After 35 years, Lean management is mostly known and appreciated within a subset of the larger business community. Lean might have a better chance of displacing classical management if it gained a much larger audience. What might happen if Lean’s values were made clear as a force for good and its identity shifted to become […]

Unraveling the Threads of Strategic Success In the intricate tapestry of business management, three threads run consistently: project, program, and portfolio management. Each strand, distinct yet interwoven, forms the fabric of successful organizational strategy. Here’s how to differentiate and harness the power of each one to weave your own narrative of success. Project Management: The […]

Navigating the job interview process can be daunting, but with the right preparation, you can turn it into an opportunity to showcase your best self. Interviews are your chance to demonstrate not just your qualifications, but also your problem-solving skills, adaptability, and ability to work under pressure. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or stepping into […]

At Geolean, we take pride in providing comprehensive material handling solutions that optimize operations for our clients. Let’s delve into real-life use cases where our system brought tangible benefits to our customers. 6 Ways Geolean Optimizes Operational Efficiency  Geolean is a world leader in lean implementation, and our team is passionate about improving people, processes, […]

Does it Feel Better to Be Vulnerable or Candid in a Workplace? I’ve learned so much from Timothy R. Clark of the firm LeaderFactor, author of the excellent book, The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety. I can’t recommend his work enough–including his free podcasts, webinars, and more. I was fortunate to go through a formal […]

A couple days ago I posted an article on standard work as a mechanism for facilitating and empowering improvement. By documenting the current best practice, standardized work forms the baseline for kaizen or continuous improvement. As the standard is improved, the new standard becomes the baseline for further improvements, and so on. Improving standardized work […]

What is the difference between authentic cultures of continuous improvement versus superficial displays?  In this episode, I invited Patrick Adams, Founder of Lean Solutions and best-selling author of Avoiding the Continuous Appearance Trap, to share his insights on the heart of organizational culture and transformational leadership. Strengthening Leadership for Real Company Culture Improvement Patrick explains […]

The statistical quality profession has a love/hate relationship with the Gaussian distribution. In SPC, it treats it like an embarrassing spouse. It uses the Gaussian distribution as the basis for all its control limits while claiming it doesn’t matter. In 2024, what role, if any, should this distribution play in the setting of action limits […]

Recently, I’ve heard an idea a few times that I’d like to share and discuss in this post. As I’m writing this, I can’t remember who to cite. That’s my mistake. I’ll happily correct the post if I remember or somebody lets me know who to credit. Because I love this idea… but it’s not […]

I’ve been more aware that people are often very unaware of their day-to-day problem solving, all of that problem solving that happens when we are NOT using a structured approach or tool. Of course, problem-solving is a human capability, but we can learn how to do it so much better. What’s interesting is something that […]

Allow me to like to introduce to you Kaizen Kitty! This delightful new cat joins LinkedIn to deliver her unique brand of advice to CEOs worldwide. She is the sensei to CEOs. Her job is to tell it like it is. Kaizen Kitty has no sponsors or obligations to anyone and she seeks only one […]

The facilitated workshops page lists five workshop designs, the first four (those shown on the image above) deliverable by authorised facilitators and trainers alike, the fifth only by trainers: Discovery Workshop Assessment Debrief Workshop Outside-in Strategy Review Workshop Adaptive Organisation Workshop Leading in a Transforming Organisation Plenty of choice there, so which should be used when? The first […]

Poka yoke is Japanese for mistake proofing. It is a way to reduce errors and mistakes by designing the product so that it cannot be assembled or used incorrectly. I find this extremely useful, not only in manufacturing but also in many instances in daily life where poka yoke prevents me from making mistakes. In […]

By Pascal Dennis (bio) In times of tumultuous change brevity is king. Blah, blah, blah…doesn’t cut it when revenue is non-existent and investors are jittery. Endless PowerPoint decks, no matter how slick, are tiresome and wasteful. The four-hour meeting that goes nowhere is downright irritating. Less is more remains the cardinal rule in music, art, […]

Standard work is a written description of how a process should be done. It guides consistent execution. At its best, it documents a current “best practice” and ensures that it is implemented throughout a company. At a minimum, it provides a baseline from which a better approach can be developed. The definition of standard work […]

It’s 9 p.m. in an operating room, just before the last procedure of a long day that had been full of delays. A nurse sees that the surgeon is about to make an incision without first stopping for the expected “timeout,” a crucial step that helps the team confirm, among other things, that the correct […]

Some people are losing or have lost faith in Lean management, or have lost confidence in their ability to produce meaningful change — principally among those who have been engaged with Lean for a decade or more. Concurrently, though, lots of people are discovering Lean. That keeps the business of Lean running, but, in time, […]

Efficiency and effectiveness are the key to success in the fast-paced world of business. With that being said, many companies are turning to lean process management to streamline their operations and maximize productivity. In this blog post, we’ll get into the world of lean process management and explore how this approach can revolutionize the way […]

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 this edition: A big update to 15-minute FOTO; The Featureban Flow Experience; Coming in March: Obstacles Fast and Slow and more; Adaptive Organisation (Berlin & London); The Great Consolidation; Top Posts; Upcoming events A big update to 15-minute FOTO On Monday I released v13 of our Clean Language-inspired coaching game, 15-minute FOTO. This was […]

  In this People Solve Problems podcast episode, Jamie Flinchbaugh engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Durward Sobek, Vice Provost at Montana State University-Bozeman. They go into the challenges and nuances of solving ill-defined and open-ended problems, particularly in the realm of product development. Durward brings his extensive experience to the table, discussing the importance […]

I’m currently working on a Mistake Proofing class for Karen Martin and TKMG Academy. Coming soon!! In the process of writing the course and its script, I’ve gone back to some older source material that has been on my bookshelf for a long time. In this case, it’s a book I not only own but […]

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of February 2024.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.     Introduction to Toyota Kata – Mark Rosenthal introduces Toyota Kata as a way to start to nudge the culture in the direction we want it to go.   The Problem […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #499 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is James P. Womack. Jim really needs no introduction for this audience, he’s the founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute (in 1987) and remains a senior advisor to them. In the late eighties, he and […]

For some reason, Mark Graban never interviewed me for his “My Favorite Mistake” podcast. It seems like he is not interested learning about in my favorite mistake (truth be told, he has been my #1 hater 😡 for years, so that’s why). But perhaps you are interested to learn what my favorite mistake is. Like […]

In this series on how to understand a shop floor, I talked a lot about the physical shop floor—which in my view is the more important part. However, as mentioned in my last post, looking at already collected data also gives a lot of insight into the shop floor. Depending on the aspect you are […]

A while back, I uploaded the entire PDF of my 2018 book, Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More, into the premium version of ChatGPT. As an author and publisher, it’s a really useful tool for generating marketing content — although maybe it’s a mistake to upload my content that way. I’m sure […]

Those of us who are familiar with Continuous Improvement programs all know the term “burning platform”, an expression used to describe a situation where a company or organization needs to take drastic action to survive. The concept has gained popularity as an effective way to motivate employees and stakeholders to make a real change. In […]

I’m excited to announce that I’ve registered for Katie Anderson‘s Japan Study Trip in November! Between 2012 and 2019, I visited Japan five times, and I learned something new each time. I’ve been really itching to go back. I’m excited to see and learn new things with Katie and her team!! It’s a great opportunity […]

In this new version of our Clean Language-inspired coaching game: Integrating the Classic and Lite editions formats Cheat mode General tidyup Standard and premium versions 1. Integrating the Classic and Lite formats The Lite format (or ‘edition’, as it has been called up to now) was introduced in 2019 in version 7 thus: To understand […]

Understanding the key principles of continuous improvement is essential for business growth and success. That is to say, these principles serve as the foundation for creating a culture of ongoing improvement and innovation within organizations. By embracing and applying these principles, businesses can strive for excellence, adapt to change, and achieve their goals more effectively. […]

Mark Anderson has created several short videos featuring Mr. Chihiro Nakao from the book Kaizen Forever. Nakao-san’s wisdom is the best there is! I hope you like them. Kaizen Forever | Nakao-san on People | Quotes | Episode 1 👇 Kaizen Forever | Nakao-san on Process | Quotes | Episode 2 👇 Kaizen Forever | […]

A Look Back at Traditional Performance Reviews For decades, the annual performance review has been a cornerstone of corporate culture. Traditionally, this process involved a once-a-year meeting between an employee and their manager to discuss performance, set goals, and possibly discuss a salary increase or promotion. This method, rooted in the industrial age’s hierarchical and […]

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 […]