Case Study
Lean + Circular Principals = a New True North for Manufacturer
SunPower's lean journey resembled most others until it defined a new mission, a new True North. The mission statement changed from the business-like “install 10…
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Article
The Lives of Your Grandchildren Depend on Innovating New Healthcare Models
Renowned healthcare transformation experts examine what it will take to reinvent healthcare models through innovation and propose a new process for finding them.
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Article
Remembering Norman Bodek, the “Miraculous Life” of an Author, Teacher, and Publisher of Groundbreaking Business Books
Called “Mr. Productivity” and the “Godfather of Lean,” Norman Bodek began 41 years ago translating and publishing groundbreaking books by the Japanese managers who had…
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Article
How the Toyota Way and Toyota Kata Fit Together
The author of The Toyota Way explains where Toyota Kata fits with Toyota’s broader management principles — and how each enhances the other to help…
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Article
Bad People or A Bad Process?
Standing in a nightmare of a line at the airport prompted Jim Womack to reflect on this problem, and conclude that this was indeed a…
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Article
The Birth of Lean: How Practices, Principles, and Tools Came Together as a System
Toyota was struggling to survive when Taiichi Ohno and a handful of innovators began experimenting with methods that ultimately became the Toyota Production System. The…
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Article
Accounting for the Right Reasons
My first job after graduating from Purdue University was as a manufacturing engineer with the Japanese company, Aisin Seiki. Aisin U.S.A. was in the process…
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Do you use Japanese terms in your lean transformation or purposely avoid them? Why?
Recently we asked our community "Do you use Japanese terms in your lean transformation or purposely avoid them? Why?" Below is a list of all…
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Standardize Your Problem-Solving Approach? Why One Size Does Not Fit All
Lean management practitioners know what a powerful tool standardization is for continuously improving processes. Without standards, there can be no improvement as the old saying…
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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…
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Toothbrush Plant Reverses Decay in Competitiveness
Faced with competition from plants in China and Mexico, Oral-B's Iowa City plant was slated for closure. But the rapid introduction of a lean system,…
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Breaking the Cycle of Ineffective Strategic Planning and Execution
Bill MacPherson, managing director of Mercer Celgar, a division of Mercer International, describes why hoshin kanri is a better approach to strategy development and execution.…
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Article
Integrating Finance into Operational Kaizen: The Operational Leader’s Perspective
Two lean practitioners explain how and why they include accounting and finance teams in all continuous improvement efforts.
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Article
Nine Tips to Better Process Development
Achieve exceptional results with your next product launch. Master nine proven techniques for designing successful, waste-free processes.
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Article
More Crisis Control at Boeing and the FAA – Some Lessons on Building in Quality from NUMMI
As Boeing grapples with recurring quality issues, this Design Brief article from John Shook explores how the NUMMI joint venture between Toyota and GM offers…
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Article
Lean thinkers, doers unite to discuss workplace challenges
Explore how the Future of People at Work Symposium tackled today’s workplace challenges, with leaders urging us to embrace lean principles and emerging technologies for…
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Article
The Next Revolution in Software Product Design
Discover how product artisans like Melanie Perkins, Brian Chesky, and Larry Page maintain hands-on leadership to build lasting, influential brands. Learn why scaling product-led companies…
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