[Music] hi there in this module we're going to introduce a visual management method known as the obeah specifically by the end of this module you'll know what an obeah is including its origins you'll also know the primary benefits and reasons for adopting obey of methods well then explore what actually happens during an obey a meeting and finally by the end of this module we'll explore some shared principles that make obey us successful let's get started define the obey is a method of communication cross-functional cooperation and decision-making that specifies the space-time and visual organization of information obey is a Japanese word for big room meaning an open office working space with no interior walls the obey is a large room set up with a specific purpose typically it's to share information about a project or the overall business operation in a way that enables rapid decision-making and collaboration simply putting charts on one or two walls or having a team board is not the same as an obeah the obey a method is much more than a room with visual information on the walls it's a set of principles processes and routines the obey of method comes to us from lean product development researchers noticed in the 1990s that Toyota was able to design and launch new automobiles in about half of the time of their competitors at a lower cost and with fewer problems after launch part of Toyota's approach involved the product development team meeting frequently in a big room with all relevant information displayed on the wall in practice and obey ax is similar to a Mission Control Center today obey is widely used for lean project management lean product development and for running an overall business operation the purpose of meeting together in a big room within firm on the walls is to enable the people involved in the project to speed up their communication and decision-making reduce silo thinking in to build trust cooperation and team spirit this can be especially challenging in large complex knowledge work such as strategy execution product development or general management of a business and knowledge work creativity idea generation and discussions are essential the obeah is a structured space an occasion to enable this the ohh bad method shares many things in common with other lean management practices and routines for example daily accountability meetings shift startup team meetings and daily huddle meetings all involve visualization people communicating performance status identifying issues solving problems and priority alignment these daily management processes often link up to business level obey o also these daily meetings are most often at the local level while Albea are at a cross-functional or enterprise level the exact agenda and routine will be different for each obey a meeting depending on its scope and purpose if an obeah has been laid out properly a meeting leader should be able to walk the group around the room compare the current situation to the target and raise the issues that require discussion and decision a general flow to obey a meetings proceeds as follows one check the current situation target versus actual to identify any gaps including red status metrics or problems 3 review the a3 problem analysis or issues breakdowns for present decision reading issues and recommended actions 5 commit to actions to address top priorities from the issues board or a36 record decisions knowledge capture or lessons learned 7 thanks closing and continued cross-functional exchange as need well now that we discuss what an obey a meeting is let's now turn our attention to its benefits of which there are several one reduces unnecessary or repeated discussion two reduces information defects between functions three exposes assumptions and things we think we know four enables teams to arrive at consensus faster five creates an environment to develop leaders now with all this set it may seem like adding yet another meeting to our busy schedules isn't the smartest idea however one of the benefits of the obey a process is that it reduces unnecessary discussion repeat a discussion about issues without decision can be a source of frustration as well as a waste of time and brainpower in a narrow baya everyone has access to the same information at the same time decisions are made and actions are followed up at the next meeting in other words things get done next there's a popular lien saying don't make accept or pass on defects and this is most definitely true for information o baya enables us to build quality into cross-functional knowledge work when all of the information is in one place and is reviewed regularly as a team there's less rework due to misunderstanding misalignment or non communication across the project or across functions in day-to-day operations as the old adage goes it's not what you don't know that gets you into trouble it's what you know that just isn't so the Obey a method of visual management allows us to not only make our information or what we think we know visible but also our assumptions which can often contain errors the Obey a process helps teams to arrive at consensus alignment and shared vision based on being in the same room with the same information the process improves cross-functional and cross-departmental coordination another key benefit is that the obey a process develops leadership allowing younger leaders to listen to the experience of other leaders in the room and to learn how to solve problems the obey method works best when it can bring people together to share information cross-functionally speed up communication and prevent information from falling through the gaps between functional boundaries however this doesn't mean that the obey I can only be used at the highest levels of an organization in addition to business strategy operations management and new product development obeah can also be used for many other things including managing cross-functional improvement efforts implementing new software systems or for planing of big event and this day and age when so much of the work we do in information we process as digital one might ask why is it necessary to have a specific time place and approach to meet and share information in fact the more information goes digital the more important it becomes to bring people together to build relationships and Trust to learn from each other and to engage our minds fully in exchanging valuable information a typical face to face obey a meeting may last about one hour which is less than two percent of a 40-hour work week this 2% can make the remaining 98% much more productive by removing this understanding organizational barriers and frustration created by unaddressed issues it's important to remember that simply having a meeting in a big room with data displayed on the walls it's not the same thing as practicing the obey method as a management method the obeah requires shared values and principles including focusing on the vital few priorities keeping commitments to customers setting clear targets meeting based on well-defined routines agendas and activities making problems visible going to see to get the fat making decisions based on facts and reasoning addressing root causes of problems taking corrective action learning from mistakes and capturing lessons learned these requirements may seem like a high bar but don't worry no company is perfect practicing the obey a process and experiencing its benefits will help reinforce belief in these principles as a first step it can be useful to make these guiding principles visible at the start of your obey a process okay that wraps up this Obey overview module in our next lesson we'll see a specific example of a no baya process for a product development team it's a typical layout of such a room the type of information presented and how the meeting progresses so we'll speak to you soon