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N Terms
Nagara
Nagara is a Japanese term meaning “while doing something”. It simply means to do more than one thing at a time. For example, a person may be able to assemble two parts while walking.
Names
Remembering someone’s name tells them that you place value on them as an individual. It shows that you respect them enough to remember who they are.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
NIST is the government agency that sets and maintains standards for measurements in the US. A standard is essentially the reference against which measuring devices are calibrated.
Negotiation
Negotiation is simply the process of discussing something of mutual interest and agreeing to terms. Negotiations typically involve tradeoffs.
Net Present Value / NPV
Net Present Value (NPV) comes from the principle that money today is worth more than the same face value of money tomorrow.
New Product Development / NPD
NPD is perhaps the most critical of all business functions. Think of a business like a shark. It has to keep moving forward to stay alive. NPD is the process by which they keep moving forward.
Night Shift
A night shift is just what it sounds like. It is the second (or third) shift at a facility after the normal day shift ends.
NIST / National Institute of Standards and Technology
See: National Institute of Standards and Technology
No-No's of Lean Operations
Continuous improvement is as much about not going backward as it is about making progress. Knowing what to avoid is as important as knowing what to do.
Noise - Sound
Noise in Lean operations has a rather significant impact. High levels of noise can cause permanent hearing loss.
Nominal Conditions
A key requirement in a Lean operation is to make abnormal conditions stand out. Obviously, to recognize abnormal, you must also understand what normal is.
Nominal Data
Nominal data is a type of qualitative data. It contains a set of possible values that has no measurable sequence to them.
Non-Value Added (NVA)
Non-Value Added (NVA) steps consume resources but do nothing to add value to a product or process.
Nopointosis
Smooth, efficient communication helps business management systems thrive.
Note Taking
Note taking is a valuable skill. Most people can’t remember all the details they are flooded with every day.
Null Hypothesis
“Null hypothesis” is a statistical term that basically means that there is an assumption that there is no statistical difference between observations.