5S, Poke Yoke, and SMED Are Critical to IT Ops

For anyone that works in a data center, you know that while the building infrastructure may remain fairly static, the compute power inside doesn't. There are acquisitions, mergers and technology shifts that require migrations or data center consolidations. These efforts could take a significant amount of time to execute and produce undesirable disruption and downtime if not managed appropriately.

In a recent blog post, Rackspace revealed how they've developed a migration methodology based on the 5S, Poke Yoke, and SMED principles of Lean Six Sigma that gives them a leg up on getting the deed done quickly with minimal downtime and with efficient use of labor.

The use of Lean Six Sigma and the tools of 5S, Poke Yoke, and SMED aren't just for massive operations like those described by Rackspace. These principles can be applied all across the information technology space in organizations of all sizes to enhance operations and improve the bottom line. For example, I deployed them nearly twenty-five years ago with great success when Total Quality Management (TQM) was the quality initiative to utilize.

For those reading that may not know the Lean Six Sigma terms of 5S, Poke Yoke, and SMED, here's a short overview.

• The Kaizen principle of 5S's fundamentally is about keeping the workspace clean and neat. The 5S's are:
• Sort - Keep what you need handy and close, move other items out.
• Set in Order - Everything has a place.
• Shine - Keep everything clean and neat.
• Standardize - Create and implement standards for a consistently organized workspace.
• Sustain - Keeping it going requires an active ongoing effort.
• Poke Yoke is a Japanese term that roughly translates into mistake proofing. Polarized electrical plugs and safety lock-out switches are great examples of Poke Yoke.
• Single-minute exchange of dies (SMED) is rooted in manufacturing where many of the procedures that are necessary for the exchange of dies are streamlined and executed while the equipment is running.

Getting back to why 5S, Poke Yoke, and SMED are critical to IT operations, years ago, when I worked at Honeywell, each of these principles were applied to the process of upgrading the network infrastructure at our U.S. branch offices. We had large rolling crates full of materials necessary for the task that had everything needed for the upgrade (Sort and Set in Order). Our server rooms and the areas we worked in were kept neat and orderly (Shine) and there was a well-documented and standardized procedure that was tried and true. After each upgrade, we had a debrief that allowed us to document lessons learned in order to refine our process (Sustain).

There was a lot of activity required for performing a complete computing infrastructure upgrade at our branch offices. Some of it was physical, like exchanging one computer, server, or switch for another. Other parts were very automated using software. Using the principles of Poke Yoke, software was written to ensure that it was being executed at the right time and from the correct computer to avoid potentially disastrous outcomes; like performing a database upgrade before it was time do so.

Our branch offices were where revenue was being generated so their daily activities couldn't be interrupted. This is where we utilized the principle of SMED to streamline all of our steps and perform as many of them in preparation for the cut-over in parallel with normal operations. Equipment cut-over was smooth and efficient, consuming just minutes of time, thus keeping the revenue stream flowing.

To some, 5S, Poke Yoke, and SMED seem like no-brainer activities. We are in the minority. It's practitioners like us that keep moving the ball forward by finding more efficient ways to perform tasks that we've always done. While rooted in manufacturing, 5S, Poke Yoke, SMED, and the entire Lean Six Sigma framework can, and should be, applied to every process in an organization; manufacturing AND back office, services, etc. With the right approach, companies can raise their standard of quality across the board thereby increasing customer satisfaction and improving the bottom line. Isn't it time to embrace Lean Six Sigma if you haven't already?