At the very core of Creativity with Boundaries (CwB) is Standardized Processes. This means that each process (or line) has highly specified Standard Work (SW) and Centerlines creating a strong foundation, upon which a company can rely, to ensure the process remains stable and can produce consistent output.

Think of Standard Work as if putting a peg in the ground, so the process will not go backwards. Then improve from there and keep moving that peg forward.

Standard work can often be confused with a procedure. A procedure tells you what to do, but does not tell you when to do it or who should do it or what the outcome should be. This is why standard work starts with a common understanding of content AND expectations using the COST model:

• Content: the specific details of how to do a task or run a process
• Output: the specific outcome that you want to get out of the process
• Sequence: the order in which tasks are completed
• Timing: when something should be done and how long it should take for a process to run

One limitation of the basic COST model is that the level of detail and the quality of the material is left open for interpretation. That this why CwB spends a significant amount of time learning the client’s process and documenting every detail, so that the correct level of detail is written into the standard work. This detail is vital to ensuring a common understanding between all resources that come into contact with the process for the long term.

Along with Standard Work, a key enabler for a stable, repeatable process is the development and maintenance of Centerlines for every part of the process. Centerlines ensure that every opportunity to move something within a process is controlled and that there is a baseline to always return to if the process gets out of control.

The process CwB uses to lead/guide its clients through the creation of Centerlines is called Process Allocation. Process Allocation starts with the House of Lean and utilizes a matrix of all the interactions between the customers’ needs and the sections of the process to identify the critical control points in the process. Run settings are then established for each control point and logged in a control plan. These control plans become the basis for establishing a long term process control strategy.

Included in control plans are often a list of housekeeping tasks and preventative maintenance tasks that need to be performed in order for the process to maintain consistent operation. CwB works with all operations and support functions, including maintenance, to ensure everyone’s voice is heard and has input into the control plan.

NOTE: Developing centerlines differs from developing a full-blown Run-To-Target program in that it does not require the development of control charts. If control charting and Statistical Process Control (SPC) is required, CwB also provides a specialized program for that level of development.