Mistake Proofing with Color

Jay Arthur
888-468-1537
303-756-9144
KnowWare International, Inc.
DBA LifeStar
2253 S. Oneida
Ste 3D
Denver, CO 80224

We help people think!

Copyright © 2008

Why are so many work environments a dull gray or tan when the earth is vibrant with color. We sometimes forget that humans can see in color. Stoplights use red, yellow, and green. Why can't we use more color to help mistake proof processes?

Color for Processing
When I mailed in my taxes in April I noticed the IRS uses color to sort their incoming mail into ones with money and ones without.

The white address label on the left is for taxpayers who owe money. The yellow label is for refunds. One goes to Charlotte, NC and the other goes to Fresno. The processing and handling of checks on the one hand and writing checks on the other probably helps simplify their processing.

Restaurants use orange lids to distinguish between regular and decaf coffee.

Hospital labs use different colored tubes to identify whether blood samples are going to hematology, coag, or chemistry. If you see a green tube (chemistry) in hematology (purple), you know it's misplaced.

A door manufacturer uses different colored bins for different kinds of screws to help ensure the right parts are packaged with the right products.

In our office, we use a red folder for payment processing and plain manila folders for order processing. This way, checks don't get lost in the wrong folder.

The Mind Learns In Color
The human eye can readily detect color. Once your mind gets used to seeing a certain color associated with a certain tool, product or process, the two become linked in your mind. So, when you see the right product (e.g., tube) with the wrong color or the right color in the wrong place, it sets off an alarm in your mind that will help prevent a mistake.

Work in Technicolor
Still trapped in black-and-white thinking or just shades of gray?

How can you start using color to mistake proof your processes?

Color Coded Scorecards and Dashboards for Leadership
Many executives are demanding red, yellow and green stoplight colors in the key metrics reports they are given. If you are struggling to create color coded scorecards and dashboards for your executive team, we can help. Our new fill-in-the-blanks Dashboard-Scorecard system is only $50 per measure. Here is what you get:

• A place to describe your measures. You can choose from 10, 20 and 30 measure systems.
• A place to enter your results.
• A color-coded (green, yellow, red) scorecard that shows how well you're performing.
• A control chart for each measurement that shows actual performance as a graph.

To download a two metric demo version and to find out more go to http://www.qimacros.com/dashboard-scorecard-for-excel.html

© 2008 Jay Arthur, the KnowWare® Man, works with managers who want to plug the leaks in their cash flow.

Hire Jay Arthur to train your staff in his one-day Lean Six Sigma Workshop! Contact Jay at (888) 468-1537, lifestar@rmi.net.

Rights to reprint this article in company periodicals is freely given with the inclusion of the following tag line: "© 2008 Jay Arthur, the KnowWare® Man, (888) 468-1537, lifestar@rmi.net."

Want to increase your profits and slash costs by $250,000? Consider our risk-free trial of the Complete Lean Six Sigma System (#490)

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