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One-point Lesson: One-point Lesson

By Jon Miller | Post Date: May 11, 2009 10:25 AM | Comments: 4

Sometimes we are so busy that we think we don't make time to develop the people around us. Instead
we fight fires or give direct instructions. This might be effective in the short-term but inevitably small
problems are missed. The greatest cost is being unable to teach others how to solve and prevent the
problems that we are encountering.
A simple countermeasure to this is the focused education and development method known as the onepoint lesson. Originating as part of TPM (Total Productive Maintenance), the one-point lesson is
intended to develop the knowledge and skills of the machine operators in Autonomous Maintenance.
The basics of Autonomous Maintenance are daily checking and lubricating of machines. With increased
knowledge and familiarity of their equipment the machine operators can detect abnormalities and
early signs of failure. This leads naturally to problem solving skill development in collaboration with
maintenance and engineering staff.

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The benefit to the teacher (typically maintenance people in the case of TPM) is that over time less of
their time is spent on breakdown or reactive maintenance. As a result the professional maintenance
staff can learn more about and devote more time to proactive maintenance such as renewing and
restoring equipment to original conditions, improving and correcting design flaws, and enhancing
technical skills. Although these examples are from manufacturing equipment maintenance we can
apply the same thinking to service industries or even work that does not involve equipment at all.

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The one point lesson should communicate one main idea effectively five to ten minutes. Hand-written
one-point lessons are just fine and we should follow the 80-20 rule and use 80% pictures and 20%
words (or less). An effective one-point lesson should answer many if not all of the 5W1H questions
such as:
What is it?
Why is it important?
What does it do?
Where do we need to check?
Who is responsible for this check?
How do we check it?
How often?
Etc.
There are three typical categories of one-point lessons:
1. Basic equipment functions
2. Improvement examples
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3. Actual problems or abnormalities

In each case the purpose is communication and knowledge sharing. he one-point lesson can be used
across a very wide range of processes and work environments. Some of the most effective one-point
lessons are on whiteboards or posters in the office explaining to everyone how to clear a paper jam in
a copier or even basic functions of word processing. This is my one point lesson on one point lessons
in this particularly busy time. Where can you use the one-point lesson to make you and those around
you more effective?

Click on the image above to download an Excel template for one-point lessons or click here.
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Like this format especially the inclusion of a training record at the bottom. Our practice has been to
make OPLs, display them on boards and hope that guys on the shopfloor shall take the initiative to
imbibe the lessons.
Rgds,
Cyrus Karanja,
Process improvement Leader,
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Nampak (K)Limited,
Thika, Kenya.
Poster: Cyrus Karanja | Post Date: June 27, 2009 2:08 AM
your format of opl is very good.
Poster: sudhir | Post Date: May 17, 2010 2:28 AM
i like to think of one point lessons also as a tool to review and standardise knowledge.When our
team signs the Training Record at the bottom we are agreeing to follow the message we have just
recieved. If we disagree with the information then we can raise it at the time and as a group review
and modify the knowledge and the OPL. But we know once we have signed we have made an
agreement we need to honour.
Poster: gregg spender | Post Date: December 2, 2011 2:38 PM
One point lesson is simple and its clearly shows through sketch and easily to understand.
One shot undersatnding
Poster: murali.r | Post Date: December 17, 2011 8:18 AM
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