teach lean while having fun: the use of lean simulation games

The University of Texas at San AntonioUTSA@

3/11/2016 - CIP Meeting Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems at UTSA 1

Continuous Improvement Professionals

(CIP) Meeting at UTSA

Hung-da Wan, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Assistant Chair of

Mechanical Engineering Department

University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

Teach Lean while Having Fun:

The Use of Lean Simulation Games


Agenda

What is simulation game?

And why do we need them?

What games can I find?

The design aspects of simulation games

Some useful tips



What is

“Lean Simulation Game”?

And Why?



Demo: A Game for Continuous Improvement

Let’s look at our “Handout Passing” process.

Define the following items of the “process”:

System:

Objective:

(“value” added by the system)

Problem: (opportunity for improvement)

Performance Metrics:

Identify improvement opportunities

Solutions:

Let’s try again

New Performance:

Let’s use the “Best Practice” from now on

Takes more time than it should

Passing handouts to every student quickly

A Class = Teacher + Students + Classroom

seconds

seconds



Why use simulation games?


Define the problem according to

customer requirements.

Measure defect rates and collect all

relevant data.

Analyze process data and determine

the capability of the process.

Improve the process and remove

causes of defects.

Control and mistake-proof the process to sustain the improvement.

Definitions of DMAIC Simulation Gamesvs.


Benefits of Using Simulation Games

An “Active Learning” Pedagogy

Project-based learning

Experienced-based learning

Promotes “Critical Thinking”

Relates theories to reality Reflect!

Interactive, Competitive and Fun!

Students said they vividly remember the game they

played at the beginning of the semester and repeatedly

referring back to what they learned in the game!



An Emphasis on “Simulation”

Game playing is fun, but the purpose is to

teach Lean concepts.

“Simulation” is important!

Demonstrate selected Lean concepts in a

simplified setting.

Make sure the participants can relate the

activities to their work/life experience.

Now, let’s take a look at a popular “5S” game.



Activity: The 5S Numbers Game

The numbers represents application forms

submitted to you for review and approval.

Your job is to strike out the numbers from 1 to 49

in correct sequence (Sheet A).

For example: 1 2 3

We will have a 30 second

shift to get as much done

as possible

Superteams, “The 5S Numbers Game,” (http://www.superteams.com/5s-game.php).


http://www.superteams.com/5s-game.php


Lean Tool: 5S

5S – A systematic way of creating a safe, efficient,

and highly visible workspace for employees

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_(methodology)

Sort

Set in Order

Shine

Standardize

Sustain

整理 Seiri

整頓 Seiton

清掃 Seisou

清潔 Seiketsu

躾 Shitsuke

=

=

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=3/11/2016 - CIP Meeting Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems at UTSA 9


What Simulation Games

can I find?



Types of Lean Simulation Games

There are many types of simulation games.


Game

EnvironmentGame Setting Example

Face-to-Face

Single Player,

Simple Task5S Number Game

Multi-player,

Role-Playing in a SystemLEGO Airplane Assembly

Computer based

Single Player,

Simple TaskFlash-based 5S Game

Multi-player,

Role-Playing in a SystemWeb-based Office Game

From literature review, we found more than 100 lean

simulation games.


Example: LEGO Airplane Assembly Line

Time: 90 minutes

Participants: 6 Players per Group

4 Assembly Workstations

1 Quality Inspector

1 Teardown Station

Scenarios: 4 Phases

Phase I: Traditional Factory

Phase II: Cellular Layout

Phase III: One Piece Flow with Pull System

Phase IV: Balanced Workload

Product: Airplane made of LEGO



Example: PC-based “Visual Aid” Games


http://aux.coe.utsa.edu/~fmls/balu/vsg/vpg.swf

http://aux.coe.utsa.edu/~fmls/balu/vsg/vpg.swf


Which Game Should I Use?

Beware! Not all games would work for you.

LEGO Airplane Game needs 1.5 to 2 hours

Web-based Game needs internet connection

CAMLS’s Lean Office Game requires 8 people in a team

Choose the games based on your needs and

constraints: Which lean concepts do you want to demonstrate?

How much time do you have?

How many people will participate?

How many instructors would be needed?

How much preparation efforts & cost? Simple is good!

How confident are you to run this game? Easy is good!



The “Design Aspects”

of

Lean Simulation Games



What makes a good simulation games?

These three aspects should be considered.


Objectives &

Constraints

Dynamics of

System

Learning &

Teaching

Experience


Aspect #1: Objectives & Constraints

Define These in Objectives:

Define the lean concepts/tools to be demonstrated

Performance metrics relevant to the selected lean

concepts/tools

Targeted group of learners

Type of game to be developed/selected

Identify These Constraints:

Consider allotted time, space, budget, number of

participants, number of facilitators, classroom size,

equipment, and any other issues of feasibility.



Aspect #2: Dynamics of the System

The game must demonstrate the impact of selected

lean tools on relevant performance metrics within

feasibility constraints.

Desired Dynamics of the system:

“Before” Lean: Confusion, frustration, visible

wastes, opportunities of improvement.

“After” Lean: Streamlined, easy to carry out, visible

improvement in metrics.

Other Properties: Fun to play, encourages critical

thinking, sense of competition & achievement, etc.



Example of Desired “Dynamics” of System


#1 #2 #3 #44 sec 8 sec 8 sec 16 sec

#1 #2 #3 #4

#1 #2 #3 #410 sec 11 sec 11 sec 12 sec

#1 #2 #3 #4

#1 #2 #3 #416 sec 8 sec 8 sec 4 sec

#1 #2 #3 #4

(a) Cycle Time Difference Not Significant Enough

(b) Bottleneck Position Located Incorrectly

A Simulated System Capable of

Demonstrating Pull Concept

Before “Pull”:

WIP increases by 3 in every 16 seconds

(∆WIP = (1/4 – 1/16)(60) = 11.25 jobs/min).

So, WIP reaches 22.5 jobs within 2 minutes.

After “Pull”:

WIP controlled at 4 jobs (no buffers) or 7 jobs

(buffers between stations) while maintaining

the same throughput.

Incorrect Designs


Aspect #3: Learning & Teaching Experience

Learning Experience

Interesting and enjoyable.

All participants should have a role.

Allow participants to relate to real-

world application and their daily

job duties.

Slight frustration in “before” phase

makes “after” phase appreciated

and memorable.

The length: long enough to learn

the concept but short enough to

concentrate and feel engaged.

The anxiety of competition and

achievement helps with the

learning experience.

Teaching Experience

Simple logistics in preparation,

execution, and wrapping up, with

reasonable amount of effort.

Results should be predictable and

manageable.

No need to rely on instructor’s

memory, experience, or additional

help from teaching assistants.

When uncertainty is a factor (e.g.,

number of participants, available

facility, etc.), games with higher

flexibility and adaptability is

preferred.



The “5S Game” is successful, because…

Lean Concept: 5S.

Relevant Metrics: Time to complete each task.

Requirements & Constraints: Single player, simple tasks,

flexible execution time. The game is free.

Desired System Dynamics: With implementation of 5 S’s,

jobs can be completed quicker in each phase.

Game Setting & Logistics: The scattered numbers can be

easily related to office desks or inventory rooms. Preparation

of the numbers sheets are very easy.



The LEGO game is successful, because…

Lean Concept: Cellular layout,

one piece flow, pull system and Kanban,

and workload balancing.

Relevant Metrics: Throughput, total cycle time,

defect rate, and WIP level.

Requirements & Constraints: 1.5 to 2 hours of game time; 5 to 6

players per team; enough LEGO pieces.

Desired System Dynamics: First phase creates frustration and low

performance in all relevant metrics. With lean tools implemented in

each phase, relevant metrics improves significantly. Results are

predictable.

Game Setting & Logistics: Assembly of LEGO airplane is simple

and fun, and it can be relate to various systems of work flows.

Once LEGO pieces are acquired, the game is easily reproduced.



Some Useful Tips for you

Simulation games can be very effective teaching tools, when

used correctly.

Know what you need and what it takes.

You can turn simple things into a game: Drawing, paper folding,

dice rolling, math, spelling, ball catching, sticky notes, etc.

Use “Lean Concept” while using the games.




Continuous Improvement Professionals

(CIP) Meeting at UTSA

Hung-da Wan, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Assistant Chair of

Mechanical Engineering Department

University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)

Teach Lean while Having Fun:

The Use of Lean Simulation Games

teach lean while having fun: the use of lean simulation games

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