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C Terms
C-Level Executive
C-Level executives are the top individuals in an organization’s hierarchical structure. The most common are: CEO (Chief Executive Officer), CFO (Chief Financial Officer), COO (Chief Operating Officer)
Calibration
Calibration is the process of comparing the measuring or output capabilities of a piece of equipment to a known standard.
Call Center
Call centers are simply clusters of people answering phones for a particular purpose. It might be to provide information, as in a hotline for a recall.
Can't
The word “Can’t” is not compatible with continuous improvement. It is surprising how many things that “can’t” be done get accomplished by people and teams when they actually try.
Capability
Capability simply means that a person or machine has the ability to perform a required task. It is a binary measure.
Capability Analysis
Capability Analysis is the act of determining process capability, or the ability of a process to meet a designated set of specifications.
Capacity
Capacity is the amount a given group, team, or individual can produce.
Capital Expenses
Capital expenses are the costs for fixed assets—the things that are typically carried on the books (reported on financial statements), last longer than a year, and provide recurring value.
Card, Kanban
See: Kanban Card
Catalog Engineer
“Catalog engineer” is a derisive term used to describe someone with a lack of creativity when it comes to process improvement.
Catchball
Catchball is a business management technique of floating ideas and comments around in an iterative manner.
Cause and Effect / Fishbone Diagram / Ishikawa Diagram
A cause and effect diagram is a structured, graphical representation of the possible causes to a given effect. The purpose of the CE diagram is to provide clarity about the nature of problems.
CEDAC
CEDAC is an acronym that stands for cause and effect diagram with the addition of cards.
Cell, U-Shaped
See: U-Shaped Cell
Cell, Work
See: Work Cell
Cellular Manufacturing System
In general, batch manufacturing (the opposite of a cellular manufacturing system) is oriented around a process.
Central Limit Theorem
The central limit theorem, in layman’s terms, says that regardless of the shape of the distribution of a population, in most cases
Central Tendency
Central tendency is a statistics term that is used to describe where the middle of a data set lies. The challenge is that there are a few different ways to describe where that middle lies.
Certification (Lean or Six Sigma)
Lean Certifications (or Six Sigma Certifications) comes in several forms.
Chaku-Chaku
A chaku-chaku line has a series of machines, each equipped with a hanedashi device, or autoejector.
Chalk Circle
One of the most commonly told stories about Lean is of the chalk circle.
Champion
A Lean champion tends to be project oriented. They are senior executives with clout in the company.
Change Agent
A change agent is simply an advocate for change, who follows up on those convictions. He or she not only expresses a desire for change, but also attempts to rally those around them to join the cause.
Change Management
Change management is a fairly large field of study that deals with effectively and efficiently introducing changes into an organization.
Change Resistance
The term “resistance to change” is commonly used in discussions about Lean. It simply means that people are set in their ways, and often don’t want to modify their routines.
Changeitis
Changeitis is an innate resistance to change, regardless of the merits of the new situation. It is one of many Lean afflictions that hamper the full potential of continuous improvement efforts.
Changeover
Changeover is the time it takes to go from the last good part of one product run to the first good part of the next product run. Quick changeover is critical to Lean.
Chart, Process Flow
See: Process Flow Chart
Chart, Run
See: Run Chart
Check Sheet
Check Sheets are a means of tallying data. They are generally kept at the point of data collection, and every time a particular incident happens, a check is placed in the appropriate box.
Checklists
Checklists are in rather common use and the general concept of their use is understood by most.
Checkpoints
Checkpoints, in the military, are used to track progress of a unit’s movement. In Lean, checkpoints can be used in a similar fashion. Checkpoints can be linked to specific process steps.
Cherry Picking
Cherry picking is the practice of taking on the easiest work first. It generally has a reputation as being a bad practice.
Clarity Impairment
Strong communication is an important ingredient for effective teams, and continuous improvement relies heavily upon teamwork.
CLOSED MITT
Learn more about the CLOSED MITT acronym for waste
Co-Location
Co-location describes dissimilar processes being placed near each other to facilitate flow.
Coaching
Coaching is the act of giving specific guidance to help a person make better decisions that will result in the individual getting closer to reaching his or her goals
Common Cause Variation
Common cause variation is the predictable, repetitive, systemic portion of variation. Contrast this with special cause variation, caused by unusual occurrences.
Communication
Communication is the act of transferring information and ideas from person to person. It comes in many forms. Face-to-face conversations. E-mails. Phone. Voicemail.
Competition
Competition is the act of trying to get your needs met over the needs of someone else.
Competitive Advantage
A competitive advantage is a condition through which one organization has to spend fewer resources to get the same benefit as a competitor
Complacency
Complacency is the state of being content with achievements while simultaneously being unaware of the pending dangers.
Complexity
Complexity is the state of having many interconnected parts. It is anything that has a lot of intricacy to it. The word has a negative connotation to it in Lean.
Compromise
A compromise involves mutual concessions by both sides during a disagreement. A compromise is characterized by each party getting less than they originally wanted in order to reach an agreement.
Computers
Not that many years ago, people could choose not to use computers. In fact, many people did not have access to a computer at home or at work.
Concrete Head
A concrete head is someone who is resistant to the changes that Lean brings. Obviously, this is a derogatory term. The term “concrete head’ is the result of a translation from Japanese.
Concretitis
Work with Japanese Lean consultants for any length of time, and you will almost certainly hear the term “concrete head”.
Conflicts
Conflict is the state of disagreement or opposition. Conflict is a normal part of any Lean effort.
Confusion
Confusion is a lack of certainty. This uncertainty translates to waste.
Consistency
The definition of consistency (for Lean) is the ability to repeat a process over and over and get the same results every time.
Constraints
Eliyahu Goldratt put together his “Theory of Constraints” and presented its principles in his book The Goal.
Consumer's Risk
Consumer’s risk, also known as beta risk or type-II risk, is the chance of a bad product being identified incorrectly as good and escaping to the purchaser.
Containment
Containment is an interim quality management step. When a problem is identified, the organization must take steps to prevent defects from escaping.
Continuous Data
Continuous data can have any value within a given range. Compare this to discrete data which is limited in the values it takes.
Continuous Flow
Continuous flow is the act of moving a product through the production process from start to finish without stopping.
Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement is the art of relentlessly attempting to make operations and included processes better. It is an all-the-time thing.
Continuous Improvement Culture
A continuous improvement culture is a shared value system that promotes the belief that what is good enough today is not good enough for tomorrow.
Contract of Change
Frequently, people will have their teams sign a contract of change that clarifies what their role is in whatever project or initiative they are taking part in.
Control (DMAIC Step)
The control step of the DMAIC process is where changes are locked in place. The control step requires a system to measure the performance of the new process to ensure it is performing as expected.
Control (Scientific)
A control, or control group is a tool used to confirm whether changes are actually having an effect.
Control Limits
Control limits are lines established 3 standard deviations from the mean on a control chart. Keep in mind that the control chart depicts averages, so exhibits a normal distribution.
Control, Statistical
When a process is said to be in control, statistically speaking, that means that all the variation can be attributed to common causes.
Control, Visual
See: Visual Control
Conveyors
Conveyors are automated systems for moving products and materials between two points. Roller tables perform the same function, but without the automation.
Cooperation
Cooperation is the act of tailoring your activities to work with someone else’s in order to achieve a specific result. Cooperative relationships are generally informal.
Corrective Action Report (CAR)
A Corrective Action Report (CAR) is a tool used to support a quality program.
Correlation
Correlation is a statistical term that describes the relationship between two different, measurable factors.
Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)
The cost of poor quality (COPQ) is the aggregate impact of an organization’s errors and defects on the company.
Costs
Costs are simply our outlays or expenses for which we get something in return. It is most often money, but it can be anything—time, money, or even something that you trade in barter.
Counterclockwise Flow
Many Lean experts advocate setting up work areas so there is counterclockwise flow. This principle goes hand-in hand with the U-shaped cell.
Countermeasures
Countermeasures are the actions taken to reduce or eliminate the root causes of problems that are preventing you from reaching your goals. In many cases, this is a formal process for a company.
Creativity
Creativity is the ability to break the mold of traditional thinking. Most people think of creativity as the ability to come up with new ideas.
Credibility of Lean
Credibility is trustworthiness. Credibility comes from a track record of getting things right. Lean, despite its global success, has to earn its credibility within a company.
Critical Few
The critical few are the minority of causes that contribute to the majority of the effects. The critical few is the “20” part of the Pareto Principle, otherwise known as the 80-20 rule.
Criticism
Criticism is negative feedback about something. At work, criticism can be about personal performance or a process. In a Lean culture, discussing problems is an essential part of making improvements.
CRM / Customer Relationship Management
CRM stands for customer relationship management.
Cross Training
Cross-training employees is exactly what it sounds like—multiple people trained on each job, and each person trained on multiple jobs. Cross-training employees provides flexibility.
Cross-Functional Team
Complex problem solving often require complex thinking to get to simple, effective, easy to implement solutions. When a team is very homogenous, they tend to think very rigidly and one-dimensionally.
Culture, Continuous Improvement
See: Continuous Improvement Culture
Curiosity
Curiosity is the desire to learn more, or the state of dissatisfaction with a lack of knowledge. It is also a fundamental part of any problem solving mentality.
Current State Map
A current state map is a snapshot of how a process is done today. It may be a current state process flowchart, or a current state value stream map (VSM), but the principle is the same.
Current State Value Stream Map
The current state value stream map provides a 30,000-foot snapshot of how an organization operates.
Customer Behavior
Customer behavior is the way the average customer, in a specific target group, will act in a given situation.
Customer Demand
See: Demand, Customer
Customers
Who is a customer in the modern world? He is demanding. He wants his product immediately. He wants value, but that doesn’t mean cheap.
Cycle
A cycle is the time from the start of a process until the operator (or machine) is ready to start the next time through the process.
Cycle Time
In nearly all continuous improvement projects, it is important to know how long work takes to accomplish, known as the cycle time of the process. So, what is cycle time?
Cycle Time Reduction
Cycle time reduction is the strategy of lowering the time it takes to perform a process, most commonly with the intention of improving productivity.