| The average information age worker spends 40% of | | | | he must reply to approximately 26 of the emails, or |
| the day processing information, not actually working on | | | | roughly 20% of the volume. |
| the underlying content. Applying Lean principles to your | | | | Over the last week, he sent 125 emails in response to |
| processes can reduce processing time, thereby | | | | emails that came to his inbox. In measuring the time |
| improving your performance. | | | | that lapsed from when he received the email until he |
| The Invisible Processes of the Information Age | | | | responded, his average completion rate was 4.2 hours, |
| You may have heard the terms "Lean Manufacturing" | | | | meaning that, on average, he answered an email within |
| or "Six Sigma", and most likely they were used in the | | | | 4.2 hours of receiving it in his inbox. Here is what his |
| context of improving quality or reducing the cost of | | | | lead time calculation looks like: |
| operations. While in fact these terms do have their | | | | Work to be completed ------ 130 emails ------ Lead |
| roots in the manufacturing industry, the truth is that | | | | Time |
| both can also be effectively applied to information age | | | | Avg. Completion rate -------- 4.2 hours ------- 31 hours |
| companies. | | | | The calculation tells us that 31 hours will lapse while Joe |
| Lean's major objective is to speed up processes, while | | | | works through the 130 emails to find the ones he must |
| Six Sigma's is to improve quality as defined by the | | | | respond to, all while simultaneously tending to his other |
| customer. Applied together, you can achieve faster | | | | duties and obligations. If you dig further into these |
| processes with a higher level of quality. | | | | numbers you will see that the vast majority of time |
| Today's Challenge | | | | lapsed is the email waiting to be answered, not the |
| The challenge we face in the information age, unlike | | | | actual act of responding. |
| that of manufacturing businesses, is that often we | | | | Also notice that most people stop working after 12 |
| cannot see our processes. Oftentimes processes are | | | | hours, which indicates that with a lead time of 31 hours, |
| conversations, emails, or data stored in a software | | | | this means the work is backing up. Most likely Joe will |
| package and/or files that, once combined, result in a | | | | need to carve out a large chunk of time on the |
| defined process. This makes them seem invisible and, | | | | weekend to catch up and get his email current. This is |
| in turn, this invisibility makes it very difficult to optimize | | | | a very familiar scenario for far too many people. |
| the process to avoid waste and increase quality. | | | | Improving Lead Time |
| One of the main measurement tools used by Lean | | | | Experts in the Lean process will tell you that the |
| practitioners involves calculating the lead time it takes | | | | fastest and cheapest way to improve your lead time |
| to complete a process. The calculation requires taking | | | | is to attack the numerator, the amount of work to be |
| the amount of work to be done and dividing it by the | | | | done, versus the denominator, the average completion |
| average time it takes to complete the work. This is | | | | rate. This is because improving the average completion |
| known as Little's Law. The application of this | | | | rate generally requires investment in capacity (i.e. hiring |
| measurement and the tracking of the results can | | | | another person to do your email). |
| quickly point you to specific actions you can take to | | | | By using some simple email tools and triage rules, you |
| improve your lead time (i.e. the speed at which you | | | | can reduce the amount of emails you must review at |
| complete your work). | | | | any point in time. To continue our example, if Joe were |
| Email and Little's Law | | | | able to reduce his average inbox size to 75, keeping |
| If you study the volume of email you receive on a daily | | | | his same average completion rate, his lead time would |
| basis, you will notice that there is a predictable flow to | | | | drop to 18 hours. Drop it to 50, still maintaining the same |
| the timing and volume of the messages. For example, | | | | average completion rate, and Joe now has a |
| the number of emails you see filling your inbox on | | | | manageable lead time of 6 hours. |
| Tuesday morning is typically much higher than what | | | | Without changing any other aspect of how Joe works, |
| you see at 9:00 p.m. on a Friday evening. Over time, | | | | if he can keep his daily inbox to no more than 50 |
| you will begin to see a steady rhythm to the daily | | | | emails, he has a real shot at staying current. |
| volume and topics that fill your inbox. Over time you will | | | | Tips for reducing Inbox volume |
| also be able to track how long it takes for you to | | | | - Create a rule to automatically delete emails that you |
| respond. It is in this trending data that the opportunity | | | | consistently delete without reading. Examples are |
| lies for you to to speed up your work with greater | | | | system generated emails such as reminders, report |
| quality. | | | | notifications, newsletters etc. |
| Calculating Your Email Lead Time | | | | - Use the SPAM filters built into email tools to block |
| Let's apply Little's Law to handling your email. To | | | | junk mail - make sure to report those that get through |
| calculate the numerator (work to be done) at any point | | | | the filters. |
| in time, record the total number of emails you have in | | | | - Create a rule to move emails that you are |
| your inbox. | | | | addressed in the CC: line to a separate folder. Scan |
| Calculating the denominator (average completion rate) | | | | the folder once a day looking for topics of interest. |
| is a bit more time consuming. Review the emails you | | | | Make sure the people who work with you know to |
| sent to other people over the last week. Compare | | | | address emails properly so you will read them in a |
| when you received the original email to when you | | | | timely fashion. |
| replied. Capture this difference in time. Make sure to | | | | - Ask to be taken off of distribution list for reports or |
| use the same base measurement for each email (i.e. | | | | emails for items that you have no interest in seeing. |
| minutes, hours or days). Next, total the difference for all | | | | - By applying these four rules, you should see a |
| emails and divide by the total number of emails sent | | | | reduction in your daily email volume by 50 to 75%. This |
| that week. This will give you the average completion | | | | will then allow you to focus your time and energy upon |
| rate. | | | | the emails you must read and act. |
| Now divide the number of emails waiting to be worked | | | | If, after doing all of these steps, you still find that your |
| in your inbox by your average completion rate. This | | | | email volume is greater than you can handle, then you |
| becomes your base line for measuring your | | | | must address your capacity. You may have |
| performance. | | | | responsibilities that are too broad and greater than one |
| Here is an example: | | | | person can handle, and thus they should be addressed |
| Joe receives on average 130 emails a day. Generally | | | | in a different manner. |