Lean football
FIFA fever is catching the world fast. On the outside lean manufacturing and football world cup (Soccer world cup) has no link what so ever. But with my lean cap on, I had a look at the game. I found it funny. Below are some observations. Football fans, I by no means want to offend you. Just go through the list.
Huge amount of waiting time: Only one person controls the boll at once. All the other players and the referees are just waiting.
Tens of thousands of people watch the match on the ground, and millions are watching it on TV. They do nothing. Only watching. Huge amount of wasted time.
Huge amount of Transportation: The main objective of football(At least according to my little knowledge on the subject) is to hit the goal. Not to pass the ball here and there. But most of the time team never even thinks about going to the goal. They just keep on passing the ball from one place to another. Huge amount of transportation without adding value to the final outcome.
Defects: Finally when they are near the goal, only very few percentages of balls actually hit to the goal. This in my opinion is a defect. When this happens, you will have to start the game all over again. Everything done up to this point is of little value.
Tons of Ergonomic problems: Especially the noise those trumpets create is very irritating. I do not know how the players in the ground tolerate it. It is even very hard when you watch the match on TV. Definitely not nice.
Lots of underutilized human talents: There are large numbers of players in the bench. I saw best footballers of all time in the stands just watching the match. Maradona is not playing the game. Aren’t these guys wasting talent?
I can go on adding to this list. But for the time being let’s stop here.
But the game has use of some lean tools also (Surprise). It is worth mentioning.
There is a use of visual indicators (Only to indicate the bad things though) in the forms of Yellow and Red cards. So everyone knows what happens when these indicators are pulled out. Everyone has to come to the referee and start arguing with him J
In the field, everything has its place. They are well marked and maintained. Just like a 5S space. Very good to see when I have my lean cap on.
Just leave your though as a comment. Sometimes it is very hard to be a lean thinker.
Have a Nice Day!
26 comments:
What FIFA should do to improve this process is to have each goal located 12 yards apart (at the penalty mark). The keepers can take turns kicking it at each other!
Good observations..!!! BTW, can I call this Lean Fanaticism..?? :-D
Its a battle field man ! Not a production line !
Good observation but I find you have copletely ignored the entertainment part of it.
Those who are watching and entertaining themselves. Entertainment has value and by no means its a waste.
On your comment only I can say that implementation of lean could not be successful until the lean experts has reasonable knowledge on the process where he wants to introduce lean. Your comments indicates that you do not know much about foot ball. The whole lean observation is trash. Perhaps lean can not be implemented in all aspects of life specially where emotion is the main factor attached to the process.Let the foot ball continue its own rules
Runu Bagchi
CEO
Business Analyst Group
I agree with the others pointing out that this is "entertainment" or "battle."
I agree with you that they could use some lean("fun" intended)!
Just a thought though, and in reverse of what the others are saying - and to satisfy you perhaps - some production lines are like battlefields!(or some form of entertainment!). Haha.
-Luke
According to all improvement philosophies, its the customer who decides what is a waste?
we can see a v good team work. just working hard to get there goals..
In my point of view, you did a good observation for football game. For football team, they have to reduce the Defect in order to win. For FIFA, they have to avoid Ergonomic problems like that in the future. For instance, they have to issue the regulation to forbid using of trumpets in the field.For waste time of who is watching the game, I think it is not really waste.I think we are partaking the entertainment. But the waste time during my watching is non-productive playing to hit the goal. For instance, the player kick a ball in the corner to consume the time in order to win.
sometimes, we do much waste activity for take a nice in live. Hoby, prestice, etc. But, Its a good observation. I don't like to watch football world cup. Because I don't like football game or because I don't like waste activity? He...he....
i very much agree with the DEFECTS idea. wasting well calculated chance is horible. its all defects and defects. the transportation also yes! morinho won the champions league without much transportaion.
but football is much different from all other process in which lean can be applied.
its all about the fun, entertainment, the screaming of the fans(i love vuvuzela), excitement, ultomately the PASSION. thinking lean will eliminate the passion.
Good observation, If you look in totality the team which can control the wastages has the better result. you can only be successful with less defects.
I thnk I agree with the one who is talking about the necessity of process ubderstanding by the lean expert and also my comment is that you forgot the customers and imrovement is one which adds value in the eye of the customer
Turab
Suprb observation!!! Have you any suggestions for the elimination of all forms of wastes.
With my limited knowledge on foot ball here are my opinion.
1. I know that this is 90 minutes game , who ever does max goal team wins. Major task for other team is to stop them by wasting their effort. This is the part of the game to make sure other team does not produce or produces defects. Opposition always works on this.
2. GAME is entertainer for people & people would like to spend & invest time for this which will provide them utmost happyness.
3. 5S , yes it is there. But part of the game is to disturb other game to become winner in the tournament.
Considering all these point I am not seeing worth to say abour lean methodology in foot fall.
Good observations. But, then what would be your observations for:
1) five days cricket test match?
2) one day (50 overs each)match?
3) people spending time particularly in summer at beaches?
4) time spent in theaters for watching movies or plays?
H. J. Jani
Howdy Aza,
I think you should apply for a football coach.
But the best improvement to be implemented is : "Eliminate the rule of impediment (the game is 11 versus 11)". Football will be faster and more competitive.
Btw what is your football team?
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT SPORTS DON`T HAVE WASTED TIME?
Not all have to be lean, at least in your definition of the word, in our world.
When we are not working, is nice to be fat.To have some fun is not lean but is nice!!
Hey Guys;
I am very pleased to see all the comments you have made. Believe it or not this is the largest comment count on the entire blog, in 5+ years history of this blog.
I now really understand what my readers really like :). Keep your comment coming.
Have a great fifa
Sir,
We have take the advantages from the popularity
of the game to make pepole to undersatand the "BEAUTY OF LEAN TOOL and its power
KEEP THE GOOD THINGS UP and keep updating on LEAN throughout the WORLD
I wish you good health to think more LEAN
regards
sanjeev musafir
India.
Though I am not a football fanatic, but, I got a little frustrated after reading the blog (though I appreciate your thinking and your lean fanaticism). A very important point made by one of the commenter was that it's the customers who decide the value added processes or wastes.
If it is a match between Brazil and France, and I support Brazil, then more Brazilian players prevent the French attempt to goal, the better it is. You should have started with a detailed value stream map and then made your lean analysis... :P
Though I ain't a football fanatic, but, I got a little frustrated after reading the lean football blog (though I really appreciate your lean thinking).
I think you didn't start off well with your lean analysis. I believe you should have done process analysis with the use of SIPOC and value stream mapping. As clearly mentioned by one of the commenter that it is the customers who decide the value added activities and wastes.
If it is a match between France and Brazil and I am supporting France, as a customer I would want France to prevent Brazil from hitting the goals. So, here is a case of 2 types of customers for the same process ;) :P with directing different objectives.
I was thinking about this article all the time during last night Brazil Vs Chile match..
The match ended 3-0 to Brazil, and I noticed that it's not necessarily about the transportation or excess movement wastes, but it was a matter of "efficiency Vs effectiveness"!
Chile was efficient, they were doing things right, good passes, powerful shoots... etc. but they were missing the target, they missed the value of the game
Brazil was really all about effectiveness and efficiency, the players always did the right things to achieve goals, and they did them right! winning the game, three outstanding goals, amused audience!
Anyways, Aza..
I LOVED the fact that you're a real Lean thinker! and you keep connecting lean tools and theories with many other aspects in life beside manufacturing.
and btw, Maradona is the coach :) and he's getting old it'll be a total waste if he involved in the game :D
Have you taken into consideration that at every moment there is an opposing (assumably equal) force that would fight to have the ball move in the opposite direction.
the number human spares in football is relatively much leaner as compared to spares that may be required in lean maintenance.
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