====== How To ====== - **Observe how people are using the space.** Keep your eyes and ears open. Collect metrics? - **Notice something that doesn't work well enough.** Have you spotted a common, recurring problem? Is there an area that tends to get filled with mysterious junk? Is a useful thing often hard to find? Is something dangerous? - **Find a way to make it better.** * Describe the problem to someone else. (This will help clarify it in your own mind.) * Get consensus that the new plan will work. (Will it work? Is it [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria|SMART]]? ) * Make the new way real. - **Get people to adopt the new way.** If the new way is truly better, this should happen automatically. ====== Examples ====== Issue: Sweeping the space is too hard.\\ Solution: Replace all the non-folding chairs with the same grey Costco chairs we've been buying.\\ Reason: Eases the burden for the cleaner(s). Issue: Table and floor is cluttered with non-project stuff (such as laptop bags, backpacks, etc) on busy days, leaving no room for others to work on their own projects\\ Solution: Keep bags and jackets in your locker if you have one, and if you do not, put them up the front to the side of the couch.\\ Solution: Shelf under the central tables for temporary storage.\\ Reason: More efficient use of the space; we should be able to fit nearly twice as many people at the tables than can be currently accommodated on a typical Tuesday. Question: Where will people fit their legs if there's a shelf in the way? Issue: Garbage tends to collect on the tables, shelves, and floor.\\ Solution: hang all lamps above the table. Mount power bars on the legs of the table.\\ Reason: Making the tables always-empty will draw attention to garbage left behind.\\ Solution: Only accept donations the space needs.\\ Reason: donations are assumed to be owned by someone else, never touched, and then they matastasize. Solution: As suggested by other hackspaces, add a "Gone in two weeks" shelf and a "Gone in one week" shelf. Move things as appropriate. Issue: Electronic services tend to rot.\\ Solution: Take an hour to read and/or update the Wiki, blog, or other iStuff. Issue: Not enough storage space.\\ Solution: Everything should be labelled by owner.\\ Reason: Anything unlabelled is assumed to be donated and should be claimed or recycled.\\ Reason: Anything owned by an individual should be in their locker or sent home. Issue: Loose nuts, bolts, and washers.\\ Solution: ?? Something like a coin sorter that works on these things?\\ Reason: Throwing them out is stupid and sorting them is too hard. Issue: Most of the MAME games don't work.\\ Solution: ?? Reason: error-free MAME box = more fun! Issue: Too hard to access the PHP for the VHS and Wiki.\\ Solution: Add to Dropbox? Github?\\ Reason: Cannot Kaizen without access. Issue: People don't know when the space is open.\\ Solution: Easy website updates when [[:opening_the_space]] and when [[:closing_the_space]].\\ Reason: attracts more people to the space. Issue: Access to the space for non-members is a nuisance to everyone, even when the space is open.\\ Solution: ?? Reason: Eliminates buzzer ====== Completed Actions ====== 2012-05-09: Issue: Garbage tends to collect on the tables, shelves, and floor.\\ Solution: Cut the tables to all be the same height. \\ Reason: With no overhang, there are less places things can be "out of sight, out of mind".\\ 2012-05-16: Issue: Stuff tends to collect on either end of the work benches.\\ Issue: Stacked folding chairs get in the way of the CNC, fire escape.\\ Solution: Move the Electronics bench 18" away from the fire escape door. Stack the chairs behind the door.\\ Reason: Can't store stuff in a gap that doesn't exist. ====== See Also ====== [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaizen|Kaizen on Wikipedia]]\\ [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria|SMART criteria]]\\ [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_%28methodology%29|5S methodology]]\\ [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_planning|Strategic planning]]