One of the principles of LEAN (taken from the Toyota Production System) is the notion of striving for perfection. The theory highlights the impact of defects with statistics – if 1% of the 2 million new vehicles sold in Canada each year have a defect it would mean that 20,000 Canadians bought a lemon!

This made me think what a 1% defect rate looks like in my work.

If 1% of my time spent in meetings this week is unproductive then I have lost 24 minutes. Although some meetings are better than others I think most people would agree that the “defect” rates in meetings are much higher than 1%. The idea of losing 24 minutes for each 1% increment multiplied by the number of participants in each meeting quickly adds to something mindbogglingly wasteful!

If 1% of my emails contain an error each week I am sending 5 emails with incorrect information. Am I really so careful that 99% of my emails are error free? What if it is critical information in one of the 5 emails containing an error? What if an email with an error goes to my boss? Or what if my error-filled email gets forwarded several times or goes to the president of the company?

If 1% of the laundry I do shrinks or is damaged in the process I will need to replace 2 articles of clothes each week! This might not be problematic if it is a lost sock that needs replacing but what if it is the $80 Hugo Boss polo shirt and the one and only baseball uniform?

From a numbers perspective sometimes 1% doesn’t sound all that staggering but to the one person who is on the receiving end of the error, it could be a really big deal.