Article

How Can I Convince My CFO?

Dear Gemba Coach: Is there a way to put a dollar value (cost savings) on these types of improvements? We have trouble gaining CFO support…

by Michael Ballé

Article

New Year’s Reflection

Happy New Year! Even if you are not one of those who makes New Year’s resolutions the new year is surely a good time for…

by John Shook

Case Study

Lean Landscapers

HighGrove Partners, an Atlanta landscaping company, needed some time to figure out how to apply lean management principles. After all, each of its 300 work…

Workbooks

Seeing the Whole Value Stream

For the tens of thousands of users of value-stream mapping at the facility level, Seeing the Whole Value Stream provides the logical next step, extending…

by David Brunt, James (Jim) Womack, PhD, Dan Jones and Matthew Lovejoy

Article

Follow-up Webinar Q&A with Jim Lancaster, Lantech CEO and author of the Work of Management

"The Real Work of Management" webinar drew an engaged audience that wanted to know more about the daily management system that CEO Jim Lancaster installed…

by Jim Lancaster

Article

Problem Solving the Airlines

Rarely are process problems so clear as during the holidays! Have ideas for how to improve your air travel experience? Lean coach Danielle Blais does,…

by Danielle McGuiness

Article

Lean Roundup: Pull

A pull system links all production activity to actual customer demand--and creates what one lean thinker calls "an architecture for kaizen." Read more about this…

by Tom Ehrenfeld

Article

Cadence

What do the numbers 1/16, 4/04, 5/03, 5/30, 8/22, 10/23 and 12/20 have in common? They are the dates (day/month) that I sent out my…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

My boss has asked me to take on the sensei role for the company. What does that mean?

Dear Gemba Coach: How do I become a sensei? My boss has asked me to act in the sensei role for the company but I’m…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Can lean be used to turn around a company?

Dear Gemba Coach: Can lean be used in a turnaround situation? Does a burning platform make it easier or harder?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Does implementing lean mean creating a lean management system?

Dear Gemba Coach: My understanding is that implementing lean means setting up a lean management system. You seem to disagree. Would you explain?

by Michael Ballé

Article

How should I assess the success of our lean progress?

Dear Gemba Coach: My management is asking for an assessment of our lean progress. How should I do this?

by Michael Ballé

Article

What's your definition of lean?

Dear Gemba Coach: My company is adopting lean, which has so many definitions that I find it confusing. What's your definition and why can’t all…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Why are there so many different opinions about what lean management is and isn't?

Dear Gemba Coach: I have attended several lean conferences and am deeply interested in the topic, but puzzled about the diversity of viewpoints. Any advice…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Why We Believe We Have All the Bricks to Build Our Future

In this wide-ranging article, lead author Catherine Chabiron and her fellow Lean Sensei Women propose a number of ways to tackle the new emerging challenges…

by Lean Sensei Women

Article

Book Review: Learning to Scale, a "Practical Field Guide" to Lean Growth

In his new book Learning to Scale, author Regis Medina has "successfully translated each concept of the TPS and lean strategy into a clear and…

by Catherine Chabiron

Article

Will a real andon system bring the factory to a full stop?

Dear Gemba Coach: What would happen if we practiced andon for real – wouldn’t the factory simply stop?

by Michael Ballé

Video

Art of Lean on Situational Leadership, Part 2: Toyota, Taiichi, and TWI Job Instruction

After the introduction to what situational leadership actually is, Art Smalley returns to run through some examples as to how this process of development has…

by Art Smalley

Article

Building A Diverse and Capable Workforce from the Bottom Up

Combining lean thinking and practices with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives builds more inclusive, engaged, and resilient businesses. Here's how.

by Adrienne C. Trimble and Mark Reich

Article

How Wiremold Reinvented Itself Through Kaizen

Art Byrne shares a seminal 25-year-old article recounting how Wiremold tapped Kaizen to support a complete lean turnaround that continues to inspire and instruct people…

by Art Byrne