Article

What the Books Don't Tell: Explaining the Financial Benefits of Lean

It's a curious fact that very few books about lean address the topic of finance. Questions about lean's financial benefits are often the first that…

Article

What can we do to instill some passion in leadership about our lean implementation?

Dear Gemba Coach: I’m in a company that is trying to implement lean but sees it simply as a series of rote steps to iterate…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Your Value Stream Map Looks a Little Different...

If you think there’s a different way of applying a tool, ask, “Are we changing the tool to prevent us from changing the organization, or…

by Aaron Hunt

Video

Managing to Win: The Remarkable Lean Transformation of Phase 2

Revisit the enlightening case study of Phase 2's lean transformation in the face of losing its biggest customer, plus insider info from an interview with…

by Lean Leaper

Article

What comes after Lean?

Lean practice is an ongoing process, it never ends. But what are we learning about the field? What comes after Lean in terms of emerging…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Inventory Turns Charts

How can you tell if your firm is really getting lean — count the future state maps on the walls, calculate the number of kaizen…

by Lean Enterprise Institute

Article

Put Your People at The Center of Your Development System

"It is your people that provide the skills, energy and creativity," writes Jim Morgan. "They are the single most important element of great product development…

by Jim Morgan

Article

Is your obeya room used for real learning or as a glorified action plan?

Dear Gemba Coach: How can I use an obeya for learning rather than for project management?

by Michael Ballé

Video

What are the Three A's of the A3?

John Shook explains the three A's of the A3 in this video clip from the presentation that he and Lisa Yerian, chief improvement officer at…

by John Shook and Lisa Yerian, MD

Article

As Your Customer’s Definition of Value Evolves, So Must Yours

If you don’t realize that your customer’s definition of value has expanded to include social responsibility and racial equity, you may learn so at a…

by Christopher D. Chapman

Article

Learn by Doing: Overcoming Inertia and Triggering Engagement Through Kaizen

Practicing daily kaizen powerfully drives the heart of any serious lean effort to learn and improve, a topic that will be addressed in the Virtual…

by Lean Leaper

Article

LEI Expands Global Network

When I founded the Lean Enterprise Institute in Boston in 1997, I wanted to create a global network of non-profit institutes working horizontally to advance…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

The Value of A Visual Schedule is Developing Shared Understanding

People closest to the work should understand it best, so they are in the best position to share what the work is including what they…

by Katrina Appell

Video

Lean Principles Are the Bread & Butter of this Retail Transformation

Entrepreneurs explain how their chain of bakeries and retail stores used lean continuous improvement to profitably expand, engage employees, and meet growing customer demand for…

by Lean Enterprise Institute

Article

Book Value: Jim Womack on Ford Methods and Ford Shops

Jim Womack, author of Lean Thinking and founder of The Lean Enterprise Institute, reflects on one of the books that greatly influenced his thinking.

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

4 Actions that Solved My Lean Management Identity Crisis

Mike Orzen had lean management down cold – or so he thought. After all, he makes a living teaching it to managers and executives. But…

by Mike Orzen

Article

LEI's indicator that can't lie: Doing the math

Jim elaborates on the idea of using inventory turns as a measure of lean transformation

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Jim Womack on how lean compares with Six Sigma, Re-engineering, TOC, TPM, etc., etc.

It amazes me, but I still get lots of questions about how “lean” compares with Six Sigma, Total Productive Maintenance, Business Process Re-engineering, Demand-Flow, the…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Making Everyone Whole

I've had a big smile on my face for much of the last month because I've had the opportunity to visit progressive organizations on three…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Developing Students, Improving Universities

"Today, lean thinking in higher education is uncommon," writes Theresa Coleman-Kaiser of Michigan Tech University. "As a rule, institutions that teach lean continuous improvement in…