Article

Five Missing Pieces in Your Standardized Work (Part 3 of 3)

John Shook circles back to offer an outline of how standardized work serves your Purpose, Process, and People, which can guide you as you establish…

by John Shook

Article

How Do I Change the Culture?

Dear Gemba Coach: I come from a company quite advanced in lean and I’ve joined a new firm as technical director. I’d like to apply lean…

by Michael Ballé

Article

What's different about implementing lean in a low-volume, high-variety environment?

Dear Gemba Coach: I manage a plant that makes highly engineered, low-volume products. What do I have to do differently from the high-volume guys to…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Why do lean practitioners use so many Japanese terms?

Dear Gemba Coach: Why do we use so many Japanese terms? I guess experts really want employees and students to think about these concepts.  They make…

by Michael Ballé

Article

PDCA Is Really CA-PDCA -- and It’s the CA that Makes the PD Work

Why Grasping the Actual Conditions (firsthand as an automatic practice) at the beginning, during, and after a problem-solving effort is the most important part of…

by David Verble

Article

The Art of Silent Observation

Silent observation is not as intuitive as it may sound. Andrew Quibell often meets people who think it's as simple as standing and watching the…

by Andrew Quibell

Video

Art of Lean on Work & Waste, Part 2: Overproduction

Take a closer look at and gain an in-depth understanding of the waste overproduction with Art of Lean, Incorporated President Art Smalley.

by Art Smalley

Article

“Learning from Manufacturing” Versus Learning To Think Differently

Beau Keyte talks lean thinking and practice in non-manufacturing settings. "The big challenge now isn’t to learn lean thinking the way any other company learned…

Article

I’m a six sigma black belt and have now been ask to do lean. I’m not sure where to start with my team. Any advice?

Dear Gemba Coach,I’m a six sigma black belt and have now been ask to do lean. I’m reading the literature and there’s a lot to…

by Michael Ballé

Article

The Lean Case for Founder Mode (plus Manager Mode)

Paul Graham's essay on "Founder Mode" vs. "Manager Mode" sparked a debate about how founders should lead their companies. Josh Howell offers a fresh perspective:…

by Josh Howell

Article

Can creative people, like product developers, follow such a structured method such as lean?

Dear Gemba Coach: For product development you need creative (maybe even chaotic) people. Are those people suited to follow such a structured method as lean?…

by Michael Ballé

Article

When the Toyota Way Meets Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 is not a disruptive force that makes TPS irrelevant, but rather can be an enabler that builds on TPS culture and thinking, argues…

by Jeffrey Liker

Article

Ask Art: Why do so few companies that implement lean do it successfully?

We've all heard the stories of failed lean implementations, as well as the hotly debated question of "Why did it fail?" In his many years…

by Art Byrne

Article

A Thriving Community of Practice - Book Report

I am often asked why the “lean movement” has outlasted so many business improvement movements that have come and gone. Surely one sign of the…

by John Shook

Article

How Do I Lead An Existing Lean Initiative as a Newcomer?

Dear Gemba Coach: The head of the lean initiative in our company has left and they gave me the job. I’ve been asked to review our…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Who To Move?

Dear Gemba Coach:  "Kaizen Express" landed on my doormat this morning. While reading through I noticed that it states that if you get an operator saving…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Why don't I see any significant performance improvement from obeya rooms?

Dear Gemba Coach: We’ve deployed obeyas all across our organization, but I can’t see any significant improvement in our results. We can better see which…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Does a Lean Company Need Explicit or Implicit Leadership?

Dear Gemba Coach: Explicit leadership or implicit leadership? Does an explicit style sustain a lean organization?

by Michael Ballé

Article

What “Co-Learning” Across Industries Looks Like in Practice

"In April, as part of a 2-day capstone learning event for Cardinal Health, we brought the newest wave of Lean Leader graduates together to visit…

by Danielle McGuiness

Article

Selling Water by the River

The most important challenge facing the lean community is that of sustaining both tangible and intangible improvements, says Dan Prock, who suggests that developing kaizen…