Line Balancing - Yamazumi Chart Method

Revision as of 13:08, 19 February 2018

Overview

Line balancing (LB) is a resource optimisation strategy that aims to optimise and/or shorten the project schedule duration model based on the supply and demand of project resources. The LB technique is classified under Control Schedule (CS), which monitors activities and implements both corrective and preventative actions to minimise deviation and risks to scheduled plans.

The LB strategy involves assessing project scopes, decomposing project deliverables into smaller manageable parts, creating activity lists, highlighting activities that are delayed/constrained/overburdened or free/waiting and rebalances, reallocates or adds extra resources to smooth out the project schedule. The Yamazumi Chart (YC) is an analytical tool and technique that is used to visualise this time management strategy.

The YC requires activities to be properly defined and sequenced, and their resources and durations to be accurately estimated. This method enables project managers to appropriately adjust a schedule management plan as it manages the supply and demand resources across multiple activities. Project managers are also able to identify risks and perform quantitiative risk analyses from the YC output data at it will identify procsses that not value-adding, non-critical or waste. Once the YC is established, it can easily be updated with new data and can then then be used to optimise the project continuously or at multiple points during the project life.

A project manager should use this tool to both manage, execute and control the project schedule, as early/late start/finish dates of projects/activities are easily identifiable from the otputs. Other resource levelling, smoothing, crashing and fast tracking techniques can be applied if necessary, ensuring the timely completion of a project or the delivery of products.

Methodology

Step 1: Create activity list

A list of all sub-activities that are required in order to complete the project are listed in sequential order. Sub-activities can be grouped and named according to their stage in the project or process.

This step helps managers to clearly see how each activity or process compares to the others, which take the longest and which may require extra resources.

Step 2: Classification

All sub-activities are labelled as:

- Value added

- Non-Value added

- Waste

Each label helps to clearly identify which sub-activities add value to the project or process and must be completed, as well as identifying sub-activities that are waste and should be eliminated or minimised from the process where possible.

Step 3: Takt Time (Time)

Takt time is defined as the rate of demand for a particular project or process and is calculated by dividing the total amount of available work time by the number of deliverables required by a customer.

Expressed as a formula:

Takt time can also be described as the business running speed, where running faster can mean greater inventory and profits, and running slowe can mean falling below customer demands.

Uses

Example

Downloadable Template

Referénces

Project Management: A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide), Section 6: Project Time Management; 6.2.2 Define Activities: Tools and Techniques; 6.2.2.1 Decomposition; 6.2.3.1 Activity List; 6.6 Develop Schedule; 6.7 Control Schedule; 6.6.2.4 Resource Optimization Techniques; 6.6.2.7 Schedule Compression

IMPROVEMENT OF OVERALL EFFICIENCY OF PRODUCTION LINE BY USING LINE BALANCING [1]

Lean Manufacturing Implementation Using Value Stream Mapping: A Case study of Pumps Manufacturing Company [2]

Optimization Assembly Process base on Motion Time Study in Manufacturing Industry: Study Case and Implementation [3]

Ohno, Taiichi. The Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production. Portland, Oregon: Productivity Press, 1988.

Backup idea:

Edward De Bono's 6 Thinking Hats