Article

Ask Art: Why Implement Lean During A Pandemic?

Implementing lean during this pandemic will allow many more companies to emerge from this economic crisis in far better shape than they were in before,…

by Art Byrne

Article

As head of a lean office, what must I do to really walk the talk?

Dear Gemba Coach: I am the head of a lean office. I’d like to lead by example, but it occurs to me that we often…

by Michael Ballé

Article

The Road to Becoming a Lean Leadership Team Has Potholes

Lean veteran Orry Fiume shares the story how the leadership team at The Wiremold Company took on the challenging work of transitioning from being traditional,…

by Orest (Orry) Fiume

Article

What is the difference between standard work and procedures?

Dear Gemba Coach: What is the difference between standard work and procedures?

by Michael Ballé

Article

As a business unit manager who is new to lean, what is the one thing I must know to get it right?

Dear Gemba Coach: I’m a business unit manager new to lean, and our CEO has decided to embark us on a lean transformation program. What…

by Michael Ballé

Article

If I turn off MRP in favor of kanban, will the factory collapse around us?

Dear Gemba Coach: Our sensei wants us to turn off MRP and work with kanban cards. I’m really nervous about this. We’ve been doing a…

by Michael Ballé

Book

The Lean Bakery

Food should be fresh. Yet we produce it in big batches. If fast-moving, small batch, one-piece flow can work with car parts, why can’t it…

by Juan Antonio Tena and Emi Castro

Article

Why We Believe that Lean is About Changing Our Own Behaviors, and Not Just Accumulating New Knowledge

Lean repeatedly pushes us to develop new competences (or recover lost know-hows) through kaizen and problem solving. This collection of short articles from seven leading…

by Lean Sensei Women

Article

I’ve just been named team leader with zero training and my team is not co-located – where should I start?

Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve just been named team leader with zero training and my team is not co-located – where should I start?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Lean Accounting Is Simpler, Faster, Cheaper, and More Accurate Than Traditional Management Accounting, so Why Don’t More Companies Use It?

Five thought leaders of the movement recently held a special conversation about what lean accounting is and isn’t, why it is vital to sustaining a…

by Lean Enterprise Institute

Article

What? My Pull System Is Supposed to Fail?

Dear Gemba Coach: We’ve given up on installing a pull system – every time we try, our on time delivery rate plummets, and we can’t…

by Michael Ballé

Video

Art of Lean on Problem-Solving, Part 6: Team-Building Tools and Practices

The storming phase of the Tuckman model of team formation can be tough to get out of, with Art Smalley sharing a technique that will…

by Art Smalley

Article

Are You Managing By The Right Numbers?

Knowing the key metrics to track will help you and your team start your learning journey, says Tracey Richardson. She shares the key figures that…

by Tracey Richardson

Article

Which Will Prevail: Batch Thinking or Worker Leadership?

For most of two centuries, batch and queue production was the golden key that opened the factory doors of mass production and led many nations…

by Fred Stahl

Article

How is lean different from Taylorism?

In a special column, Michael Ballé breaks from his standard practice of answering readers’ questions to weigh in on the controversy comparing lean management to…

by Michael Ballé

Article

If lean really is about innovation, why does so much of it seem to be about logistics?

Dear Gemba Coach: If lean really is about innovation, why does so much of it seem to be about logistics, with truck preparation areas, leveling…

by Michael Ballé

Article

What is the worst mistake you’ve made on the gemba?

Dear Gemba Coach: What is the worst mistake you’ve made on the gemba?

by Michael Ballé

Case Study

Sell One, Buy One, Make One: Transforming from Conventional to Lean Distribution

Big batches. Long lead times. Infrequent deliveries. Large inventories to cover fluctuations in demand. These aren't characteristics normally attributed to lean paragon Toyota, but they…

Case Study

For Athletic Shoe Company, the Soul of Lean Management Is Problem Solving

When it began a lean transformation in 2003, New Balance, the only athletic shoe manufacturer that still makes some products in the U.S., focused on…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

The Anatomy of Innovation

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Shadyside enjoys a reputation for innovation, due, in part, to its recognition that finding and fixing broken processes is…

by Chet Marchwinski