In the previous post, Turning Gold into Lead, I described how prominent organizations and individuals have long engaged in reverse alchemy, turning TPS and The Toyota Way (gold) into fluffy training programs (lead) that have little real-world impact. I also pointed out how the younger generation, notably Bruno Vasquez, is doing the hard work of […]

If you’re considering implementing lean manufacturing, you may be wondering, “what’s in it for me?” While some companies have seen significant improvements from lean manufacturing, others have had negative experiences with it. So what’s the deal? In this article, we explore the top four benefits of lean manufacturing.  What is lean manufacturing? Lean manufacturing is […]

Lean management is a systematic approach to eliminating waste and optimizing processes to maximize efficiency, improve quality, and enhance customer value. It originated in manufacturing but has since been applied to various industries and sectors. Optimizing processes is crucial for organizations because it directly impacts their competitiveness, profitability, and overall success. By streamlining operations and […]

Over the years, Lean management has turned into roughly equal parts a mere collection of problem-solving tools for common business problems in classically managed businesses and a banal self-help regimen. In both cases, Lean management has been greatly diluted from its TPS-informed industrial engineering basis of understanding the work to different types of fluffy training […]

It’s surprising to see how often this awful UI / UX design is used on the web. A website (Forbes) wanted me to enter my date of birth by clicking a left arrow 601 times (I turned 50 last month), as shown in the image below. There’s no way to just type in 10/XX/1973. That […]

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 […]

Hooray! Thanks to the team at Goody PR for honoring my latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, in their 2023 Goody Business Book Awards as: As Liz Kelly Goody, founder of Goody PR, said to me: “The judges really loved your book, and I also really like […]

Gemba walks are an increasingly popular management technique. By visiting the place where work is done, leaders gain valuable insight into the flow of value through the organization and often uncover opportunities for improvement and learn new ways to support employees. The approach is a collaborative one, with employees providing details about what is done […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #491 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Sarah Tilkens, an experienced Lean Leader with a demonstrated history of working in construction and manufacturing. She is a senior manager of operational excellence at GE Healthcare.  Sarah’s a Six Sigma Black Belt, a […]

There is no room for compromise in Lean when it comes to quality. We have to learn to build quality into our processes and design Lean processes based on right-first-time principles. Building quality into our processes means not simply relying on perfectly trained individuals and teams who never make mistakes. Standard Operating Procedures may help […]

The term “Lean” started out in 1988 as “Lean production.” Then around 2007 there was a switch to “Lean management” and soon followed by “Lean management system.” But if we want to strive for accuracy in describing what has actually happened to the term “Lean” over the last 35 years — if we want to […]

The Transformative Power of Your Leadership Focus Have you ever heard something that is so profound – in its simplicity and truth – that you know it’s going to impact the way you think and act forever? Yes – one simple comment can change your perspective about yourself as a person and as a leader. […]

We’ve been at this Lean thing for 35 years, since the term “Lean” came into business consciousness in 1988. The initial expectation was that businesses in every industry would soon “become Lean.” But it did not turn out that way. Instead, most businesses merely added various Lean tools to their already long list of in-house […]

In my series of posts on the Toyota KPI dashboard I went into detail about the different sections and KPIs. These dashboards work well fro Toyota. However, this does not mean that they automatically work well for you too. Chances are, you are not making cars. Even if you are, your relevant KPI information may […]

Lean world has long thought it can move forward quickly and effectively by knowing only its side of the case. That has been a big mistake, and it accounts for a wide range of difficulties. Additionally, ignoring the the other side’s view communicates an obvious lack of respect. But when we turn to subjects infinitely […]

It is popular for people at work and on social media to talk about sustainability. In the former case, the context is usually some major initiative, program, change, while in the latter case the context is often about selling solutions that promise to help managers in some way — to lead better, to behave better, […]

I’ve done book giveaway contests before, but this is my first contest where the prize is a signed copy of each and every one of my books — six books with a combined value of $240! I’m happy to be collaborating with KaiNexus on this contest. Learning more about them and our upcoming webinar is […]

By Pascal Dennis Hi folks, recently I spoke with Brad Jeavons and the fine Enterprise Excellence podcast. Topic: Getting the Right Things Done in a Digital World: Ambidexterity – How to Get Started with Pascal Dennis. Hope you enjoy it! 2 minute tip: Best regards, Pascal In case you missed our last few blogs… please […]

Within the quality profession, a capable process is one with a high . In the field, it is not quite so simple. My colleague Joerg Muenzing recently shared concerns about the process capability indices: “Many manufacturers that I know struggle with incapable processes. Intellectually, people understand the concept of capability, but are unable to effectively […]

tl;dr summary: Karyn Ross enlightened me about World Kindness Day and provided invaluable feedback on my book, The Mistakes That Make Us. Her insights particularly helped me replace the term “grace” with “kindness,” enhancing the book’s inclusivity. She also helped me better distinguish between being “nice” and “kind.” I wasn’t at all surprised to learn […]

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 […]

The burning platform has long been part of the lore of Lean, often cited as a necessary prelude for Lean transformation. But the burning platform (usually, a financial crisis) has always been a grossly insufficient context for Lean transformation. Keep in mind that we see one corporate financial crisis after another where top leaders ignore […]

In the manufacturing industry, there is a lot for employees to learn. But, this can be a challenge to manage, especially if you have multiple employees all learning different things at once. This is where a learning management system comes in — it provides businesses with a simple solution for keeping track of employee training. […]

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 […]

tl;dr: Same word, same meaning, different spellings. I was taught that the English version of the Japanese word that means, basically, “the real place” or “the shopfloor” is spelled: “Gemba” And we see that spelling used quite often, including: So “gemba” isn’t wrong. Some companies and sources use “GEMBA,” but there’s no reason for it […]

Introduction: Welcome to the world of pharmaceutical validation, a critical arena where precision meets compliance to ensure the safety and efficacy of medicinal products. In this full training session, we will navigate through the core stages of validation: Design Qualification (DQ), Installation Qualification (IQ), Operational Qualification (OQ), and Performance Qualification (PQ). Each stage represents a […]

Picture this: A company overwhelmed by a sea of projects, each vying for attention, resources, and precious time. Now, imagine a systematic approach that aligns these projects with organizational goals, ensures efficient resource allocation, and maximizes return on investment. How can Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) help this company survive and thrive in a world of […]

In a compelling exchange, Pam Klyn of Whirlpool draws from her experiences to shed light on the nuances of problem-solving. Her stories, rich with lessons learned from challenges faced and triumphs celebrated, provide a roadmap for those seeking to hone their problem-solving skills. As she explains her methodologies, she speaks of the art of tapping […]

Congratulations to my podcast(s) guests who were named to the Thinkers50 list of influential management thinkers! I am thrilled to extend my heartiest congratulations to a remarkable group of individuals who have recently graced the stages of my podcasts, “Lean Blog Interviews” and “My Favorite Mistake.” These brilliant minds have been recognized on the prestigious […]

Lean world has long thought it can move forward quickly and effectively by knowing only its side of the case. That has been a big mistake, and it accounts for a wide range of difficulties. Additionally, ignoring the the other side’s view communicates an obvious lack of respect. But when we turn to subjects infinitely […]

We did not know it at the time when the term “Lean” was coined by John Krafcik in 1988, that Lean management was dead on arrival due to the crushing weight of classical management. Instead, everyone was overflowing with optimism — blind optimism, as it turns out — about this great new idea of Lean […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #490 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Quint Studer, the co-founder of HealthCare Plus Solutions Group and owner of the minor league baseball team, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He’s a returning guest, having joined us in Episode #353 (2019) when we […]

Company culture has been a hot topic among people leaders in recent years. Many executives will probably say their organizational culture is their most valued asset when considering what makes their company unique.  While many organizations take pride in their culture, the truth is not many leaders have wrapped their heads around it. Company culture […]

In my previous posts I went into great detail through all the categories of the Toyota KPI dashboard: safety, quality, productivity, and cost. I also explained the additional section on HR development, albeit this may not really be KPI in the normal sense. However, the dashboard often contains even more: a section with the monthly […]