changes in processes that yield business-altering results.
Breakthrough Objectives
Breakthrough objectives are targets that can only be achieved with significant changes to the way the company operates.
Briefback
The process of giving instructions often leaves a significant amount of room for misinterpretation.
Buffer (Production)
A production buffer is a type of inventory allocated specifically as a hedge against variation.
Buffer Time
Buffer time, in project management, is the extra time added to a time estimate to keep a project on track. The purpose of this leeway in planning is to manage risk.