facebook pixel image

One Piece Flow Everything, Everywhere

One piece flow everything, everywhere.

There’s a lot of assumptions baked into that statement. An assumption that one piece is the right quantity, that flow is the most efficient condition, and that it has universal application. We shouldn’t take those assumptions lightly, we should question them, but we also need to consider the opposite perspective.

Bulk transport everything, everywhere.

There’s a lot of assumptions built into that statement too. That bulk in some undefined quantity is the right quantity, that discrete transport is the right movement condition, and that it has universal application. That more is always better, more of more is what we want.

Human factors research suggests that people can keep “7 +/- 2” things in their working memory at any given time. That provides insight into the one piece flow vs. bulk transport consideration. Maybe one piece is too perfect of a target condition for now, but there are also limits to the other perspective. More is not always better, more of more is not the right choice.

Transmit information in sizes that people can understand and process. Transport things in quantities that people can manage and utilize.

Move everything you do closer to one piece flow every day.

Previous

Next