Article

I'll Follow You into the Dark...

We all know that lean transformations can happen in any industry or environment. But have you ever thought about a photography darkroom as the site…

by Leslie Barker

Article

Lean Startup: The Most Revolutionary Idea Since SMED?

"From my view, Lean Startup is quite simply the most revolutionary idea to advance the way business is practiced since the birth of Lean," writes…

Case Study

Sustain Your Lean Business System with a “Golden Triangle”

When medical device maker Phase 2 fought off an overseas challenge by meeting the global price, margins took a big hit. With help from customer…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

Find One Second of Waste

Coach Tracey Richardson shows you how she learned the importance of looking for waste everywhere, and how you can start being focused on finding it…

by Tracey Richardson

Article

Ask Art: Why Are the Four Lean Fundamentals So Important for Making a Conversion to Lean?

A review of the core lean elements reveals how — and why — lean management leads to higher enterprise performance.

by Art Byrne

Article

Craftsmanship – the Lost Art in Product Development

In his first job as an engine designer, Steve Shoemaker could visit 90 percent of final product value streams within an hour's drive of where…

by Steve Shoemaker 

Article

Detroit Auto Show Overshadowed by Dr. Womack's Trashing of Toyota

Jim Womack's most recent e-letter titled "Beyond Toyota"†has sparked a lively and even rancorous debate. "We all, even including Toyota, need to go beyond Toyota,"…

by John Shook

Article

Performance Versus Cost

Dear Gemba Coach: I am the continuous improvement director of a large hospital. We invested two years ago in a central machine to perform all the…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Am I doing PDCA correctly?

Dear Gemba Coach: How do I know if I’m doing PDCA correctly?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Developing Better Habits Using A3 Thinking

Think A3 thinking is only for solving organizational problems? Think again! LEI faculty Katie Anderson shares her secrets for using A3s as a tool for…

by Katie Anderson

Article

A Connecticut Yankee Machinist in Toyoda’s Castle

“Culture matters,” John Shook tells us in his post about Charles A. Francis, an American who worked for Toyota group founder Sakichi Toyoda in the…

by John Shook

Article

Practicing What We Teach

"Do all Lean practitioners practice what they teach?" Maybe, maybe not. Tracey Richardson tries to as much as she can, and here's why.

by Tracey Richardson

Article

Using Cynefin to Solve Problems While Navigating Uncertainty

Kim Ballestrin, an agile coach, explains how her team at Telstra (an Australian telecommunications and IT company) uses a problem solving framework called Cynefin to…

by Kim Ballestrin

Article

How Do I Tell Good Obeya Rooms From Bad?

Dear Gemba Coach: Obeyas are popping up everywhere in our organization, and I don’t know what to look for to distinguish good from bad obeyas.

by Michael Ballé

Article

Turn on the Spigot: Create Flow in R&D

"Flow in R&D is as critical as in manufacturing," writes Terry Barnhart. "It is a little more difficult to see, which is why your company,…

by Dr. Terence (Terry) Barnhart

Article

Ask Art: Why Should I Focus on My Balance Sheet to Grow Earnings?

Lean practitioners understand that focusing on this financial statement is the best way to achieve higher sales and lower costs.

by Art Byrne

Article

Understanding the True Value of the TWI Job Instruction Training Method

In this reflection, the author contends the training approach delivers something vastly more significant than merely a faster, more effective training process.

by Chia-Chun Chung

Article

Ask Art: Does lean compromise innovation?

To some, lean and innovation seem counterproductive. But Art Byrne is not one of them. Find out why he says "lean and innovation are and…

by Art Byrne

Article

Looking for split seconds, it can mean a NASCAR race WIN!

Tracey and Ernie Richardson explore how NASCAR pit crews use visuals for safety and speed.

by Ernie Richardson and Tracey Richardson

Article

Coach's Corner: How to Design a Knowledge-Sharing System

Encouraging learning and knowledge reuse in your development process takes more than a system to capture it — you must create a system that people…

by Katrina Appell, PhD