This month A Lean Journey Blog turns 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who influenced my journey I wanted to revisit 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 […]

In this video, I clear up some persistent (decades-long) confusion about kaizen and problem-solving.

Do you ever ask yourself that question? Likely never. Is the age of your thinking the same as your age? No, definitely not. If you are like most people, you believe that your thinking is thoroughly modern; that it reflects the time you are living in, from a young age to now. But that is […]

If you run a TPS or Lean book club, these are the books everyone should read! Scroll below to learn why you should read these books. Leadership and Kaizen Better Thinking, Better Results is a detailed case study of the enterprise-wide Lean transformation, from supplier-to-customer, that The Wiremold Company achieved, led by Art Byrne. The […]

Thanks, as always, to Ryan McCormack for this. He always shares so much good reading, listening, and viewing here! Subscribe to get these directly from Ryan via email. News, articles, books, podcasts, and videos about how to make the workplace better. Operational Excellence, Improvement, and Innovation Mario Kart Meets Pareto Most readers are likely familiar […]

Listen: In Episode 46, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh spend a lot of time talking about AI, but that still, as always, begins with the whiskey. We both asked ChatGPT to consider all our ingredients for making a whiskey-based cocktail, and to invent an original recipe. Jamie’s is called The Bourbon Harmony, although there was […]

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 […]

Episode 46: “AI Takes Over Lean Whiskey, Including the Role of Bartender”  In Episode 46, Mark Graban and Jamie Flinchbaugh spend a lot of time talking about AI, but that still, as always, begins with the whiskey. We both asked ChatGPT to consider all our ingredients for making a whiskey-based cocktail, and to invent an […]

“A ‘special cause’ for celebration.” Brian Buck, on LinkedIn TODAY marks the centennial of one of the most significant innovations in quality management: the control chart. 🎂 🎉 🎆 In the early 1920s, Walter A. Shewhart, working at Bell Labs, recognized the need for a statistical method to monitor and control manufacturing processes. On May […]

In the world of manufacturing and business operations, the concepts of Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement are often discussed in tandem. However, they both have unique principles and methodologies that can significantly impact a company’s performance. In this blog post, we’ll clarify continuous improvement vs Lean manufacturing by exploring their unique characteristics, how they compare, […]

I spoke a few months ago with Olivier Bertrand and a couple of his colleagues who were looking into using phylogenetic techniques to analyse the results of organisational assessments. It seemed that Agendashift’s assessments were ideal for the purpose, and when we met for a second time, the team’s analysis of data captured via the […]

I’m really excited to host and moderate the latest webinar in the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Webinar series, which will be presented by my friend Dr. William Harvey. REGISTER I saw William give a great presentation at the Society for Health Systems conference (Healthcare Systems Process Improvement) in February and I asked him to give the […]

Can you influence change from the middle? Does successful change always have to start from the top? How can you stop pushing change on your leaders and instead create pull from them for the organizational culture you envision? If you’re leading continuous improvement internally, these questions are crucial because they address the challenge of how […]

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 […]

Unicorns are companies that reach a $1B valuation while still being privately held. Giants can often be summarized originally as FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google) and now MAMAA (Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet). These companies are often referenced as examples to follow. Learn from their success. After all, who doesn’t want to […]

Research by Ethan Burris shows that the top two reasons employees choose to keep quiet in the workplace are: 1️⃣ Futility2️⃣ Fear Fear of getting in trouble is a big problem. But there are also many workplaces where people say, quite literally, “I’m not afraid to speak up, it just isn’t worth the effort.” That’s […]

Recently I had a chance to visit the world market leader in 3D printing, Stratasys, together with my students. We went to their location in Rheinmünster, Germany, near the Baden-Baden airport. While I always keep a bit of an eye on new developments in 3D printing, it was quite refreshing to get an update on […]

This month A Lean Journey Blog turns 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who influenced my journey I wanted to revisit 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 […]

By Pascal Dennis (bio) Strategy Deployment begins with True North — our strategic and philosophical purpose. True North entails developing a clear picture of Ideal condition, and
 Target condition. At the process level, this means answering questions like: “Is the process behaving as expected?” Corollaries: Do I understand my process? Is our hypothesis sound? If […]

Over the last 40 or more years, many leadership and management improvement innovations have come and gone. While some may be backed by rigorous scientific or empirical research, as well as good intentions, they can all be considered fads in the sense that they share the inability to solve the persistent problems that plague traditional […]

In the field of industrial facility design, selecting the appropriate plant layout is essential for optimizing operational efficiency, enhancing workflow, and ensuring effective material handling. Each layout type, whether U-shaped, O-shaped, S-shaped, L-shaped, I-shaped, or T-shaped, offers unique benefits and potential drawbacks. Understanding these characteristics allows businesses to make informed decisions that align with their […]

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 […]

Continuous improvement is a philosophy rooted in the belief that operations, no matter how efficient, can always be enhanced. Moreover, this concept emphasizes the power of incremental changes and small improvements that collectively lead to significant improvements over time. In this blog, we get into the essence of continuous improvement, exploring its principles, methodologies, and […]

This month A Lean Journey Blog turns 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who influenced my journey I wanted to revisit 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 […]

This month A Lean Journey Blog turns 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who influenced my journey I wanted to revisit 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 […]

I love Steve Spear‘s emphasis on a Toyota-based Lean model of: “See, Solve, Share” See problems, solve problems, and share problems. That’s the ideal, and it’s powerful where it exists. At Toyota, and companies like it, there’s an understanding that speaking up about problems leads to a constructive response from leaders.  That’s not always true at […]

  In this unique episode of the ‘People Solve Problems’ podcast, Jamie Flinchbaugh takes on the role of guest to offer listeners a special reflection on his podcast journey and the valuable lessons he’s gleaned along the way from the many special guests. He discusses the importance of conversations in learning and growing, emphasizing how […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #504 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Katie Anderson, author of the book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn. In this episode, Katie takes the reins along with me, Mark Graban, to discuss the transformative journey of Japan Study Trips. Recognized […]

If Taiichi Ohno rejoined the living, what would he have to say about Lean? The conversation might go something like this: Bob Emiliani: Hello Ohno-san. I am happy to see you. I have a lot of questions that I hope you will answer. Taiichi Ohno: What is the matter? Can you not think for yourself? […]

A quick reminder that the May Train-the-Trainer / Facilitator begins in a week’s time. It’s not too late to book your place: 14-22 May, online, Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons (UK time):Leading with Outcomes: Train-the-Trainer / Facilitator (TTT/F) It covers: Leading with Outcomes: Foundation – patterns for strategy conversations in the language of needs, obstacles, and […]

The Administrative Assistant has been often referred to as a perk, rather than a crucial resource to help an organization’s effectiveness. This shift in thinking, and language, really began with the adoption of email, where communication from person to person didn’t have to be managed. This continued to evolve as other tools became available and […]

Assembly lines are THE way to do mass production. Yet, with constant regularity people try out to undo the assembly line, only to fail in their endeavor. In my previous post I looked at examples by Volkswagen in Salzgitter, Volvo in Kalmar, and Opel in Bochum, who all tried, just to switch back to an […]

You don’t find the root cause of a problem in a conference room. OK, so we’ve gotten away from the whiteboard. Now what? You might not even KNOW the root cause by thinking and talking out where the work is actually being done. That’s one of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned from former Toyota […]

As organizations set out on a cellular manufacturing journey, a critical question emerges: Are you seeking to create a manufacturing model cell, or are you striving to cultivate a cell that will serve as a blueprint for future operational excellence? This distinction is vital.  While lean manufacturing workshops and kaizen events may make things bright, […]