Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2024 - 10

here can be implemented in all different
kinds of shops and adapted to the particular
needs of those spaces. The concepts
herein were learned over two years by
studying how woodworkers implemented
lean manufacturing in their shops and
by reading texts such as Paul Akers' 2
Second Lean.
I first adapted these concepts for use
in the workflow of a high school scenery
shop over the course of two years. The
system was developed spending little
money on infrastructure or capital investments,
and it was implemented by workers
at a wide range of skill levels from
young artists to advanced artisans.
North Port High School Shop May 31, 2016. | Photo by John J. Rawlings.
Time, Money, Talent Triangle
Some of these ideas may sound familiar,
considering the often-discussed
theatre community concept called the
" time, money, talent triangle. " In their
book Technical Management for
the
Performing Arts: Utilizing Time, Money
and Talent, Mark Shanda and Dennis
Dorn describe a tool used to manage
the time, money, talent triangle as " The
primary aspects of the project that need
management " (2016, 6).
When we begin a project, we must
examine the work to be done and analyze
all aspects of the project through the
lens of time, money, and talent. These
three parts determine how a project can
be completed. Each relies on another.
The less talent you have, the more time
you will need to complete the work. The
more money you have, the better quality
of the labor you can hire, or you can
purchase better materials to speed up the
timetable of the project. As one aspect
changes, so does the rest. It is important
to understand the dynamics of the time,
money, talent triangle when reorganizing
your shop. The organization of your shop
will directly influence the amount of time
a project takes to complete, the amount
of money it will cost, and the efficiency
of your labor. By eliminating waste from
the work environment, projects can be
completed as efficiently as possible, thus
improving the implementation of the
time, money, talent triangle as a tool for
analysis.
The established convention of the
time, money, talent triangle is a great way
to analyze projects, but if your workspace
becomes encumbered by waste, then the
triangle becomes inefficient. Organized
waste exists. Rooms and storage units
full of unused scenery, costumes, speakers,
and lighting instruments are a form
of waste, no matter how organized they
may be. Employees walking across a
shop to grab tools or hardware is a form
of waste. Empower workers to help identify
the problems and trust them to make
improvements. You will never eliminate
all the waste in your shop, but by making
minor changes, you can save time and
money, and create a better work environment
for your employees
8 Types of Waste
1. Over production
2. Over Processing
3. Excess Inventory
4. Defects
5. Transportation
6. Wasted Motion
7. Waiting Time
8. Unused Employee Genius
After identifying the waste in your
shop, it's time to start reorganizing using
the 5 Ss. The 5 Ss of lean manufacturing
are derived from 5 Japanese
terms, Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu,
and Shitsuke. In English, these roughly
translate to Sort, Set in Order, Shine,
Standardize, and Sustain. Now is a good
time to point out that there are many
levels of lean manufacturing that range
in complexity, just as there are different
types of shops. The process presented
10 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | ISSUE 1, 2024
Lean Manufacturing Implementation
Being a new manager in a shop is not
easy. There is a slim chance that your
mind is going to work the same way as
the person who managed the space before
you, which means you will want to
re-organize something, maybe everything.
If a functioning system is in place,
a good philosophy is to wait a year before
making major changes. Normally,
that gives you enough time to establish
yourself and work out what you need to
change. Making changes too early can
alienate your shop crew or colleagues. Of
course, changes could be made immediately,
but these should be the exception,
not the rule.
For the first year, keep the shop clean
and try to be as efficient as possible.
When you see waste, take a note, and
start developing a plan for implementing
improvements once the rush of the show
season has concluded.
One of the first things you can do
when taking over a new shop is to take
inventory of everything that you have.
Spend the first few days getting lost in
the building and poking through every
bin and cabinet. Take notes of the contents.
This is an important step; you need
to know what you have and where the
last manager stored it all. It may seem ridiculous,
but when someone needs some
odd item and you remember seeing one
in the corner of the loft space, then you
can save yourself time and money.
At the conclusion of your first year,
start researching. While this article presents
one approach, there are many ideas
for shop organization that could work
well in conjunction with the lean system.
Also consider books, blogs, articles in
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