Coordination · Problem-solving
Paper Plane Production Line
Teams run a small factory that folds paper planes to a quality standard. After each round they redesign the process and try to deliver more with less waste.
Quick answer
How do you run Paper Plane Production Line with a team?
Teams run a small factory that folds paper planes to a quality standard. After each round they redesign the process and try to deliver more with less waste. Duration: 1 hour. Group size: 12–80 people. Setting: Indoor. Below you will find a step-by-step guide, the materials and facilitator tips.
- Duration
- 1 hour
- Group size
- 12–80 people
- Setting
- Indoor
- Energy level
- High energy
- Materials
- A stack of A4 paper per team, A sample plane and a simple quality standard (folds, markings, a test flight), A timer, a whiteboard for results and a tape line for test flights
- Price
- Free, no sign-up
Objective
Experience how handovers, batch sizes and bottlenecks affect a whole process, and practise improving it together.
Materials
- A stack of A4 paper per team
- A sample plane and a simple quality standard (folds, markings, a test flight)
- A timer, a whiteboard for results and a tape line for test flights
Step by step
- Each team of six to eight sets up a production line with stations: folding steps, quality check and test flight.
- Round 1 (five minutes): produce as many planes as possible that pass the quality check. Count good planes and waste.
- Give teams five minutes to discuss what slowed them down and redesign the line.
- Round 2: produce again and compare results.
- Optional round 3: introduce a twist, such as a design change halfway through or a rule that each station may only pass one plane at a time.
- Debrief: where were the bottlenecks, what happened at handovers, and what does this tell us about our own processes?
Facilitator tips
- Keep the quality standard strict but simple, so that rejects are visible.
- Notice who takes the lead in redesign discussions and whether the people doing the work are heard.
Variations
- Assign a "customer" who changes the order during the round.
- Compare large batches with passing one plane at a time.
Accessibility
Can be done seated at tables. Folding requires some hand dexterity; the quality-check, timekeeping and test-flight roles are good alternatives.
