According to a study conducted by the International Quality and Productivity Center (IQPC), businesses that prioritize process improvement experience an average of 20% increase in operational efficiency within the first year of implementation. Over five years, these organizations typically see a 40% reduction in production defects, a 30% decrease in operational costs, and a 25% […]

In a recent podcast, host Jamie Flinchbaugh sat down with guest Ron Pereira to explore various facets of leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving. The conversation kicked off with the two discussing the communication challenges faced by remote teams that include both introverted and extroverted members. Ron emphasized the role of digital tools like Miro boards in […]

Here’s the latest roundup of blog posts, articles, and interviews / videos related to learning from mistakes and my book The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. I wrote this article that was published by Quality Digest online: Stop Spending Money on Problem-Solving Training; Focus on psychological safety instead In […]

I’m excited about this special KaiNexus Webinar that I’ll be hosting and moderating on Thursday, September 14th at 1 pm ET. It’s going to be a short 15-minute presentation by six-time CEO Mark Parrish on the theme of “Building Cultures of Commitment.” REGISTER NOW Then, the rest of the session will be a lengthy Q&A […]

In his latest column in Quality Digest, Mark Graban wrote the following about psychological safety: “How do leaders cultivate the conditions in which employees feel safe enough to speak up and participate in continuous improvement? Clark argues that leaders need to: 1) model vulnerable acts; and 2) reward vulnerable acts. For example, leaders must model […]

Servant leadership can help foster trust, accountability, growth and inclusion among workers. This will lead to increased productivity and happier customers and will help your business flourish. The results of servant leadership are exponential: by leading as a servant, you multiply success and satisfaction — personal and professional, for you and your colleagues — above […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more This is a special bonus episode of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast. It’s a freeform group discussion with James P. (Jim) Womack, Katie Anderson, Jamie V Parker, and Mark Graban, recorded live as a crew was tearing down the room after the event we were all […]

Looking to improve the IT industry? The DMAIC methodology can help. DMAIC is a systematic approach to problem-solving developed as part of the Six Sigma business process improvement strategy. It can provide a clear roadmap or benchmark for efficiency, making decision-making easier for stakeholders. In this post, we’ll discuss how DMAIC have successfully implemented by […]

I’ve never spent a lot of time around ships. Last October, I had an opportunity to tour the Port of Los Angeles with a group and that tour, of course, was a boat trip. I didn’t realize one thing that I was seeing… with some recent new knowledge, I can’t believe that I had missed. […]

Some factories work around the clock. But more commonly, factories ramp up at the beginning of the week, workday, or shift and then ramp down at the end. I often have the feeling that this is a somewhat neglected topic despite its influence on safety, quality, and efficiency. Hence I would like to take a […]

As first mentioned to Academy subscribers here, I’m delighted to announce that the videos for all three chapters of v2.0 of Adaptive Organisation (I): Business agility at every scale have been released. As done previously for the Leading with Outcomes: Foundation module, it remains in beta until I’ve released the new workbook and added captions […]

One of the keys to a positive and productive work environment is having leaders who act with integrity. Integrity in leaders refers to being honest, trustworthy, and reliable. Leaders with integrity act in accordance with their words (i.e. they practice what they preach) and own up to their mistakes, as opposed to hiding them, blaming […]

The European Academy for Industrial Management (AIM) invited co-author Torbjørn Netland and me to speak at their 45th annual conference in Groningen, NL, about what students should learn in Industrial Engineering and Management and how they should learn it. AIM is a society of academics in the field, and they had a keen interest in […]

I’ll be writing many blog posts about the recent event, The Lean Mindset, organized by GE. Thanks again to GE for inviting me to be there and for giving away copies of my latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us, to attendees. See which books they gave away. Today, I’ll be writing about the event […]

Psychological safety remains an important and much talked about topic in Lean world. Why? Because 99+ percent of business leaders remain committed to classical management, and there is no evidence to indicate that will change anytime soon. In a 2019 blog post on psychological safety, I said: Psychological safety is a benefit bestowed by top […]

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 Lean for the digital-first workplace Lean was popularized in the 80’s and 90’s, before […]

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 […]

The business landscape constantly evolves, with changing customer preferences and market dynamics. Lean management encourages continuous improvement and adaptability, enabling organizations to respond quickly to shifts in the market and customer demands. This post provides a comprehensive and actionable guide on implementing Lean strategies and methodologies within your organization. You’ll learn about how Lean supports […]

Lean technology, often called “Lean software” or “Lean management software,” is a category of applications and lean manufacturing tools designed to support and facilitate Lean principles within any organization dedicated to operational excellence. These solutions help organizations streamline operations, reduce waste, improve efficiency, and ultimately deliver higher-quality products while minimizing costs.  Lean technology supports efforts […]

Updated: The recordings from this inspiring day are now online. I’ll be sharing thoughts and reflections in future posts. I was very excited to learn about an event that was produced by GE on Wednesday, September 6th, in New York City. I’m thrilled to have been invited to attend in person, along with other “Lean […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #484 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Keith Ingels, who previously joined us in Episode 390. He’s the RLM Manager of Solutions & Support Centers — RLM being the Raymond Lean Management system. He was also a guest with me for […]

Image Source: Unsplash  As a business leader or manager, it’s your job to ensure that your team can meet and exceed their goals and milestones and to do so as safely and stress-free as possible. Yes, feeling a bit on edge can help some employees to drive results, but they shouldn’t be so uneasy that […]

1. QA vs QCQA: Ensuring product/service quality through planned activities.QC: Verifying adherence to quality standards. 2. Audit vs InspectionAudit: Systematic evaluation against set criteria.Inspection: Checking conformance to requirements. 3. Defect vs DefectiveDefect: Non-conformance causing customer dissatisfaction.Defective: A unit with one or more defects. 4. DPMO vs PPMDPMO: Defects per million opportunities.PPM: Number of defective parts […]

In this late summer edition: Responding to “Scrum is cancer”; Foundation 2.8, Adaptive Organisation 2.0; Looking ahead to the autumn season; Top posts Responding to “Scrum is cancer” Doing the rounds on LinkedIn and X / Twitter is the abovementioned. My response here (linkedin.com). Related: What I really think about Scrum (August 2020) ‘Right to Left’ […]

In my last post I looked at the preparations for a proper ramp-up or start of a machine or process. This post is the second part where you actually press the button and start the machine. I will also discuss the ramp-down procedures, as well as a SMED-like approach to improve the ramp down and […]

Join me for a LinkedIn Live event on Thursday at 11 am ET: “Bowling Charts” Are Not State of the Art Management What are “bowling charts” in the context of “Lean Management” (or just management more broadly)? Why are “Process Behavior Charts” a superior method that 1) tells us more at a glance and 2) helps […]

I saw a LinkedIn comment from a former manager of mine — the director I reported to when I worked at Honeywell almost 20 years ago. Mike Santarelli was a great guy to work for, an earnest and experienced Lean practitioner who cared about and looked out for his team. He had come to Honeywell […]

Labor Day is so much more than a Monday off and the unofficial end to summer; here are some fascinating statistics about the holiday’s history, past and present. Labor Day, which is celebrated on the first Monday of September, falls on September 5 this year. While many people know it simply as the reason for […]

Reposted from last year, here are a few past blog posts on the theme of Labor Day and it’s hopefully a helpful reminder to focus on safety and our obligation to employees. Let’s keep up our work that aims to create better workplaces for all… The post Happy Labor Day! Posts About Creating Better & […]

By Pascal Dennis “The walls in that place ooze toxicity.” That’s how a colleague describes a famous Canadian children’s hospital. I was shocked, as you might imagine. How can this be, I thought? My colleague is a senior nurse practitioner and administrator – energetic, capable, and an inspiring optimist. And children’s hospitals are among the […]

On a post on LinkedIn (1 September 2023) which featured the image below, I said, It has been a productive 20 years, don’t you agree? Kathryn Belcher commented on the post. She said, Most impressive! Now you know I’m curious… What has surprised you the most after authoring so many works? That’s an interesting question! […]

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 […]

It has been ten years since I started this blog. When I first posted on September 1, 2013, I never though that it would go on this long. But it has. Now there are 525 blog posts (or 663 if you include the Chinese and German translations) and a total of 765 000 words with […]

Business process improvement entails a systematic and intentional endeavor to identify, scrutinize, and refine the distinct stages, techniques, and interactions intrinsic to a business process. Its fundamental objective is eradicating inefficiencies, eliminating errors, amplifying productivity, and ultimately elevating an organization’s overall performance and outcomes. This requires a comprehensive evaluation of existing processes to pinpoint bottlenecks, […]