When I was in production, we used the term “waves” to describe the ebb and flow of work to the factory. Some days there would be very little, and others a big heaping pile. When the waves came, we worked overtime, bumped queues, and sometimes used less experienced workers to fill in gaps. So-called work-in-process was piled everywhere, and workers and supervisors flew around the factory, escorting the stodgy production flow.

Sometimes this experience was, dare I say, exciting—so much was happening at once. Most times, however, problems arose in the wave, and the experience was a nightmare. In all cases, the waves hurt productivity and quality. This unevenness created a multitude of potential problems, including mistakes, strain, and injury, the need for excess resources (and cost), and ultimately, workers with 10,000-mile stares.

So that was production, circa 1985. Over time, we discovered that much of the unevenness was self-inflicted, the outcome of crazy sales or operations policies. For example, sales bonuses paid on quarterly shipments forced orders out the door early (built on overtime). Then, the first couple weeks of the subsequent quarter were without full work—ebb tide.

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