If our conversations with business leaders are any indication, the theme of 2023 is how to get more productivity out of existing resources. The uncertain economy and difficult labor market are forcing leaders to think creatively about increasing productivity this year. Fortunately, Lean business process management is ideally suited for this challenge. Lean organizations constantly […]

Timothy R. Clark, who started his career in manufacturing leadership, is the author of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety. He has a short definition of psychological safety: “A culture of rewarded vulnerability” To unpack that definition, Clark defines culture as the sum of our human interactions. What is “vulnerability”? “exposure to the risk of […]

Unsplash Employees want to work for a business that shares their ethics and values. They want to know that their employer has a moral compass and that they are authentically interested in solving the world’s major issues. Employees also want to feel empowered by their employer. Empowered employees create a culture of community and are […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more Joining us for Episode #467 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Tracy Defoe. She is an adult education consultant and researcher specializing in workplace education. For parts of the last 10 years, she has been puzzling over the challenges of participation and leadership in continuous […]

Here’s a famous quote of a man at the beginning of a journey. Or at least the story: In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost. Ah, how hard a thing it is to tell what a wild, and rough, […]

FEATURE – By changing its attitude towards problems and welcoming them as opportunities to learn, this Colombian construction company has turned around its culture. Words: Ángela Bayona and Ivonne Paola Patiño In Constructora Bolívar, silence is our worst enemy. Although certain types of silence are good, others are worrisome – especially those that stem from […]

During our Van of Nerds tour in France in 2022, we came across a few vibration sensors. In manufacturing, vibration sensors are frequently used to measure machine- or tool-related data. Some of these sensors were variations of what I have seen before, but the one for measuring machine performance was stunningly good and something I […]

By Pascal Dennis (bio) Last time I wrote about Fred Taylor and his Faustian bargain. Taylor separated planning from production. Productivity soared, but at a terrible cost: The alienation of front line team members, and the illusion of top-down control “We can manage from a distance, by the numbers.” “What can front line team members […]

Lean Manufacturing refers to a method of production that focuses on reducing waste and increasing efficiency by constantly improving processes and eliminating unnecessary steps. Lean Manufacturing is a manufacturing philosophy that emphasizes minimizing waste and optimizing efficiency in the production process. It is based on the principles of the Toyota Production System, which Taiichi Ohno […]

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 […]

Tool Use When Example Data Format Y Xs p < 0.05 indicates ANOVA Determine if the average of a group of data is different than the average of other (multiple) groups of data Compare multiple service centers to determine if one or more performs differently. Response data must be stacked in one column, and the […]

How is Your Individual Level of Psychological Safety in Your Workplace, Healthcare or Otherwise? Your feeling of Psychological Safety is not “yes/no” – it’s not a matter of feeling safe or not. There are degrees of safety, it’s a spectrum. Instead of asking, “do you feel safe to speak up about problems?” it’s more like, […]

Effective lubrication management is crucial for the smooth operation of manufacturing equipment. It not only extends the life of the equipment but also improves efficiency and productivity. Visual management techniques are the best ways to ensure proper lubrication. Visual management uses visual cues, such as charts, graphs, and colour-coded labels, to quickly and easily convey […]

In today’s world of IoT, there is a tendency to look for high-tech solutions to eliminate equipment breakdowns and improve reliability. But, in many cases, simpler solutions could easily improve the causes of many equipment breakdowns – solutions that are simple, practical, economical, reliable, and sustainable.  One of the most powerful and effortless solutions is […]

Manufacturing equipment is a crucial part of any production process, and ensuring that it is in good working condition is essential for maintaining the quality of the products produced. One way to ensure that manufacturing equipment is functioning properly is through regular inspections. This post will discuss the importance of implementing inspection standards for manufacturing […]

Episode 38: “A Toast to the U.S. Micro Whiskey of the Year, and the Need to Recommit to Patient Safety”  What do you do when you are chosen as Jim Murray’s US Micro Whiskey of the Year? You pop in to join Mark and Jamie on Lean Whiskey to talk about it. At least that’s […]

It is necessary to develop operators who can check their equipment effectively, recognize when parts have deteriorated, or something is going wrong, and perform easy maintenance tasks. Steps to take: Create a diagram chart showing the equipment to be inspected Identify points of inspection by using number value Determine the method and frequency of the […]

In a webinar today, someone said that Velocity is evil if equated with productivity.  I disagree.  And partly agree.   First some explanations (short, maybe too short for some): The Velocity of a sprint is the number of story points that the team “earned” (completed) that sprint. Well, I would say Velocity is really the […]

Listen: What do you do when you are chosen as Jim Murray’s US Micro Whiskey of the Year? You pop in to join Mark and Jamie on Lean Whiskey to talk about it. At least that’s what our friend David Meier of Glenns Creek Distilling did in Episode 38. While we were able to drink, […]

For our work, we have two related ideas.  The Team and the team’s process.  (Yes, there are many other ideas, principles, values too.) The Team Most people, I think, like working on a pretty good team.  Often quite a lot. Of course, not every team is good. Some people need an adjustment time. See the […]

FEATURE – Leading by solving problems is a key trait of any lean leader, but it is important to understand that not all problems are their prerogative. Words: Juan Ruiz, President, Lean Institute Colombia In a world that looks increasingly complex – with pandemics, wars, high cost of raw materials, currency fluctuations, the great resignation, […]

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 […]

Data collection and analysis are critical in process improvement. Data shows progress in process improvement over time and serves as a barometer of process effectiveness and efficiency. Measuring a straightforward process that takes seconds, minutes, or hours is fairly easy because you can witness the start and the stop of the process. These processes exist […]

W. Edwards Deming remains popular among many people world-wide — except CEOs. For the last 25 years, CEOs have shown little interest in Dr. Deming’s work. His work is irrelevant to them. Deming’s followers remain perplexed as to why he has had virtually no following among CEO. The answer is in the slides below. The […]

MTTR stands for Mean Time to Repair, a metric used to measure the effectiveness of maintenance and repair operations. It is calculated by taking the total downtime for a specific equipment or system and dividing it by the number of repairs performed. The result is the average time it takes to repair the equipment or […]

Quick one…. For reasons beyond my control, the February Train-the-Trainer / Facilitator (TTT/F) has moved a day or two. It is still four sessions over two consecutive weeks, but no longer the same two days each week. Now it’s Wednesday, Thursday, Monday, and Tuesday afternoons (UK time), 15th-21st of February. Programme information and booking pages: […]

In today’s blog, we’ll be discussing what planned downtime is and the benefits of proactively scheduling planned downtime activities.  One of the most fearful words in manufacturing is downtime. Even though it is inevitable for downtime to occur, managers, operators, and technicians rigorously aims to reduce it and mitigate its effects. Planned Downtime vs Unplanned Downtime […]

Next week, I’m happy to be hosting and moderating a panel discussion format webinar that is being sponsored by Value Capture. It’s titled: Why Does the U.S. Need a National Patient Safety Board? The panelists are two people who have been drivers or supporters of this proposed NPSB. They are: This preview video includes discussions […]

The modern corporate world requires management to be aware of what’s happening with their teams at all times. They need to know of employee issues that could impact productivity and operations. Employees have some expectations as well. They want to work under leaders who are willing and eager to resolve any issues they may have. […]

Today, 77% of Agilists use Kanban boards. I’ll say it again. Seventy-seven percent of those who conduct Agile projects use a Kanban board, according to the most authoritative study on Agile. This staggering percentage speaks for itself – followers of Scrum, Kanban, Scrumban, and any other Agile method or framework will vouch for the benefits […]

Your feeling of Psychological Safety is not “yes/no” – it’s not a matter of feeling safe or not. There are degrees of safety, it’s a spectrum. Instead of asking, “do you feel safe to speak up about problems?” it’s more like, “how safe do you feel?” Timothy R. Clark defines Psychological Safety as: “a culture […]

Digital shop floor dashboards are popular nowadays, and are found in many companies. However, they often seem more like a decorative element than a functional way to transfer information. In this blog post, I will look deeper into the possibilities and problem with digital shop floor displays and how to make them work. This blog […]

FEATURE – Visuals are a natural way in which human beings learn and teach. The author discusses why visual thinking is part of our DNA and the implications this has on our lives at work. Words: Sharon Visser Every day, the Earth provides us with information in the form of visuals. The sun rises to […]

Today we celebrate and recognize the life and achievement of Martin Luther King Jr. MLK as they say was an American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs. We […]