Empathy is about removing your feelings and focusing on the other person. 

(See Sympathy)

Although enterprise and organisation are often used synonymously, for our purposes, we describe or define an Enterprise as a company that has multiple organisations (often called a group) that all contribute to the company’s purpose.

Enterprise Excellence is a very specific strategy by which companies can improve and reach organisational goals. Enterprise Excellence entails bringing all aspects of an organisation into the same improvement and management system.

Equipment Failures can generally be divided into three categories: 

Random

• Defect or failure that is unpredictable.

Natural

• Normal wear out.

• Predicted useful life.

Accelerated

• Incorrect setting or adjustment.

• Incorrect part, tool or work piece.

• Incorrect operation.

• Contamination in moving parts.

• Neglect.

• Consequential damage.

Excellence can be described as a measure of consistently and sustainably exceeding requirements or expectations. 

(See Organisational Excellence)

FIFO is an abbreviation of first-in-first-out and is a form of queuing system where products are handled in the order that they arrive.

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis is basically used by the Manufacturers Network as a process and activity risk assessment. 

The Manufacturers Network FMEA looks at how something can fail, the modes that it can fail in, what can cause these failures and what the effects of these failures are.

The FMEA is designed to use the RAG rating system to determine the highest risks and put controls in place before a problem occurs. 

(See Rag Rating - RPN - RCM)

Henri Fayol (1841–1925) was a French mining engineer, mining executive, author, and director of mines. Fayol is often described as one of the forefathers of management who, in 1916, published Administration industrielle et Générale, which was translated into English in 1940. His book was one of the first on the theory of management and his theories are often described as or called ‘Fayolism’. 

(See Fayol’s 14 Management Principles)

Henry Fayol published his General and Industrial Management Book in 1916 and this was translated into English in 1940. In the book, he identified key management activities, which included:

1. Technical.

2. Commercial.

3. Security.

4. Accounting.

5. Managerial

i. Planning.

ii. Organisation. 

iii. Command.

iv. Co-ordination.

v. Control.

He also identified the 14 principles of management, which was one of the first times anyone had described a management theory. He did it in such a general sense that it could be applied to any business context. 

The 14 principles were:

1. Division of work.

2. Authority.

3. Discipline.

4. Unity of command.

5. Unity of direction.

6. Subordination of individual interest to the general interest.

7. Remuneration.

8. Centralisation.

9. Scalar chain (chain of command).

10. Order.

11. Equity.

12. Stability of tenure of personnel.

13. Initiative.

14. Esprit de Corps (team spirit).

(See Deming’s 14 Management Principles - Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management)

Feedback is providing someone with information on how they are performing and should be used as a means for personal improvement. It is widely accepted that there are two types of Feedback.

Constructive Feedback: is providing objective meaningful guidance and suggestions to achieve a positive change in the other person’s performance, development and behaviours. It:

• Is about the issue, not the person.

• Is prompt.

• Is generally private.

• Is specific.

• Must not be personalised.

• Is positive.

• Allows solutions to be agreed.

Destructive Feedback: is providing subjective judgemental feedback that is used to hurt people’s feelings. It:

• Is about the person, not an issue.

• Is delayed.

• Is generally public.

• Is not specific.

• Is personal and addresses characteristics.

• Is negative.

• Offers no solutions.

A Fishbone diagram is the graphical representation for cause-and effect and basically looks like a fish. Although it can be used for many different purposes, it is most commonly used as a cause-and-effect analysis tool and was developed by the Japanese theorist Kaoru Ishikawa. 

(See Cause and Effect - Ishikawa - 7 Quality Tools)

Neil Fleming introduced the VARK model while working as an inspector for the New Zealand education system. The four letters of his model represent the various learning styles.

Visual: visual learning (pictures, movies, diagrams).

Auditory: auditory learning (music, discussion, lectures) .

Reading and writing: reading and writing learning (making lists, reading textbooks, taking notes)

Kinaesthetic: kinaesthetic learning (movement, experiments, hands-on activities).

Flow is the third Lean principle and can be described as the uninterrupted movement, or progress of work, through the various service or manufacturing systems (from customer order to money in the bank).

Enablers include:

• Workplace organisation - layout.

• Removal of seven wastes.

• Poka-Yoke - mistake proofing.

• Jidoka.

• Kanban

• Standardised work.

• Visual management - Andon.

• SMED.

• TPM.

• OEE (six big losses).

• Demand and capacity management.

Force Field Analysis was developed by Kurt Lewin in the 1930s and is a technique used to identify the driving and restraining forces (positive and negative) for the proposed change. To enable change, we must strengthen the driving forces and weaken the resisting forces.

Henry Ford (aka the Father of Mass Production), 1863-1947, started the era of mass production - from 1908, when the first Model T was built, to 1913, when he introduced the moving assembly belt and interchangeability of standard parts. 

It could be said that the Ford system made good Adam Smith’s division of labour, Ely Whitney’s interchangeable standard parts, George Whistler’s organisational structure/system, and Frederick Taylor’s principles of scientific management. After all, his good friend Frederick Taylor was also his in-house management consultant. 

It is also believed that the Ford manufacturing system was the precursor to the just-in-time system developed by Toyota. The Ford system ensured that the materials were planned and delivered on time to ensure the flow of production would be smooth, thereby reducing raw material costs and increasing throughout. 

(See Smith (Adam) - Division of Labour - Whitney (Ely)  - Interchangeable Standard Parts - Whistler (George) - Organisational Chart - Taylor (Frederick) - Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management)