Thread by @islomar

"Oh, but if people are not always 100% busy we are not being efficient and they will be lazing around when not doing 'their work'". 😱
About the HUGE importance of the slack time, from the book "Value Stream Mapping" #Lean #ValueStreamMapping 👇

"Freeing capacity is a vital way for labor intensive organizations to increase the proportion of revenue to labor. The effort, though, should not result in layoffs. Rather, freeing capacity enables an organization to accomplish one or more of the following outcomes:" 👇

- Absorb additional work without increasing staff
- Reduce paid overtime
- Reduce temporary or contract staffing
- In-source work that's currently outsourced
- Create **better work/life balance** by reducing hours worked
- **Slow down and think**
👇

- Slow down and perform higher-quality work with **less stress and higher safety**
- **Innovate**; create new revenue streams
- Conduct **continuous improvement** activities
- Get to know your customers better (What do they _really_ value?)
👇

- Build stronger supplier relationships
- **Coach staff** to improve their critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- **Mentor staff** to create career growth opportunities
- Provide-cross-training to create greater organizational flexibility and enhance job satisfaction
👇

- **Do the things you haven't been able to get to**; get caught up
- Build stronger interdepartmental and interdivisional relationships to improve collaboration
- Reduce payroll through natural attrition