The Mouse Trap® Experience:

The Power of Lean Learning

Course Objective

• Recognize the value of experimentation

• Strengthen lean knowledge

• Apply and test scientific method principles

Lean is Born From How We Think

• Lean cannot be made successful by:– One person– One department– One job title

• Lean requires dedication and commitment of all

• People must first understand before they can make a commitment

A Learning Organization Structure

Learn • Formal seminars• Informal coaching

Apply • Organization-wide• Departments• Job responsibilities

Reflect • What worked well?• What didn’t work well?• Why?• What can we do

differently?

Apply

Reflect

Learn

Standardization Enables Learning

• Identify the most efficient way to accomplish a process

• Ensure that everyone follows same structured process

• Visibly indicates deviations

• Improvement opportunities become evident

Standardization Enables Learning

• How do you do this work?

• How do you know you are doing this work correctly?

• How do you know that the outcome is free of defects?

• What do you do if you have a problem?

Experimentation and the Scientific Method

• Directly observe the problem

• Brainstorm an idea

• Develop hypothesis of anticipated results

• Implement an idea

• Directly observe and record results

• Compare actual results with anticipated

The Hypothesis

• ‘A tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences’

• Learning occurs as the hypothesis is tested

Why Create a Hypothesis?

• Provides direction to the ideal state

• Prevents becoming sidetracked

• How can you identify success if you don’t have a vision of what it looks like?

• Source of all process learning

Experimentation Barriers

• Failure to understand current state

• Failure to develop hypothesis

• Focus on symptoms

• Failure to verify results

Plan-Do-Check-Act

• Identifies improvement area

• Maps out an action plan

• Details time frame

• Continually assesses progress

When Do I Use PDCA?

• Implementing any change

• Defining a repetitive work process

• Identifying root cause

• Developing a new process

Plan

Identify the condition • Recognize an opportunity• Clearly define current state

Analyze the current state

• Identify current reality

Develop ideas • Brainstorm ideas• Narrow down ideas to

one

Develop hypothesis • Define your idea• Define expectations

Do

Execute an idea • Perform your experiment• Implement on trial basis and

test

Check

Evaluate results • Direct observation • Gather data• More important to learn process

than achieve the desired result

Act

Experiment did not produce desired result

• Determine “why?”• Strategize revisions

Experiment produced desired result

• Expand solution • Adopt solution• Standardize solution• Continue to search for

improvements

Mouse Trap®: The Simulation

1. Identify problems/inhibitors

2. Brainstorm potential solutions

3. Develop hypotheses of expected outcomes

4. Execute solution

5. Reflect

The Objective

• Capture as many mice as possible

• Make the process as efficient as possible

• Teams compete against one another

Mouse Trap® Mechanics

Role ResponsibilitiesOperator • Begins when Set-Up has returned

trap to ready state• Turns crank to trigger trap

Material Handler

• Begins when Operator has triggered

trap• Removes mouse from trap• Transfers cheese from cup one to• Holds mouse throughout cheese

transfer• Returns mouse under cage

Role Responsibilities

Set-Up Person • Begins when Material Handler

has returned mouse under cage• Returns trap to ready state

Timer • Collects data• OBSERVER

Improvement Coordinator

• Looks for improvement ideas• Documents improvement ideas• OBSERVER

Mouse Trap Ready State Guidelines

• Trap must be reset to ready state if trap malfunctions at any time

Mouse Trap® Process Guidelines

Material Handlerreturns mouse

to cage

Set-Up returnstrap to

ready state

Material Handleracts once mouse

Is caught

Operator triggers trap

Role Responsibility Guidelines

Permitted to do active work during Mouse Trap® is operating

• Operator• Set-Up• Material Handler

Material Handler • Picks up the mouse• Moves cheese pieces• Must always pick up

mouse during cheese

transfer• Move 1 piece of

cheese at a time

Practice Round

• 2 minutes

• Familiarize yourself with trap mechanics

• Operating the trap is permitted

Round 1

• Operate Mouse Trap® in current state• No method changes• No modifications to process or operation• 1 mouse caught = 1 cheese piece• Material Handler transfers cheese piece

from cup 1 to cup 2• Complete results report

Let’s Begin!

• 5 minutes

Round 1 Continuous Improvement Discussion

• 10 minutes

• 2 improvement areas

• Document improvements in PDCA

• Timer and Improvement Coordinator actively contribute

Let’s Begin!

• 10 minutes

Round 2

• Only 2 ideas may be implemented

• Every change is 1 idea

• Improvement ideas must be documented in PDCA

• Complete results report

• 5 minutes

Round 2 Operation Guidelines

• Turn crank to move boot

• Marble falls from bucket and follows red rain gutter to hit blue helping hand rod

• Blue helping hand rod allows marble to fall into bathtub

• Marble lands on diving board and catapults diver into yellow washtub

• Cage falls down pole to catch mouse

Let’s Begin!

• 5 minutes

Round 2 ContinuousImprovement Discussion

• 10 minutes

• 4 improvement ideas

• If you are keeping ideas implemented during round 2, these count toward the 4 maximum

• Document improvements in PDCA

• Timer and Improvement Coordinator actively participate

Let’s Begin!

• 10 minutes

Round 3

• Only 4 ideas may be implemented

• Every change is 1 idea

• Improvement ideas must be documented in PDCA

• 4 ideas implemented may be new or may be ideas implemented during round 2

• Complete results report

• 5 minutes

Round 3 Operation Guidelines

• Turn crank to move boot

• Marble falls from bucket and follows red rain gutter to hit blue helping hand rod

• Blue helping hand rod allows marble to fall into bathtub

• Marble lands on diving board and catapults diver into yellow washtub

• Cage falls down pole to catch mouse

Let’s Begin!

• 5 minutes

• Key to Mouse Trap simulation success

• Valuable usage of time

• Essential to the lean journey

• Contributes to sustainable solutions

Identifying Current State is Key

Current State Results

• Identifies effective processes

• Identifies improvement opportunities

• Ensures that you are addressing the root cause and not firefighting

• Provides direction toward ideal state

• Assists in identifying change as it occurs

• Serves as point of reference

Experimentation is Vital

• You must be constantly looking for improvement opportunities

• If you stop searching, you become complacent with the current state

• Complacency with the current state halts the ideal state

Standardize Improvement Through PDCA

• Identifies the current state

• Identifies the problem

• Develops potential solutions

• Maps out an action plan

• Evaluates results

• Standardizes effective solutions

• Assesses improvement progress

Small Steps = Significant and Sustainable Change• Wide-sweeping and sudden change is not

recommended

• Wide-sweeping and sudden change is difficult to monitor

• Lean is a journey that never ends