Hoshin Kanri for the Lean Enterprise: Developing Competitive Capabilities and Managing Profit [With CD-ROM] [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I've spent some time looking at several different Hoshin Kanri (hoshin - navigation or compass, kanri - control) texts, a.k.a "Policy Deployment." I personally think that this is overall the best one, hand's down. It's a tricky subject, with many "moving parts" and few examples available to view firsthand (I've seen it only a few times myself). I mention other books, but have not reviewed them, because they were so bad I couldn't even finish them and I have a rule to not review any book I haven't read.

This review compares this to several other ones (as best I could), plus for consistency of philosophy with other lean/operational excellence concepts. Most lean texts I've read barely mention Hoshin, if at all. Even when they do, then do so poorly or with too little detail to help you other than to make you aware that it exists.

This book helps fill a huge gaping void in the understanding and implementation of the lean enterprise.

Pro:

+A clear linkage to Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycles at different levels... at last! Cascading PDCA is critical to success.

+Excellent examples of the x-matrix and various styles of A3 report

+A Shingo Prize winning text, and it has definitely earned this honor!

+Goes well above expectation, digging deeper into "DNA" teaming elements/systems that creates deeper understanding of "why" we do hoshin, not just "how"

+Sets clear roles for who should do what, when, and of course why and how

+Superb examples of A3 reports of all different sorts

+Generally well written and interesting despite a potentially dry subject... other books I have on this topic are boring and a fight to read, this was not in the least!

Con:

-Some situtations where I think concepts were compromised or are incorrect, examples: management by walking around (flawed) instead of leader standard work (preferred), and the 7 wastes instead of the more contemporary 8 wastes, plus others not mentioned here.

-Measures do not emphasize a "from X to Y by Z" format, which is a weakness of many x-matrices, especially at the site or departmental level. If you don't know where you are, how can you set a target and follow-up to see how well you are closing the gap? Goals like "reduce scrap 50%" are bogus and against best practices of Hoshin! Better to say, "Scrap from 102 to 51 pieces per day by 10/1" to convey a sense of expectation and quick understanding of where you are.

-Version of the x-matrix touted is very busy and overly complicated with various shapes, violating quick dissemination of information. Suggest the version described in, "The Management Compass" by Michele L. Bechtell.

-Many little errors in formatting, spelling, and even a few where it says see Figure "X" but really meant see Figure "Y"... although you can work around these well enough, it could cast doubts on other material herein (but don't let it be a turn off as the material is wonderful and so well written/presented)

Bottom line: highly recommended. One of the few texts that the lean zealot simply must possess; THE book for Hoshin Kanri. Comes as close to getting a 5/5 stars as one could possibly get and not actually get there. Goes above and beyond what I expected and for difficult subject matter. Other books have some good points (see cons section) however, few, if any, other books that I am aware has the overall scope and content, plus a fantastic execution that makes reading it so enjoyable.

Tom Jackson's practical and valuable insights are rivaled only by the importance and benefits of applying Hoshin Kanri. Hoshin Kanri as a practice has been applied as part of lean transformation efforts for quite a long time. But there were still very limited resources for people to learn more about it. Tom's work in this arena is extensive, and throughout all of his books (others are Implementing a Lean Management System and Corporate Diagnosis), he has focused on tools and systems for management to use in a lean company. This is the only book you'll need - I highly recommend picking it up.

One of the things I most appreciate about this book is how it integrates hoshin kanri with the Plan-Do-Check-Act process. This of course is the intent of hoshin kanri, but the linkage was never presented so clearly.

I am amazed at the quality of the ideas and the sheer practically of the methods Jackson sets out in this excellent book.

I have read a number of books on Hoshin Kanri methods but this is the best I have seen, it's not spray on policy deployment, this is the real stuff and demonstrates how these methods should be used.

There are so many companies (some blue chip) using Hoshin Kanri who are quite oblivious of their ineptitude when using these methods, and frankly they are more dangerous, they obviously need this book to learn how to do it properly.

The material in the CDrom back-up the text very well so there is no excuse, you can start straight away.

I am now using this with my company and recommend it to others.