Greenbelt for Operations Winter 2012 Kick-Off

Vancouver welcomed out-of-town participants and local ones too in true Westcoast Winter Fashion- with non stop rain and no sunlight in sight. Nonetheless, each one of the 15 participants made it on time for registration and Day 1 of this season's first Greenbelt program!

After the registration process- Bob went through the required formalities- introducing Lean Sensei and lean terminology. For some of our manufacturing guys and girls who may be unaccustomed to sitting for eight hours- our coaches inject humour, icebreakers and team-building exercises throughout their presentations.

Team-Building: This class was split up into three groups of five- and were given a few minutes to come up with a team name, logo and chant.

Team Bridge- Removing the barriers....

Later on, after the break, the team's first project. Build an infrastructure which will protect an egg at all cost. Materials = straws + strip of tape!

All three teams made it through the first and second round. Bob had to up the ante by throwing the egg and structure into the air.

After the lunch break- Bob has the students run out on a field trip to explore 'waste' in everyday life. The three teams come back with a host of examples: Poor layout in a coffee shop. Over-production at a fast food joint.  Having to cross two streets to get across the road... okay that one may have been a little extreme ;) The point is- once you put on your lean lens- it's hard not to notice how

many opportunities there are to reduce waste!

This is a great group and we're thrilled to be starting another season and training the next set of Lean Champions.