Jasmeet Kohli

Wednesday 12 September 2018


Human Mistakes - What are they???

Human errors are caused by human beings & can be defined as “An inappropriate action or response by a person which gives an undesired or unexpected outcome.” The major reason for human error is that Human performance is variable & not constant. Another major reason is that the monitoring & measuring mechanism of error detection & error correction has flaws or weak controls, which allows the error to occur.
Types of Human Mistakes
Forgetfulness - These mistakes are most common caused by not concentrating.
Miscommunication - These mistakes are caused by not reading the instructions and jumping to conclusions
Error in Identification - Wrong judgment by humans and not identifying the factors properly
Errors by Untrained Workers - Lack of imparting training to workers or deploying workers in projects where they are not trained to work
Willful errors - Deliberately ignoring rules, may be due to pressure situations like lack of time or resources, etc.
Inadvertent errors - Errors caused by distraction or fatigue or similar reasons
Slowness - Errors caused by delay in judgment and taking action when its too late
Lack of standards - Errors caused by not having or following any standards(written or visual)
Surprise errors - Errors caused by malfunctioning of machines, machine breakdown or machine not capable of doing the desired work
Intentional errors - Least caused. Errors caused intentionally like sabotage or terrorist acts.
For detailed information, pls watch the following video:

Thursday 6 September 2018

How to Plan a Gemba Walk?


Lean lays a lot of stress on "Gemba Walk" to identify the waste in the process & bring about improvements. But what is this Gemba??

What is Gemba? 

Gemba is a Japanese term which literally means "the real place". In business, gemba means the place where the value is created, which primarily refers to the factory floor or the office floor. 

What is a Gemba Walk? 

Gemba Walk means observing the work process at the actual place where the work is taking place. Lean emphasizes that managers at all levels should regularly go for Gemba Walks so that problems in a process are clearly visible at the production floor or office floor. Most of the improvement ideas also come from the same place. 

How to Plan a Gemba Walk?

Its very easy for a manager to go for a walk on the factory floor or the office floor to observe what is happening. But without a definite purpose & plan for it, it will just create more waste. Planning a "Gemba Walk" will require some planning in a systematic manner:  
  • Identify the purpose for the Gemba Walk
  • The work process, its inputs, working method & expected output should be understood clearly
  • The time for observation should be carefully decided to ensure that the visit happens at the right time for observing the process in action
  • Identify the right place to observe where work is being done and value is being created in the process
  • Carefully observe the work processes and activities to understand the current performance of the process. Take down notes and detailed drawings wherever required for later recalling what was observed
  • Based on the understanding of he process, evaluate the current process performance & compare with the ideal state to identify the gaps and weak links. Discuss with the team and other stakeholders involved in the process, wherever required to come at a definite outcome
  • Identify the opportunities for improvement based on observations & in discussion with all the stakeholders involved in the process, as per their expertise & discuss possible ways for solving the issues and problems found in the process

Saturday 1 September 2018


Life Lessons Hidden in Everyday Jokes !!!

Life experiences are full of lessons, provided one has the mindset to read the hidden meaning in it. Even the everyday jokes that we see, hear or read has some important message in it for us.


Joke # 1
Doctor: Your Liver is enlarged.
Patient: Does that mean it has space for more whisky?
(This is called "Positive Thinking")

Lesson: Positive Thinking is a very important trait of life that always tells us to always look at the brighter side off things to get Positive Results. A person with this attitude always displays happiness, health & success & has immense self-belief which can help in overcoming any problem or difficulty.

Joke # 2
Lady to her dietician :- What l am worried about is my height and not my weight.
Doc :- How come???
Lady :- According to my weight, my height should be 7.8 feet...
(Now this is called "Positive Attitude" )

Lesson: Positive Attitude is a way of life that makes a person optimist by nature & always looking at the brighter sides of life & expecting the best to happen. It is a mindset that brings positive thinking and avoid worries and negative thoughts. 

Joke # 3
A Man wrote to the bank. "My Cheque was returned with remark "Insufficient funds'. I want to know whether it refers to mine or the Bank".
(This is self confidence in its peak)

Lesson: Self-confidence is the one's belief in his/her capabilities and skills. It helps in completing one's responsibilities as expected and face the problems with determination. It also helps in controlling of one's emotions and behavior responsibly.

Reading these hidden messages & then applying in our lives can make us much better in:
  • organizing our work and life
  • having a clear and analytical thinking
  • having a calm and composed demeanor 
  • having a clear communication with the right words
  • always conscious of behaving appropriately to be an inspiration to others
  • facing the responsibilities and problems at hand with confidence.  
  • seeking help wherever required without any ego
  • admitting to mistakes sincerely and apologizing for it
  • appreciating others, especially the subordinates for good performance.   
Hence, it is imperative for us to be positive even in difficult situations through positive thinking, having a positive attitude & have self-confidence in our abilities to achieve our goals, as expected.
There can be many other qualities & traits that can be mentioned but the important ingredients are given here, most of which sbiuld be there. Doing this would create a leader out of a mere manager......

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