I was working, honest!

So, I was playing one of those games on my mobile phone. You know the ones. You match coloured symbols in a row, and they explode in a satisfying spray of hues, like a mini firework display.

I say I was playing it today. I might have also been playing it yesterday. It’s possible that I might have had a little go the day before that too. Alright, you forced it out of me, I am on a disturbingly high level. I have invested far too many hours in this endeavour. I may need help.

Or so I thought.

Because today I realized why I have been playing it. I have been teaching myself lean all along. That is my story, and I am sticking to it. And here’s why.

Firstly each level sets a goal. It is clear what you need to do to achieve “good” and move to the next opportunity.

That goal is bound in an element of “time.” In the sense of the game, each level has a maximum number of moves that you can make to complete. If you run out of turns before you achieve the goal, then you fail.

If you know the target, let’s say collect fifty pink pieces, and the timeframe, say twenty-five moves, you can calculate your takt. To finish the level Just-In-Time, you need to average two pieces every step.

With this in mind, you can work out if you are ahead of target, just about right, or behind the curve. Perhaps you need to get some support in the form of special combos to get back on track, or need to buy expensive extra moves from your limited stash of coins? If you fall behind takt, it may incur costs to catch back up!

Now, I hate incurring additional costs, so I begin to guard my process steps. I ask myself, how does the move I am about to make support my goal? Is it aligned to the target, or is it a move just for the sake of playing? If the action does not support the goal, then I discard it. Waste means I have to do the same work but in less time.

Are you with me so far?

Next, there is a basic set of standard steps that I can use. There is an element of poka-yoke here. If I make a move that is outside of the standard, the system will not let me proceed. I must work out what I was doing wrong, learn, and take another course of action.

Sometimes the game gives me a new set of rules to follow. Maybe it introduces a piece that operates differently or has some property that will help.

How do I know how to react to this new thing? Well, the game shows me. It shows me, then allows me to go through the process myself. Now, I’m not about to say that the game is giving me TWI Job Instruction, but I do feel at ease when approaching the new situation!

And then, there is the end of the level — that divine moment of winning or losing.

If I lose, guess what? It’s not a problem! A fictional butler pops up, commiserates with me, and offers me the chance to have another try. Only this time, I am wiser. I have already seen the pitfalls. It is the ultimate expression of PDCA. So no, I was not wasting time. I was going through another iteration towards success. Failure is not failure if you are learning.

If I win, and I reach my target early, the level stops. It does not allow me to collect additional pink pieces just because I have time.

The target is fifty. I stop when I collect fifty; it is as simple as that. There is no danger of ever over-producing and building up inventory.

The system does not allow it.

Of course, the cunning among you may say that the whole thing was a waste of time. This notion might be accurate, but if I didn’t have a purpose, how could you know?

Without a clearly defined purpose (note, we are not using the word “target,”) anything that keeps me busy seems to be alright.

But if we see this game playing activity in the light of a purpose, then we can make a sound and easy judgement.

My purpose, at this time, is to finish the lean book that I am writing. Does this gameplay support this target? Of course not! So I should seek to reduce or eliminate this activity. On the other hand, though, if I have done an excellent job of writing this article, it turns out that it actually might underpin some sort of lean journey!