One of the core goals of the Lean improvement methodology is the reduction of any material, effort, or expense that does not ultimately add value to the customer. Practitioners have identified seven distinct types of waste and developed specific techniques to combat them. Whether your organization practices the Lean methodology or not, knowing where to look for waste […]

Voice of the Customer (VOC) Tell me, what comes first when you hear “business”? I know it is a consumer and producer, aren’t these? The consumer is usually known as the customer as well, and on the other hand, the producer fulfills the customer’s needs and wants.  The prime and first component of the business […]

CASE STUDY – A people-centric approach to work, improvement, and the adoption of automation is allowing this Norwegian company to thrive in a changing industry and environment. Words: Eivind Reke with Håvard Buhaug In 1861, a Swede named Göran Fredrik Göransson figured out how to industrialize steel production with the Bessemer method. Almost overnight, the […]

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 […]

A virtual gemba walk enables you to perform gemba walks virtually so that it easily integrates into your daily manufacturing tasks and activities.  Before we get into the five benefits of using a virtual gemba walk, allow us to first explain what a gemba walk is, and how it differs from a virtual gemba walk. […]

At the outset of 2023, concerns about economic conditions and a possible worsening recession are top of mind for most business leaders. Interest rate increases, GDP shrinking, and rising inflation alongside low unemployment rates have left many uncertain about how to manage resources, retain talent, and find a way to grow during the next year.

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more Joining us for Episode #468 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jody Crane, M.D. He’s the Chief Medical Officer for TeamHealth, and he was previously a guest for Episode 120. As a proven leader, Dr. Jody Crane, M.D. is considered one of the leading experts […]

All Northeast Lean Conference attendees received a copy of Kevin Hancock’s book, “The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey Into the Business of Shared Leadership.” Kevin Hancock is the CEO of Hancock Lumber Company, one of the oldest and best know family businesses in America. Established in 1848, the company grows trees and manufactures lumber for […]

In this edition: February and March; Adaptive Organisation: Business agility at every scale; Top posts; Events, self-paced training, and media February and March Approaching fast, the next of our monthly webinar and AMA sessions takes place on Thursday. And starting on the 15th, the next Leading with Outcomes: Train-the-Trainer/Facilitator (TTT/F): 02 February, online, 15:00GMT, 16:00CET, […]

“Business transformation” is a phrase used to describe what happens when an organization fundamentally changes its operations. The goal of business transformation is to enhance operational and financial performance. Business transformation may occur at the organizational level or within a department or product group.

How do you measure success at your company?   Based on what you do, there might be a lot of different factors that define success for your company.   But I want to tell you one of the ways we measure success in Kanbanize. It’s simple: we celebrate success when our customers succeed through innovation.   At the […]

Objective To explain the methodology and implementation of the tool, thus demonstrating its usefulness and benefits. To provide an update on its usage and our “take-out” of findings to date. Provide a “hands-on” exercise whereby the tool can be applied to a “real-life” situation. The TPM Self Assessment’s purpose is to provide information to assist […]

ChatGPT is still all the rage. It’s one thing to treat the chatbot like Google. But I recently learned about some capabilities that are far more interesting — the ability to “simulate” events that never happened in real life (a.k.a. “the original timeline” or OTL as it’s referred to in the “alternative history” genre). In […]

Work standards are the backbone of continuous improvement because you need a standard to maintain what you have already achieved. But standards are not easy. A standard should explain everything in sufficient detail without being too detailed…and that is a fine line to walk. The key to the problem, but also to the solution, is […]

INTERVIEW – In April, the Lean Enterprise Academy in the UK is hosting its first in-person summit since before the pandemic. We caught up with their CEO to hear about the event. Interviewee: Dave Brunt, CEO, Lean Enterprise Academy Planet Lean: What is the theme of this year’s summit? Dave Brunt: We have structured the […]

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of January 2022.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.     Systems Primed for Finding Fault – Christopher R Chapman discusses how leadership creates systems that cause fear and blame.   Year End Muda – Bruce Hamilton discusses two unpleasant and […]

I’m looking forward to reading the new book by Uri Levine, the founder of Waze. It’s titled Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution: A Handbook for Entrepreneurs. I’m hoping to interview him on “My Favorite MIstake” because he talks about learning from failures. Levine touches on this in a piece about him […]

Quality professionals ensure that Products and Services meet certain standards of Quality. Quality Professionals possess a variety of skills, including strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication skills. They are also able to lead and manage projects, as well as train and mentor other team members. They are able to work well under pressure and are […]

By Pascal Dennis (bio) Strategy, like all problem solving, entails moving fluidly between the worlds of Thought & Experience. We begin by trying to understand our core problem in the world of thought. We reflect on core strategic questions such as: What happened last year, and why? What worked, what did not work, and why? […]

Gemba Walk is a simple yet powerful tool that organizations can use to improve their processes and increase efficiency. The term “Gemba” is a Japanese word that means “the actual place” or “the real place.” Gemba Walk is a process where managers and other leaders go to the “Gemba,” or the place where work is […]

We recently had the honor of hosting Nick Katko, President and Owner of BMA and author of several books, including The Lean CFO – 2nd Edition and co-author of Practicing Lean Accounting, on a webinar with KaiNexus Senior Advisor Mark Graban, and Senior Director of Lean Strategy, Chris Burnham. 

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 Improvement is not an event Many organizations reduce their improvement or innovation efforts to […]

Meet Angad and Prabhpahul Singh, co-founders and the brains behind LeanSuite, a software development company that offers lean manufacturing and process improvement solutions for manufacturers and companies in other sectors. The Brampton, Ont.-based company was created to specifically fulfill the needs of small businesses in terms of operations management and productivity improvement. To support this, LeanSuite […]

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 […]

Definition of quality What Do We understand by the word “Quality”? Definition and Example Most of the time, we get confused when defining the term “quality.” The meaning of the term “quality” varies from place to place. Such as: from the human viewpoint, the term quality refers to the distinctive feature of the individual. In […]

FEATURE – A real understanding of Lean Thinking can only stem from an exploration of its tacit aspects, not just its most explicit, easy-to-grasp elements. Words: Michael Ballé and Alice Mathieu “We know more than we can tell.” In the early 1960s, Michael Polanyi opened our eyes to the reality that much of human knowledge […]

In this blog post, we’ll be discussing what continuous improvement is, what a continuous improvement software does and why you should use one for your manufacturing operations. What is Continuous Improvement? In manufacturing, continuous improvement, also known as Kaizen, is a company culture and strategy that involves and encourages all employees to look for ways […]

As I’m trying to finish my book about learning from mistakes (“The Mistakes That Make Us“), I have examples from many different types of companies, including KaiNexus, that have a very strong and intentional culture of learning from mistakes. These examples also include Toyota and two award-winning distilleries. And companies in other industries. Does any […]

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 […]