As my associates and I visit companies that are working on their lean transformation, one of the most common threats to lean we have witnessed is the challenge of executing the lean plans.

The improvement ideas may have resulted from kaizens, value stream maps, waste walks, problem solving or even just water-cooler chatter. But, as we all know, it's not how many ideas you have -- it's how many you make work. Ideas sometimes come easy, but execution can be a little daunting. This seems to be a challenge for many companies.

While thinking about this topic, I was watching my 9-month-old daughter play. She was quite content with a blue block when she spotted her soccer ball out of the corner of her eye. As she picked up the ball, she dropped the block. A few moments later she spotted the block again and picked it up, forgetting the soccer ball had ever interested her.

We behave no differently. We find one solution and before we've put it in place, we get distracted with a new thought or problem or opportunity and start to work on that -- dropping the solution we had already found before we ever implemented it.

There must be a change in our thinking that helps us learn to love the execution of the plans as much as the creation of them. No matter how many tools you have for managing action plans, they will never overcome this gap in thinking. There may be nothing more valuable in helping your organization move further in this matter than spending time as a group to reflect on how you think about execution.

Master Schedule: However, there are tools and systems that can help you in executing your plan -- even if they can't replace principles. For example, Master Schedule is a great tool for supporting follow-up and execution. Having a simple action plan written in large scale on a whiteboard or wall chart makes it very visual. No one is going to miss an action when displayed this way versus being written in daily planners or on 3 x 5 cards in your back pocket. Most action meetings focus on reporting out and become laborious information dumps. A Master Schedule meeting has no reporting out except for simple lines on the chart to indicate on-track, behind, or ahead. The group can focus on a problem area and give it extra attention to make sure things stay on track.

High Agreement: Another principle that helps, yet is often missed, is the establishment of high agreement of both what and how. Having a plan is not high agreement; it's only part of the story. Establishing high agreement means determining how you will know if there is a problem, how you will monitor the problem, how you will respond to the problem, etc. All plans should accommodate this.

Control Point Standardization: Lastly, Control Point Standardization can ensure that when improvements or tools are put in place, they STAY that way. The core of the Control Point Standardization process is the Manager Audit Sheet. Developing a schedule of when the manager will check the operation, and what he/she will check, ensures that the slightest sign of slippage will be identified immediately. Mentioning at a staff meeting that "more attention needs to be given to safety glasses" will have nowhere near the impact that the establishment of a regular schedule and the ability to visually show people what is happening will have.

Paying as much attention to execution as to idea generation requires a change in thinking. Using the right tools can help as you coach the right behaviors.

So . . . here are some ideas. All you have to do is execute them. Good luck.