Fly It! is Rath & Strong’s interactive learning game in which participants discover Lean concepts through a deceptively simple paper airplane–making experience.

Two or more teams of 7 to 12 participants each build and test paper airplanes and deliver them to a common customer. The game has three rounds or ‘days,’ interspersed with time for each team to work on process improvements.

Because customer demand is high and quality requirements rigorous, all the teams are challenged. After the first day, teams feel the direct parallels to their real-world work. They point out the direct parallels: confusion, lack of understanding of customer needs, internal communication issues, work imbalances, and the tension between quality and quantity.

Production data is collected after each day so that the impact of improvements can be quantified.

By the end of the third day, teams improve their ability to meet customer demand and improve process via Lean methods and problem-solving skills.

High Energy Level as Participants Experience Lean in Action

Competition between the teams to deliver the most airplanes keeps the energy level high.

Each team consists of a manager, folders and cutters, inspectors and flight testers, and material handlers and shippers. The customer and a supplier are common to all teams.

Through three days of experiential learning the teams learn the basic concepts of Lean, such as waste, continuous flow, and pull.

Eliminating waste, decreasing lead time, and increasing velocity are what Fly It! is all about!

Also Available for Licensing

Fly It! is typically part of a Lean, Lean Six Sigma, or change program and may be licensed to your company for ongoing training.