Unfortunately, since its inception in 1988, Lean has existed far more in the fake form than in the real form. In addition to ignoring “Respect for People,” widespread poor understanding and use of Lean tools, unholy conglomerations like Lean Six Sigma, and the lack of understanding and practice of kaizen, Lean is almost always bureaucratized, […]

You can’t win by learning from Toyota. Learn this instead.

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 […]

In Chapter 2, “Development of Toyota Production System,” of Taiichi Ohno’s 1978 book Toyota Seisan Hoshiki (Toyota Production Method), Mr. Ohno describes the uniqueness of Japanese management as “Ninjutsu management” (the English edition, Toyota Production System, was published in 1988). What does “nin” mean? It means to conceal, move stealthily, or invisibility, while “jutsu” means […]

As we mark Independence Day today, the 248th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence from England, I’m sharing a “throwback” post that I published on July 4th some years ago. The Declaration of Independence was a bold step toward a new way of governance, emphasizing the values of liberty, equality, and the pursuit of happiness. […]

In the latest episode of the People Solve Problems podcast, host Jamie Flinchbaugh sits down with Art Byrne, the retired CEO of The Wiremold Company. Art’s profound influence on the lean community is well-known, having introduced lean principles to over 30 companies from his positions as CEO and author of seminal works such as The […]

Today, we celebrate Independence Day in the US. The 4th of July is an extremely patriotic holiday where we celebrate the independence of our country. People celebrate with family and friend gatherings, barbecues, parties, games, food, fun, festivals, parades, musical events and fireworks. Freedom is not just the natural right of every human. It is […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #509 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Ankit Patel, the founder of My Business Care Team, a BPO company providing services for optometrists, and co-founder with his wife Classic Vision Care, an optometry group in Atlanta. With a strong background in […]

There are dozens of tools and techniques used by organizations to support their continuous improvement efforts. The most successful companies pick a few methodologies that work well for them and execute them consistently. If improvement work slows down or a new challenge arises, they experiment with another technique. Whether you are just getting started with […]

The second plant of Mercedes-Benz (also known as Daimler) in my Grand Tour of German Automotive was their plant in Bremen. This was also their second final assembly plant. It produces a few cars more than Sindelfingen, and hence claims to be the largest Mercedes-Benz plant by the number of cars. It was also a […]

There’s a common misconception about Toyota’s “Andon” system, often expressed as: “When a team member pulls the cord, the line stops.” But that’s not entirely accurate, as this enlightening Toyota video demonstrates: In some plants, the Andon system is activated by pressing a button rather than pulling an overhead cord. I wrote about that a […]

Two data points are not a trend. Two-data-point comparisons can be mathematically correct but practically meaningless. This is true in workplaces and news articles like this one. Multiple two-data-point comparisons (comparing last month to the previous month AND comparing it to the year before) don’t paint the full picture the way a simple run chart […]

As you’ve seen I have been revisiting a previous series I started in 2012 called the Meet-up. One of the things I am so found of in the Lean community is the general wiliness to share with each other.  I have learned some much from my very experienced colleagues since I have been an active […]

If you are old enough, you may remember the lever-release aluminum ice cube tray. It was invented by Edward H. Roberts, a design engineer at General Electric, in the mid-1940s. The trays were great in their day and remained in use into the 1970s (for those who had old refrigerators). The lever-release ice cube trays […]