Designing the Future

"It is a must read for any leader who wants to create lasting value by building not just a great product, but a turbocharged product creating machine." – from the Foreword by Alan R. Mulally

Four Types of Problems

In Four Types of Problems, continuous improvement expert and author Art Smalley shows you how to break the “hammer-and-nail” trap.

Level set lean training for your team easily, quickly, and cost effectively.

There may be nothing more fundamental to lean thinking and practice than problem solving. For that matter, there may be nothing more fundamental to being human than problem solving.

We breathe, we eat, we create civilizations – we deal with (solve, tackle) problems every step of the way.

But, to label an activity “problem solving” neither solves any problems nor explains what problem solving even means

Solve real problems at your company by collecting real-time data, collaborating with colleagues, and gathering feedback and support from peers and senior coaches.

Learn how companies are using Lean Product & Process Development (LPPD) to create a sustainable system for consistently delivering great products and profitable value streams.

Want to learn more? Visit our LPPD community page.

Jim Lancaster, Lantech CEO, candidly describes what the erstwhile “kings of kaizen” did to revive a wilting continuous improvement effort – that quadrupled profits – by introducing a daily management system rooted in maintaining basic process stability and engaging people at all levels. 

A short video by emsstrategies.com to address the issue that once you've drawn a future-state map, how do you effectively move from current to future state? We need a sense of direction or challenge, which VSM can help provide, but we also need some scientific-thinking skills for navigating our way there. VSM is a way to define direction, and practicing Toyota Kata develops your skills to get there.

Womacks's Yokoten: What does a lean employer look like? In this month’s column, the author reflects on the long-term commitment to employees a company engaged in lean thinking should make.