“Business transformation” is a phrase used to describe what happens when an organization fundamentally changes its operations. The goal of business transformation is to enhance operational and financial performance. Business transformation may occur at the organizational level or within a department or product group.

How do you measure success at your company?   Based on what you do, there might be a lot of different factors that define success for your company.   But I want to tell you one of the ways we measure success in Kanbanize. It’s simple: we celebrate success when our customers succeed through innovation.   At the […]

Objective To explain the methodology and implementation of the tool, thus demonstrating its usefulness and benefits. To provide an update on its usage and our “take-out” of findings to date. Provide a “hands-on” exercise whereby the tool can be applied to a “real-life” situation. The TPM Self Assessment’s purpose is to provide information to assist […]

ChatGPT is still all the rage. It’s one thing to treat the chatbot like Google. But I recently learned about some capabilities that are far more interesting — the ability to “simulate” events that never happened in real life (a.k.a. “the original timeline” or OTL as it’s referred to in the “alternative history” genre). In […]

Work standards are the backbone of continuous improvement because you need a standard to maintain what you have already achieved. But standards are not easy. A standard should explain everything in sufficient detail without being too detailed…and that is a fine line to walk. The key to the problem, but also to the solution, is […]

INTERVIEW – In April, the Lean Enterprise Academy in the UK is hosting its first in-person summit since before the pandemic. We caught up with their CEO to hear about the event. Interviewee: Dave Brunt, CEO, Lean Enterprise Academy Planet Lean: What is the theme of this year’s summit? Dave Brunt: We have structured the […]

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of January 2022.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.     Systems Primed for Finding Fault – Christopher R Chapman discusses how leadership creates systems that cause fear and blame.   Year End Muda – Bruce Hamilton discusses two unpleasant and […]

I’m looking forward to reading the new book by Uri Levine, the founder of Waze. It’s titled Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution: A Handbook for Entrepreneurs. I’m hoping to interview him on “My Favorite MIstake” because he talks about learning from failures. Levine touches on this in a piece about him […]

Quality professionals ensure that Products and Services meet certain standards of Quality. Quality Professionals possess a variety of skills, including strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication skills. They are also able to lead and manage projects, as well as train and mentor other team members. They are able to work well under pressure and are […]

By Pascal Dennis (bio) Strategy, like all problem solving, entails moving fluidly between the worlds of Thought & Experience. We begin by trying to understand our core problem in the world of thought. We reflect on core strategic questions such as: What happened last year, and why? What worked, what did not work, and why? […]

Gemba Walk is a simple yet powerful tool that organizations can use to improve their processes and increase efficiency. The term “Gemba” is a Japanese word that means “the actual place” or “the real place.” Gemba Walk is a process where managers and other leaders go to the “Gemba,” or the place where work is […]

We recently had the honor of hosting Nick Katko, President and Owner of BMA and author of several books, including The Lean CFO – 2nd Edition and co-author of Practicing Lean Accounting, on a webinar with KaiNexus Senior Advisor Mark Graban, and Senior Director of Lean Strategy, Chris Burnham. 

Thanks as always to Ryan McCormack for this… there’s always so much good reading, listening, and viewing shared here by him! Subscribe to get these directly from Ryan via email. Insights about improvement, innovation, and leadership… Operational Excellence, Improvement, and Innovation Improvement is not an event Many organizations reduce their improvement or innovation efforts to […]

Meet Angad and Prabhpahul Singh, co-founders and the brains behind LeanSuite, a software development company that offers lean manufacturing and process improvement solutions for manufacturers and companies in other sectors. The Brampton, Ont.-based company was created to specifically fulfill the needs of small businesses in terms of operations management and productivity improvement. To support this, LeanSuite […]

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on […]

Definition of quality What Do We understand by the word “Quality”? Definition and Example Most of the time, we get confused when defining the term “quality.” The meaning of the term “quality” varies from place to place. Such as: from the human viewpoint, the term quality refers to the distinctive feature of the individual. In […]

FEATURE – A real understanding of Lean Thinking can only stem from an exploration of its tacit aspects, not just its most explicit, easy-to-grasp elements. Words: Michael Ballé and Alice Mathieu “We know more than we can tell.” In the early 1960s, Michael Polanyi opened our eyes to the reality that much of human knowledge […]

In this blog post, we’ll be discussing what continuous improvement is, what a continuous improvement software does and why you should use one for your manufacturing operations. What is Continuous Improvement? In manufacturing, continuous improvement, also known as Kaizen, is a company culture and strategy that involves and encourages all employees to look for ways […]

As I’m trying to finish my book about learning from mistakes (“The Mistakes That Make Us“), I have examples from many different types of companies, including KaiNexus, that have a very strong and intentional culture of learning from mistakes. These examples also include Toyota and two award-winning distilleries. And companies in other industries. Does any […]

If our conversations with business leaders are any indication, the theme of 2023 is how to get more productivity out of existing resources. The uncertain economy and difficult labor market are forcing leaders to think creatively about increasing productivity this year. Fortunately, Lean business process management is ideally suited for this challenge. Lean organizations constantly […]

Timothy R. Clark, who started his career in manufacturing leadership, is the author of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety. He has a short definition of psychological safety: “A culture of rewarded vulnerability” To unpack that definition, Clark defines culture as the sum of our human interactions. What is “vulnerability”? “exposure to the risk of […]

Unsplash Employees want to work for a business that shares their ethics and values. They want to know that their employer has a moral compass and that they are authentically interested in solving the world’s major issues. Employees also want to feel empowered by their employer. Empowered employees create a culture of community and are […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more Joining us for Episode #467 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Tracy Defoe. She is an adult education consultant and researcher specializing in workplace education. For parts of the last 10 years, she has been puzzling over the challenges of participation and leadership in continuous […]

Here’s a famous quote of a man at the beginning of a journey. Or at least the story: In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost. Ah, how hard a thing it is to tell what a wild, and rough, […]

FEATURE – By changing its attitude towards problems and welcoming them as opportunities to learn, this Colombian construction company has turned around its culture. Words: Ángela Bayona and Ivonne Paola Patiño In Constructora Bolívar, silence is our worst enemy. Although certain types of silence are good, others are worrisome – especially those that stem from […]

During our Van of Nerds tour in France in 2022, we came across a few vibration sensors. In manufacturing, vibration sensors are frequently used to measure machine- or tool-related data. Some of these sensors were variations of what I have seen before, but the one for measuring machine performance was stunningly good and something I […]

By Pascal Dennis (bio) Last time I wrote about Fred Taylor and his Faustian bargain. Taylor separated planning from production. Productivity soared, but at a terrible cost: The alienation of front line team members, and the illusion of top-down control “We can manage from a distance, by the numbers.” “What can front line team members […]

Lean Manufacturing refers to a method of production that focuses on reducing waste and increasing efficiency by constantly improving processes and eliminating unnecessary steps. Lean Manufacturing is a manufacturing philosophy that emphasizes minimizing waste and optimizing efficiency in the production process. It is based on the principles of the Toyota Production System, which Taiichi Ohno […]

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to […]

Tool Use When Example Data Format Y Xs p < 0.05 indicates ANOVA Determine if the average of a group of data is different than the average of other (multiple) groups of data Compare multiple service centers to determine if one or more performs differently. Response data must be stacked in one column, and the […]

How is Your Individual Level of Psychological Safety in Your Workplace, Healthcare or Otherwise? Your feeling of Psychological Safety is not “yes/no” – it’s not a matter of feeling safe or not. There are degrees of safety, it’s a spectrum. Instead of asking, “do you feel safe to speak up about problems?” it’s more like, […]

Effective lubrication management is crucial for the smooth operation of manufacturing equipment. It not only extends the life of the equipment but also improves efficiency and productivity. Visual management techniques are the best ways to ensure proper lubrication. Visual management uses visual cues, such as charts, graphs, and colour-coded labels, to quickly and easily convey […]

In today’s world of IoT, there is a tendency to look for high-tech solutions to eliminate equipment breakdowns and improve reliability. But, in many cases, simpler solutions could easily improve the causes of many equipment breakdowns – solutions that are simple, practical, economical, reliable, and sustainable.  One of the most powerful and effortless solutions is […]

Manufacturing equipment is a crucial part of any production process, and ensuring that it is in good working condition is essential for maintaining the quality of the products produced. One way to ensure that manufacturing equipment is functioning properly is through regular inspections. This post will discuss the importance of implementing inspection standards for manufacturing […]