Table of Contents

How To

  1. Observe how people are using the space. Keep your eyes and ears open. Collect metrics?
  2. 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?
  3. 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 SMART? )
    • Make the new way real.
  4. 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

Kaizen on Wikipedia
SMART criteria
5S methodology
Strategic planning