Operations Articles
A New Era of Jidoka: How ChatGPT Could Alter the Relationship between Machines, Humans, and their Minds
An exploration of how artificial intelligence will impact how people will work suggests exciting possibilities and challenges for human development.
Read articleThe Fundamentals of Improvement and Coaching Kata
Whether you're a veteran needing a refresh or a beginner requiring the basics, this round-up offers guidance that will strengthen…
Read articleAsk Art: Why is a Lean Sensei Necessary?
Lean veteran Art Byrne explains how having a lean sensei helps leaders and organizations succeed in their lean transformation.
Read articleDeveloping Products is a Team Sport
LEI's lean product and process development coaches share the first of several guiding principles that will help you improve the…
Read articleAsk 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.
Read articleSteady Work: A Story of Personal and Enterprise Transformation at Starbucks
A former Starbucks regional director demonstrates how lean thinking and practices improve business performance.
Read articleHow to Design Products and Services a Diversifying Customer Base Will Love
A leading innovation and design researcher shares practices that will help you develop products and services that meet the needs…
Watch videoHow to Lead Physicians in Change
The Seattle Children's medical director of continuous improvement and innovation describes a successful method for standardizing — and improving —…
Watch videoHow a Hospital’s Adoption of Lean Thinking Led to Standard-Setting Quality Achievements
A hospital in Argentina leveraged the power of lean thinking to enhance patient care significantly during the pandemic, earning internationally…
View case studyHow to Launch Great Products Your Customers Will Love
A product director describes how her team increased its new-product adoption rate from 25% to 81% in three years.
Watch videoSeeking Radical Quality in the Tech Industry
The CTO of a website design firm explains how a recent book on radical quality improvement in manufacturing inspired him…
Read articleHow to Focus on a People Accelerated Lean Transformation
Business and operational performance improved dramatically when a car dealership's leaders embraced the lean principle of respect for people. Here's…
View case studyHow a Bakery Uses Lean Thinking to Drive Growth
A lean system that runs like clockwork and constant attention to customer service enables Barcelona-based 365.café to achieve the seemingly…
View case studyReaching Your Organization’s Full Potential
A visit to Turner Construction's New York Business Unit reveals how its leaders use the A3 process to build their…
Read articleA Spotlight on Leaders: Re-Thinking the Retail Food Industry
Watch a discussion about the approaches used to design and develop Connecticut’s hottest new restaurant concept: Haven Hot Chicken. Their “minds before…
Watch webinar5 Common Signs of a Novice Kata Practice
An example of an Improvement and Coaching Kata practice illustrates five common themes found in novice-level practice.
Watch videoThe Five Steps of Lean Implementation
Step 1: Specify ValueDefine value from the perspective of the final customer. Express value in terms of a specific product, which…
Read article2024 Lean Summit Recap
LEI's Lean Summit showcased how leaders leverage lean for innovation from AI-powered healthcare to US manufacturing's revival.
Read articleRevolutionizing Logistics: DHL eCommerce’s Journey Applying Lean Thinking to Automation
In this podcast episode, LEI chats with Mehmet Gur from DHL eCommerce on how to realize the full potential of…
Listen to podcastAsk Art: Do You Prefer a Handwritten or Computerized Process for Visual Management?
You can — and should — focus on more critical operational questions than how to set up your visual management…
Read articleUnderstanding 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…
Read articleHow to Go to the Gemba: Go See, Ask Why, Show Respect
Here are some guidelines I use when doing a gemba walk as an outside advisor.
Read articleAre You Ready for the Next Crisis?
The Cleveland Clinic's lean management and operating system helped it handle the challenges arising from the pandemic. Here are several…
Read articleServing Up Lean with a Southern-Fried Kick
Haven Hot Chicken used lean thinking and practices to launch a successful restaurant during a pandemic.
Read articleInsights on Why, When, and How Value-Stream Mapping is a Vital Part of Continuous Improvement
A selection of Lean Posts offers the information leaders need to maximize the benefit of using this powerful lean practice.
Read articleWhy You Need to Map the Extended Value Stream
This case study from the LEI workbook Seeing the Whole Value Stream shows how the practice can help businesses optimize…
Read articleApples & Oranges: Value-Stream Mapping in a Low-Volume/High-Mix Environment
Here's how one LVHM company mapped its complex value streams — and discovered the path to next-level productivity that enabled…
Read articleUnderstanding the Fundamentals of Value-Stream Mapping
This overview explains the essential elements of this powerful lean practice.
Read articleJim Womack Explains the Origins — and Value — of Value-Stream Mapping
In this brief video, the LEI founder and senior advisor offers an introduction — or refresher on why value-stream mapping…
Watch videoHow Lean Practitioners ‘See the Work’ — and Why It Matters
In under three minutes, LEI's Instructional Designer Masia Goodman demonstrates how lean practitioners "see the work" so they can improve…
Watch video2021’s Top Posts: Insights that Will Enhance Your Lean Thinking and Practice
This year's most popular Lean Posts feature thought leadership and guidance on several issues that are challenging for even the…
Read articleAsk Art: How is Traditional Management Different from Lean Management?
Eight reasons lean leaders consistently outperform peers who rely on a conventional approach to leading and managing.
Read articleAddressing the Labor Shortage by Innovating the Work
Learn how a restaurant is working to attract and retain workers by improving the work inside their commissary.
Read articleHow Lean Thinking and Practice Helped Put Shots in Arms, Part 2: Wind-Down and Reflection
Four overarching operational lessons from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center's successful mass vaccination experience show how lean thinking…
Read articleAre You Doing the Work that You Really Should Be Doing?
E-mail has unquestionably changed the way that we all work. But were there missed opportunities and steps along the way?…
Listen to podcastHow Lean Thinking and Practice Helped Put Shots in Arms, Part 1: Building the Process
Does lean thinking work during a crisis? An in-depth review of its contribution to the design and management of Ohio…
Read articleAsk Art: Why Switch from Batch to Lean?
Switching from batch production to a complete lean enterprise produces benefits far beyond immediate financial results, argues Art Byrne. Read…
Read articleLEI In the News: Leading Trade Journal Asks How Lean Principles Performed During the Pandemic
Lean management principles didn’t fail during the pandemic; some companies failed to execute them correctly, especially the practice of just-in-time…
Read articleVisual Replenishment Delivers for Zingerman’s
How an online grocery business meets pandemic-related demand increases while maintaining a safe work environment.
Read articleAre You Narrowing Your Problems Down?
Rationality did not lay in higher reasoning powers, in visionary schemes, but in the ability to narrow down problems until…
Read articleUnderstanding the 4S Help Chain, Part 1: Lessons from NUMMI on How to Manage Work Disruptions
What are the four critical characteristics of an effective help chain? Matt Zayko, a technical coach for LEI's Lean Product…
Read articleLean at Amazon.com: Reconciling Lean and High-Tech
Contrary to what some people think, adopting lean in a high-technology environment isn’t just possible; it’s essential. Just ask Marc…
Watch webinarMeeting the 19-Billion-Dose Challenge
What does it take to meet the historic challenge of rapidly increasing the annual global vaccine capacity from 5 billion…
Read articleIt’s Time to See JIT as A Hero Rather than A Villain
Lean and JIT production have never been the primary causes of materials in the world's supply chains reported over the…
Read articleArt of Lean on Problem-Solving, Part 2: Lessons From NBA Coaches
In the second part of his series on problem-solving, Art Smalley gets a clean steal from the world of coaching…
Read articleTransforming a Food Desert to Food Oasis—During a Pandemic
How a group of volunteers used lean thinking and practices to make things better in their community -- and overcome…
Read articleReach for Your Mind Before Your Wallet
Josh Howell shares how the lean principle of reaching for your mind before your wallet can mitigate risk through careful…
Read articleLean ‘n Food: Rethinking the Retail Food Industry
In this clip from a recent LEI Webinar, Haven Hot Chicken co-founder Etkin Tekin explains the process of working through…
Read articleJidoka Supports Leaders Who Welcome Problems with John Shook
In this clip from last year's Virtual Learning Experience, LEI Senior Advisor John Shook explains the socio-technical system of Jidoka,…
Watch videoSix Lessons from the Hyper-Fast Design and Finished Construction of the Sherman Alternate Care Facility
The authors, an architect, and a regional lean manager, share the lean principles that enabled the delivery of both the…
Read articleUse Jidoka to Avoid Death by 1000 Cuts
I’ve learned from experience the need for tech teams to adopt jidoka as a basic design consideration: getting it 100%…
Read articleArt 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…
Watch videoPlanning the Purposeful Turnaround
The capability to repurpose, and then to redesign and retool, is critically important in these challenging times, says Josh Howell,…
Read articleLet’s Celebrate Work
Is your work meaningful or menial? LEI Senior Advisor John Shook challenges us to aim to make all work meaningful…
Read articleStandardized Work is a Goal To Work Toward, Not a Tool to Implement
Standardized work can be an ugly thing in the hands of control-oriented bureaucrats and a beautiful thing when it enables…
Read articleArt of Lean on Work & Waste, Part 8: Processing
Understand the two aspects of the waste that requires a careful understanding of customer requirements. Watch the final part of…
Watch videoArt of Lean on Work & Waste, Part 7: Defects
Though he's calling the waste of defects the sixth waste in this series, Art Smalley, president of Art of Lean,…
Read articleFundamentals Redux–An Appreciation of Kaizen Express
Kaizen Express is the expression of an approach to kaizen that is at once a return to basics while at…
Read articleCreating a Learning and Improvement Environment in a Virtual World
Mount Sinai Health System Shares its Approach to Adapting Quickly to New Realities.
Watch webinarNavigating a Lean Quality 4.0 Road Map
Lean thinking and practice has a great deal to offer when it comes to adjusting to Industry 4.0, and in…
Read articleArt of Lean on Work & Waste, Part 6: Waiting
Learn how to spot what Art Smalley, president of Art of Lean, Incorporated, thinks is the most annoying form of…
Read articleArt of Lean on Work & Waste, Part 5: Motion
Watch this quick tutorial about how to see the waste of motion in your work, from Art Smalley, president of…
Watch videoHow Pall Corporation Accelerated the Covid-19 Vaccine Process Development using Lean Thinking and Practice
Learn how Pall Corp developed and deployed a full manufacturing process in eight weeks – an 80% reduction compared to…
Read articleArt of Lean on Work & Waste, Part 4: Excess Conveyance
Part four of eight. Watch the others: Part one, A Focus on Muda Part two, Overproduction Part three, Excess Inventory Part five, Motion Part…
Watch videoArt of Lean on Work & Waste, Part 1: A Focus on Muda
Take a deeper dive into muda, or waste, and learn the difference between pure and incidental waste. Art Smalley, president…
Watch videoThe Art of Lean: Use These Tools to Help You Improve a Process, Part 2
Take a closer look into this four-step approach that will help you "pinpoint the tricky parts" of a process as…
Watch videoJim Womack Shares a Future-Focused Reflection on ‘Machine’
Jim Womack shares a future-focused, humble reflection of the groundbreaking book he co-authored with Daniel T. Jones and Daniel Roos,…
Read articleHow Menlo’s Virtual Teams Are Lighting the Way Forward
While Menlo Software continues to adjust to the never-ending changes caused by COVID-19, founder Rich Sheridan takes solace that they…
Read articleLean Enterprise Institute Responds to The Wall Street Journal’s Mischaracterization of Just-in-Time
A message from LEI to the Lean Community
Read articleLEI Responds to The Wall Street Journal’s Mischaracterization of Just-in-Time
LEI's response to the August 21 Wall Street Journal article that mischaracterized Just-in-TIme.
Read articleWhen 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…
Read articleAsk Art: Why Implement Lean During A Pandemic?
Implementing lean during this pandemic will allow many more companies to emerge from this economic crisis in far better shape…
Read articleA Radical Redesign of Making Crudito — and All Restaurant Kitchens
Using animations of a few basic continuous improvement tools, Matt Savas, a team leader at the Lean Enterprise Institute and…
Watch videoHow Using Kanban Builds Trust
Kanban functions as a trust machine because everyone using it must understand what they have to do and why, says…
Read articleLearning the Hard and Soft Skills of Lean Coaching
While lean is often associated with process improvement, error reduction, and greater efficiency in a wide range of numbers; most…
Read articleBuilding the Enabling Bureaucracy
A conversation with RJ Scaringe about creating the "Rivian Way."
Watch videoWhy You Should Link Hoshin Kanri with A3 Problem-Solving
With A3 tightly linked to hoshin, an organization will not only solve problems but also will have the opportunity to…
Read articleKeeping the “Day One” Spirit Alive
Building in a cadence of gemba walks helps nurture the vital "day one" startup spirit as a company grows, says…
Read articleMaking Your Work Work in the First 90 Days
In your first 90 days as a lean leader, what path will you take to support transformation? Andrew Quibell details…
Read articleAsk Art: Why Do Most Companies Think Of Lean as Just a Cost Reduction Program?
We shouldn’t be surprised at all that most companies approach lean as a cost reduction program, when it really is…
Read articleThe Post-COVID-19 Reboot: Safe, Smart Steps for Restarting Production
GE Appliances and Herman Miller share lessons learned on opening manufacturing operations during the Covid-19 crisis. They share how their companies with…
Watch webinarUsing Lean Thinking to Resume Work Safely during the Covid-19 Pandemic
As LEI's webinar on "safe, smart steps for restarting production" approaches this week, here's a handful of articles about companies…
Read articleAsk Art: Why Does Setup Time Reduction Matter So Much?
Setup reduction is a necessary step to go from traditional management to lean--or said another way, from batch to flow…
Read articleHow to Ensure the Safety of Hospital Staff During the Pandemic
In the seventh and final post of a seven-part series, the Global Lean Healthcare Initiative focuses on keeping staff safe.
Read articleHow to Ensure Your Hospital’s Capacity in a Crisis
More tips from the Global Lean Healthcare Initiative that show how hospitals can address a surge in the number of…
Read articleHow to Build Skills Fast with a People-Development Plan
A Lean Global Network team of lean practitioners and coaches shares a set of lean healthcare tips hospitals can use…
Read articleFive Revolutions Into the Lean Journey: What’s Next?
The current pandemic serves as an opportunity for us to rethink the world of enterprise (and more), says Dan Jones.…
Read articleSolutions from Afar
A leader's job isn't to provide solutions to problems; it's to teach and coach their staff to solve problems themselves--at…
Read articleEmerging Stronger
Learn how GE Appliances and Herman Miller leverage lean practice to design new standardized work for assembly to ensure a…
Read articleDesigning the Patient Flow to Fight Covid-19
A Lean Global Network team of lean practitioners and coaches shares a set of lean healthcare tips hospitals can use…
Read articleThe Post COVID Crisis Supply Chain: a Time to Rise (Part 2)
In a two-part call to action, LeanCor Supply Chain Group CEO Robert Martichenko says that now is the time for…
Read articleThe Post COVID Crisis Supply Chain: a Time to Rise (Part 1)
In a two-part call to action, LeanCor Supply Chain Group CEO Robert Martichenko says that now is the time for…
Read articleDeveloping Awareness On the Gemba (part 2)
In this followup to her article on ways to develop awareness on the gemba, Lean Coach Sandrine Olivencia argues that…
Read articleDeveloping Awareness on the Gemba
Lean Sensei Sandrine Olivencia shares practical advice on ways to be present and to coach in the moment at the…
Read articleNew Book Explains How to Create “Steady Work” in Unsteady Times with Standardized Work Cadences
In Steady Work, the new book from the Lean Enterprise Institute, author and former Starbucks’ Regional Manager Karen Gaudet offers…
Read articleWorking During an Outbreak; What We Can Learn for Later
During this pandemic, Trader Joe’s is demonstrating several hallmarks of lean thinking that help keep employees and customers safe--and creates…
Read articleThe Impact of Social Distancing on Assembly Operations
Take a deep-dive look at how GE Appliances and Herman Miller are working on designing a safe work environment for…
Read articleReimagining the Restaurant Industry in a Post-COVID-19 World
The impact of COVID-19 has proven how ill-prepared we are to deal with crises. It’s time for hospitality businesses like…
Read articleWhat do I do when key logistics employees are afraid to come to work?
Dear Gemba Coach: What do I do when key logistics employees are afraid to come to work?
Read articleAsk Art: How Does Lean Bring the Customer Directly Onto the Shop Floor?
The lean approach reduces setup times, creates flow, improves quality, lowers cost and drastically shortens lead times, says Art Byrne,…
Read articleDelivering Quality Foods with Zingerman’s Mail Order
Listen to this podcast between Tom Root, Zingerman Mail Order's Managing Director, and Josh Howell for a wide-ranging conversation about…
Read articleWhat is the value to be created here and now?
Karen Gaudet has written Steady Work (!), a wonderful new book about her experience as a regional director of operations…
Read articleDo you find yourself surrounded by uneven workflows?
Do you find yourself surrounded by uneven workflows? Of course you do, it is natural. Almost everything has ebbs and…
Read articleShare Best Thinking Rather than Best Practices
Lean Coach Karen Gaudet argues that Best Practices don't always align with Best Thinking, and suggests that "the next time…
Read articleWhy We Believe that Pull Flows Are Too Often Overlooked
In this incisive series of articles on the essential value of pulled flow, the lean sensei women argue, in the…
Read article32. Coachable: A Model Story, Coaching Work Improvement
An excellent study in masterful coaching on the floor where the work happens.
Listen to podcastTime To Make Time
When the people in a lean system don't value time, everyone is cheated, says John Shook, in this fascinating reflection…
Read articleHow can kanban be useful in software since we never produce the same part twice?
Dear Gemba Coach: How can kanban be useful in software since we never produce the same part twice?
Read articleLearning from Toyota Way Principles versus Copying Toyota Practices
Toyota is an exceptional company, says Jeff Liker, who argues that the way of thinking is a model to learn…
Read articleThe Hard Work of Making Hard Work Easier
We persevere by struggling to overcome the challenges of hard work, argues Mark Reich. And, he says it is also…
Read articleCan lean management help with the start of production?
Dear Gemba Coach: Can lean management help with the start of production?
Read articleWhat Ever Happened to Mura?
If we really want to dig down into the root causes of waste, we need to bring the two lost…
Read article25. What’s the Problem: A conversation with Matt Lovejoy on how LEI is trying to create more lean thinkers coming out of university
How do we create more Lean Thinkers? That is the problem we address in today’s podcast with Matt Lovejoy, Chairman…
Listen to podcastThe Lean Farm
A cold wet fall Saturday at the Talking Farm in Skokie, IL was a workshop day of learning for a group of…
Read articleWhy Lean is a Time-based Strategy
Lean is a time-based strategy: it uses time to gain competitive advantage, says Orry Fiume. "Once I understood this I started…
Read articleOU ISE students use ‘Lean Thinking’ to improve operations, optimize space at Humble Design warehouse
The first grant from a new scholarship fund established by the Boston-based nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) is helping Midwest…
Read articleI’ve been improving process efficiency for years with value-stream mapping, why did you write that it is misleading?
Dear Gemba Coach: In your previous column you stated that value-stream mapping can be misleading. I’ve been using VSM for…
Read articleAsk Art: Why is Takt Time So Important in a Lean Turnaround?
Takt time represents the beat of the customer, or, the rate of demand, says Art Byrne: "As the primary focus…
Read article21. On the Job: Discovering Strategy by Doing the WORK, a conversation with Dave Brunt, CEO of the Lean Enterprise Academy in the UK
In a conversation across the Atlantic LEI’s president, Josh Howell, talks to the Lean Enterprise Academy’s CEO, Dave Brunt, about…
Listen to podcastIsn’t flow the ultimate aim of lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: Isn’t flow the ultimate aim of lean?
Read articleLean at Heart: Kanban
The underlying principles of lean can be found everywhere in daily life. In this article Masia Goodman identifies examples of…
Read articleStandardize Locally
A few weeks ago, during a day-long meeting with an executive management team, the topic of standardized work came up … again.…
Read article18. What’s the Problem: An Interview with GE Appliance’s Rich Calvaruso on Solving Problems through Improving the Work
An Interview with GE Appliance’s Rich Calvaruso on Solving Problems through Improving the Work
Listen to podcastWhy Doesn’t Lean Have a Seat at the Table?
Why hasn’t Lean spread more widely, asks Steven Spear, suggesting that it has not been framed in a way that…
Read articleIs my new boss right that applying standardized work is the foundation of lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: My new boss is a lean fanatic crazy about standards. He’s created a new team to audit…
Read articleThe Mythical Value Stream Manager
If you want to make a serious impact in your improvements, consider shifting your focus outward to a value-stream level…
Read articleAsk Art: What Foundational Items Must I Be A Zealot About?
Be a zealot on the foundational items such as 5S, visual management, and setup reduction, says Art Byrne, and your…
Read articleReflections From Ten Years of Michael Ballé’s Gemba Coach
Since his first Gemba Coach column of ten years ago, Michael Balle has consistently tied his advice to a faithful…
Read articleHow can there be standards — or kaizen — in a service job when no two instances are the same?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m in a service job and I struggle with the idea of standards. I read that there…
Read articleThoughts on the Birth of Lean
There is much to be learned from the history of Lean that applies powerfully today in every aspect of the…
Read articleI don’t get kanban — I don’t work in production so how would it apply to one-off work?
Dear Gemba Coach: I feel that I still don’t get kanban. I don’t work in production, and I fail to…
Read articleWhy Traditional Farming Is Ripe for Disruption
Uber disrupted the taxi business. Netflix disrupted entertainment. Amazon disrupted retail. Is farming, that ancient industry, ripe for disruption? Indiana…
Watch videoKAIZEN CHALLENGE: Lean Technical and Social Quiz
In this kaizen challenge, lean coach Jeff Smith invites you to help determine the optimal lot size to run through…
Read articleShould I bother reading lean management books or rely on experience implementing lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: Should I bother with reading lean books, or just work from experience? There are so many, and…
Read articleHow do I implement 5S when operators think everyone does things a little differently?
Dear Gemba Coach: How do I implement 5S in our small but growing shop where operators have the belief that…
Read articleWhat are the key factors within an obeya room?
Dear Gemba Coach: On YouTube and in books there is a lot about A3 storyboards. Did you ever see them…
Read articleDon’t you use kamishibai cards; you’ve never written about them?
Dear Gemba Coach: We use a kamishibai board along with standardized work and visual management to sustain our lean efforts…
Read articleWhy We Believe A Strong Customer Focus Is Needed To Drive A Lean Strategy
Is there any principle more core to the heart of lean than relentlessly focusing on the customer? In this collection…
Read articleGot any recommendations for applying lean in the tool and die shop to stop our dies from crashing like crazy?
Dear Gemba Coach: We applied SMED to increase the flexibility in our production cells. Now our dies are crashing like…
Read articleVSM and Toyota Kata
Give us 20 years and we'll learn a lot! This month's Kata SlideShare features perspectives from Mike Rother and Jeff…
Watch videoWhat’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…
Read articleHow Standardized Work Integrates People with Process
In this three-part series, John Shook argues that "the Toyota Way is a socio-technical system on steroids" that brings together…
Read articleIf lean is valid in all situations doesn’t that make it an ideology?
Dear Gemba Coach: Is lean really valid in all situations? That sounds like ideology to me!
Read articleKanban As A Learning Strategy
Toyota’s Kanban legacy—and its underlying ideas—have far more direct lineage with today’s digital economy than most folks realize; and capture…
Read articleGoing Beyond Low-Cost Obsession with “Women Go Beyond”
Hear the chairman and co-founder of an apparel manufacturer with global operations explain how and why it invests in its…
Read articleDo standards make any sense in a creative industry?
Dear Gemba Coach,Do standards make any sense in a creative industry, such as code development?
Read articleAsk Art: How Should I Re-invest the Gains from Kaizen?
Becoming lean through using kaizen activity allows you to remove a great deal of waste and deliver value to your…
Read articleS2. Ep. 3 What Cannot Be Grown Must be Mined – What is Lean in Mining with Laura Mottola and Mark Reich
"If it cannot be grown, then it must be mined." Practically everything around you exists because of mining. From phones, to…
Listen to podcastIs Lean Thinking Art or Science? Yes
Calling the recent book Lean Conversations a landmark initiative on lean and the arts, John Shook observes that "If Jean…
Read articleLean Warehousing and Distribution Benefits Your Company, Customers, and Supply Chain
Lean warehousing sounds like an oxymoron. But in this interview, lean practitioner and Toyota veteran David Graham explains how lean…
Read articleRosie the Riveter vs. Rosie the Robot
In this pithy yet wide-ranging discussion, Bruce Hamilton, president of GBMP and star of the hugely popular training video Toast…
Read articleWill Artificial Intelligence Replace Shop Floor Thinking?
How does lean thinking help understand whether AI could replace shop floor thinking? Jacob Stoller argues that whether or not…
Read articleShould producing products with zero defects be my top goal?
Dear Gemba Coach: Is zero defects really the first goal? The number of defects doesn’t necessarily relate to the user’s experience…
Read articleTake Baby Steps Towards Improvement
As you think about your 2019 resolutions, ask yourself if you’re making the change too big and, therefore, too scary,…
Read articleStandardized Work or Kaizen? Yes
Some lean folks LOVE to quote the Taiichi Ohno observation that “there is no kaizen without standards," notes John Shook,…
Read articleHow do you apply takt time to service work?
Dear Gemba Coach: How do you apply takt time in fields like services where customer demand is not known?
Read article“Roll”-ing Out Lean at Kura Sushi
Self-professed "lean geek" Katie Anderson has eaten several meals at Kura Sushi restaurants and shares her observations on what she…
Read articleCan Lean Succeed in a Strong Labor Environment?
Lean is all about people, says Art Byrne, regarding the question of making lean succeed in a union environment. He…
Read articleI have years of experience in operational excellence but if I were to start lean where should I start?
Dear Gemba Coach: I have years of experience in operational excellence and have always assumed that lean is just a…
Read articleHow do we get our boss to stop confusing inventory management with lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: Our new boss is a lean supporter and had us reduce drastically all inventories. Now we have…
Read articleDouble Loop Learning at Kongsberg Maritime
Kongsberg Maritime, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Norwegian-based Kongsberg Group, tapped into a Kyoryokukai, or network for supplier innovation,…
Read articleWhat 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…
Read articleWorkers Unite for Better
The local strike by hospitality workers in Boston has led Josh Howell to contrast this situation with the lean culture…
Read articleTPS, the Thinking People System
The twin pillars of just-in-time and jidoka help support a full model about how to achieve customer satisfaction from employee…
Read articleAsk Art: What’s Wrong with Organizing By Function?
While you might be able to survive and be profitable using a traditional functional structure the fact is that you…
Read articleFrom Port to Plate: How Legal Sea Foods Is Improving Through Lean
Legal Sea Foods is working with LEI to help launch a movement to change everything about the way traditional restaurants…
Read articleThinking About Waste Helps Build A Learning Culture Everywhere
Developing people to reduce waste in everything from using toilets to saving one second of work is key to creating…
Read articleEp. 10 Port to Plate, Lean Changes the Restaurant Industry with Legal Sea Foods’ Executive Chef Rich Vellante
Can the restaurant industry change they way they've worked for decades? Legal Sea Foods has been on their lean journey…
Listen to podcastAsk Art: Why Should I Be Able to Make Every Product Every Day?
Working on the goal of "every product every day" helps all companies realize the benefits of lean as a strategy,…
Read articleYes, Lean is About Cost Reduction
Why focus on cost reduction? Because many of the cost-saving kaizens of are simpler and require less engineering resources, and…
Read articleTending the Roots of Lean with Lean Farmer Ben Hartman
Matt Savas shares the Lean roots found at Ben Hartman's Clay Bottom Farm in Goshen, Indiana, illustrating the many ways…
Read articleLessons from Japan: Day Two
A group of lean learners are touring world-class enterprises in Japan; here are postcards capturing their daily lessons gleaned from…
Read articleLean Lessons from Japan: Day One
This week, LEI is in Japan with 19 eager learners. The purpose of this trip is not just to see…
Read articleDo I have the right attitude during gemba walks?
Dear Gemba Coach: How do I know if I have the right attitude during gemba walks? We’ve started doing those…
Read articleAny thoughts about lean and Industry 4.0?
Dear Gemba Coach: What about lean and digital? Any thoughts? And on Industry 4.0?
Read articleEp. 7 Is Lean Thinking Japanese Culture? Jim Womack and Matt Savas Discuss What They Saw While Touring Toyota in Japan
Jim Womack interviews Matt Savas about a recent trip to Toyota Motor Kyushu, Japan.Matt and Jim share their observations on…
Listen to podcastWhy does no one ask about production flow anymore?
Dear Gemba Coach: As I read lean posts and papers, no one seems to have problems like this anymore, but…
Read articleThe Quiet Factory
Could noise be considered another waste to be reduced in the system? Matt Savas ponders the implications of a Toyota…
Read articleRethinking the Model Line
The model line, once seen as the key to helping organizations learn and share lean thinking, has served a critical…
Read articleLean Management Meets Artificial intelligence, Machine Learning, the Internet of All Things
What part, if any, will lean principles – or humans – play in a manufacturing future of artificial intelligence, machine…
Read articleWhat’s wrong with taking a tools approach to lean management?
Dear Gemba Coach: I keep hearing that a tool approach to lean is wrong, but tools deliver results – how…
Read articleAsk Art: Why Do I Need to Switch From Batch to Flow?
Moving from batch to flow reveals the waste in your processes and simplifies your work at a systems level, says…
Read articleValuing The Tradition of Learning and Sharing Lean: a new WLEI Podcast
This new WLEI podcast, recorded live at the 2018 summit, features a panel discussion with Jim Womack and three lean…
Watch videoExpanding Our Perspective on Lean Management, Part 1: A Creative Ethic
To explore the idea that there may be other angles for understanding lean management principles than purely business or analytical…
Read articleToyota Kata at Zingerman’s Mail Order
This month's Toyota Kata video is about the early days of TK practice at Zingerman's Mail Order. Decision-making can be…
Watch videoWhy do you keep referring to Toyota; does it still matter?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m very interested in lean, but fail to see why you guys keep referring to Toyota. What does…
Read articleIs kanban relevant to office work?
Dear Gemba Coach: I understand that kanban is an important part of lean, but I work in an office environment,…
Read articleThe Battle for the Soul of Lean
When elements of lean management began to infiltrate management ranks decades ago, a ìgreat divideî quickly formed, according to author…
Read articleMindset and the Andon Cord
When it comes to Andon, we like to talk about visual management, fast response, supporting employees, and other technical aspects.…
Watch videoHow do I fix our main delivery processes — again?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m part of a large logistics organization and our on-time-delivery is simply disastrous. We’ve done a first…
Read articleThe Lean Farm: Better Food, Productivity, and Profits — with Less Work
Farming may be the next industry ripe for disruption. For example, Ben Hartman grew up on a 500-acre corn and…
Read articleThe 5 Diseases of Prioritization
Prioritization is rarely a problem by itself. Instead, it’s a symptom of a set of illnesses: Swervy, Thickets, Costeoporosis, Planemia,…
Read articleLean 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…
Watch videoHow 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…
Read articleWhat does “separation of human work and machine work” mean?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve been trying to learn more about Jidoka and I keep coming across references to “separation of…
Read articleThe Lean Bakery: A Q&A with 365’s Staff
In their first interview with The Lean Post, Leo and Agus Tena, children of the authors of the new LEI…
Read articleWhat do you recommend — clarify roles and responsibilities first or reengineer the process first and then define R&R?
Dear Gemba Coach: What do you recommend – clarify roles and responsibilities first or reengineer the process first and then…
Read articleWhy Bother Making It Visual?
What to do when you need to make the work visible, but your people aren't behind it? Leslie Barker has…
Read articleAsk Art: “Do lean conversions actually go smoothly, like in the books?”
Art Byrne receives many inquiries from people wondering whether lean transformations really are as smooth as they seem in books,…
Read articleAdvice from the Gemba: Making Repetitive Tasks More Exciting
Repetitive tasks can create a drag on workers' morale and motivation as boredom sets in, and a disillusioned workforce will…
Read articleAsk Art: Is there a balance between lean and full automation?
As a followup to his piece last month dealing with another aspect of lean and automation, Art Byrne now explores…
Read articleAny advice for how to implement real pull across the company?
Dear Gemba Coach: My boss, the operations VP, has asked me to implement a pull system across the whole company.…
Read articleWill 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?
Read articleFollow-up to your comments on the “lean is a scam” column
Dear Gemba Coach Readers: I’ve been following the “scam” discussion with interest. Thank you for reading and taking the time to…
Read articleHow a Retailer’s Distribution Center Exemplifies the Lean Precept “Respect for People,” and Reaps the Benefits
To make sure training engaged and resonated with people after previous attempts at a lean transformation faltered, LifeWay matched lean…
View case study3 Interview Questions to Gauge Candidates’ Problem-Solving Capacity
It's always great to promote from within when trying to fill lean leadership roles. But what if you have to…
Read articleAdvice from the Gemba: Personal Kanbans for Lean Beginners
Kanban boards. For many of us, they were the first visual management tools we used that taught us the benefits…
Read articleManaging 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…
Watch videoAre You Prioritizing Efficiency Over Value?
A major element of lean is efficiency, but it's certainly not the ONLY element. While it may seem logical that…
Read articleHow can we tell if gemba walks by our CEO are actually improving the business?
Dear Gemba Coach: We’re instituting a program of gemba walks by our CEO. How will we know if we’re progressing?
Read articleA Tool That Every High-Mix, Low-Volume Leader Needs to See
"High mix, low volume operations are a difficult concept to grasp," writes Greg Lane. But it doesn't have to be…
Read articleToyota Kata Practice – Run Charts
Tony Webster provides an excellent 15-minute video guide for creating and using run charts, which are an essential practice in…
Watch videoHow Lean Changed My Work: Lean Without Knowing It
Last month LEI sent out an email asking the lean community how lean changed their work. For Jeremy Venable of…
Read articleLean Roundup: Pull
A pull system links all production activity to actual customer demand--and creates what one lean thinker calls "an architecture for…
Read articleAsk Art: Is there a formula to predict or evaluate the success of a lean implementation?
Art Byrne is often asked how to best measure the success of a lean transformation -- but does such a…
Read articleA Week of Kaizen in Just One Day
"Often when I hear people talk about kaizen, they are under the impression that this is some huge event with…
Read articleEWABI, Earth Corporations (E-CORPS) & Electric Bamboo Bikes
Can electric bamboo bikes made in Bali offer a potential solution to global social, economic and environmental injustice? What does…
Read articleLean Roundup: 5S
LEI's Senior Editor Tom Ehrenfeld provides an engaging insight into the web's best resources on 5S, a fundamental lean tool…
Read articleIs “lean” now just an over-hyped word that is losing its value?
Dear Gemba Coach: I have spent the day with a group of people in the LeanIT, Agile, ITSM, IT4IT, DevOps,…
Read articleShould value-stream mapping come before 5S?
Dear Gemba Coach: Shouldn’t VSM come before 5S so we see the whole picture first?
Read articleA Sweeter Type of Lean
In one memorable lean project, Carlos Moretti found himself assisting a Brazilian sugar-cane supplier for the ethanol industry with a…
Read articleAdvice from the Gemba: TPS Mythbusting
Despite its fundamental role in a lean transformation, the Toyota Production System is not an easy thing for many to…
Read articleFrom Chaos to Kaizen: The Visual Way
In another of his visual depictions of the fundamentals of lean, Andrew Quibell illustrates the process of transforming a chaos-plagued…
Read articleDo andons apply to software development?
Dear Gemba Coach: I work in software development, and I really don’t see how andon applies – what am I…
Read articleThrustmaster Comes Around
The following Lean Enterprise Institute case study reveals how Thrustmaster of Texas successfully adopted lean thinking and practices to make…
View case studyFresh Baked Lean: The Story of 365 Café’s Lean Transformation
When you think of environments for a lean transformation, does a bakery come to mind? Probably not, but growing pains-plagued…
Watch videoFresh Baked Lean: The Story of Cafe365’s Lean Transformation
When you think of environments for a lean transformation, does a bakery come to mind? Probably not, but growing pains-plagued…
Watch video“Simple Ain’t Easy”
The essence of lean is simplicity, argues Orry Fiume, a theme that applies not only to great organizations, but great…
Read articleAn Overview of Visual Management at Toyota
"Implementing visual management (VM) is a cornerstone of any lean transformation," writes Andrew Quibell. "And few companies know that better…
Read articleMaking Things Better – Visual Value in Health Information Management
Have you ever struggled to make "invisible work" visual for your leadership? Laura Shue of the University of Michigan Health…
Read articleManufacturing Balancing Act: Pull Versus ERP
In this follow-up story to our case study about Phase 2 Medical Manufacturing, Inc., the company faces an enviable dilemma:…
View case studyHighlighting 100 Years of Innovation in the Work
Comparing Ford’s 1914 and Toyota’s 2012 assembly lines demonstrates how improving work processes is the cornerstone of lean.
Watch videoMaking Things Better – Engineering Isn’t Always Right
"Have you noticed a tendency at your company to automatically take Engineering's advice?" writes Gary Stewart of Fiat-Chrysler. "If you…
Read articleOrchestrating Your Product Development Process with Milestones
"Effective milestones are an important part of a company’s development process, especially in today’s era of team-based sprints and stand-ups,"…
Read articleWhat is leader standard work?
Dear Gemba Coach: Is there such thing as a leader standard work, and, if so, what is it?
Read articleRising to the Challenge: The Lean Journey of Phase 2 (video)
In this video, Adam Prime, president of Phase 2 Medical Device Manufacturing shares some insider info on his organization's lean…
Watch videoAsk Art: Is There More to Becoming Lean than Conducting Kaizen Events?
Kaizen events may be a key part of lean transformation, but they're certainly not the only aspect of it. They're…
Read articleWe’re installing an andon system – what should we expect?
Dear Gemba Coach: We’re installing an andon system – what should we expect?
Read articleMining Gold and Improvement Ideas at Kinross
Unless it changed how it did business, the fluctuating price of gold would determine the fate of Kinross, a Nevada…
Read articleLean + 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…
View case studyStandard Work Roundup
Several terrific articles have appeared recently, emphasizing the importance and complexity of a key lean practice: standard (or standardized) work,…
Read articleHow do I keep visual management from becoming “wallpaper?” A Q&A with John Drogosz
"Many managers try to convince everyone (including themselves) that they are visually managing their projects or departments," writes John Drogosz,…
Read articleI’m struggling to understand exactly what people mean by a “lean system”?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m struggling to understand exactly what people mean by a “lean system”?
Read articleIt’s Not All About the Data on Value-Stream Maps: An Interview with Judy Worth
Data is a critical component of value-stream mapping. But it's not the only component you should be concerned about. All…
Read articleDo You Have a Capacity Problem or Flow Problem?
"Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint the exact root cause of a problem," writes Adam Hillsamer of Arnett Hospital in Indiana,…
Read articleAsk Art: What’s So Important About Standard Work?
Standard work is one of the cornerstones of a lean transformation. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's fully appreciated. "People…
Read articleOur technical guys are really resisting the idea of standard work. What should we do?
Dear Gemba Coach: Our technical guys are really resisting the idea of standard work. They believe they each have their…
Read articleConveyance: The Perfect Place for Waste
In the latest installment of his series of sketches and animations covering areas of waste in manufacturing, Andrew Quibell gives…
Read articleThe Role of Strategic Design Events in Lean Healthcare: An Interview with Mindy Hangsleben
Faced with a new incoming healthcare policy, Mindy Hangsleben and her team at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services…
Read articleAsk Art: What Lean Books Should I Start With?
Art Byrne shares with us his book recommendations to newcomers on insights into the philosophy and general approach behind lean.
Read articleWhy won’t operators use andons?
Dear Gemba Coach: We’re struggling with andons. We’ve set up a button for operators to press and call for help,…
Read articleInventory Waste: The “Hidden Killer” in Manufacturing
Andrew Quibell is back with the next sketch in his series on the four main areas of waste in manufacturing.…
Read articleBoatloads of Muda
Ken Eakin saw his fair share of waste during his 13 years in the ocean-shipping industry, especially in the transportation…
Read article3 Tips for Accurately Assessing Your Current State
"Just because everyone remembers to include the current state [on a value stream map] doesn’t mean it’s always done as…
Read articleEven Visual Management Starts from Need
Have you ever implement a visual management tool at your gemba after seeing it used successfully somewhere else? If so,…
Read articleCI Sustainment: A Hiding Place for Complexity
"How many times has your continuous improvement solution wound up being more complex than the original problem?" muses Lynn Kelley.…
Read articleSmall Batch: Hand-Picked Articles from the Global Lean Community (Vol. 8)
Our picks for the best high-impact learning stories and columns from Planet Lean.
Read articleHow is lean different from Taylorism?
In a special column, Michael Ballé breaks from his standard practice of answering readers’ questions to weigh in on the…
Read articleThe Manufacturing Waste Series: Introduction
In the first installment of his new series on waste, Andrew Quibell's latest sketch introduces his take on why kaizen…
Read articleTPS Fundamentals in a Knowledge Work Environment
A recent LEI cleaning project reminded Business Editor Cam Ford of something he learned in a recent workshop - that…
Read articleWhat does “separating human work from machine work” mean?
Dear Gemba Coach: What does “separating human work from machine work” mean? How does it matter?
Read articleHow do I convince management to run to takt time, not as fast as possible?
Dear Gemba Coach: I have always struggled with convincing management about the importance of running to takt time, since the…
Read articleHow does continuous flow apply to healthcare or other service industries?
Dear Gemba Coach: I work in healthcare and I struggle with how the concept of flow, which I can well…
Read articleNo Shortcuts: Creating a Lean Environment the Right Way
As much as we may wish there was a way to pull off a lean transformation with only a basic…
Read articleAsk Art: How One-Piece-Flow Supports Quality
"One-piece-flow is the key to quality improvements," writes Art Byrne. "In my experience it is pretty common to get a…
Read articleIt’s the Productivity, Not the People
In one memorable lean project, Craig Stritar found himself on a large fish-processing vessel in the Bering Sea that was…
Read articleWhat is the difference between standard work and procedures?
Dear Gemba Coach: What is the difference between standard work and procedures?
Read articleSmall Batch: Hand-Picked Articles from the Global Lean Community (Vol. 5)
Our picks for the best high-impact learning stories and columns from Planet Lean.
Read articleHow do you introduce visual management into a product development facility?
Dear Gemba Coach: What steps do you start with to introduce visual management into a product development facility?
Read articleTPS or the Toyota Way?
"Students of lean are often confused by the variety of ways Toyota explains the Toyota Production System," writes Michael Ballé.…
Read articleWhat is the lean approach to quality – is that what six sigma is all about?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m a frequent reader of your columns and you always seem to emphasize quality first, but I…
Read articleMapping Out Your Gemba Walks
"Gemba walks may sound like Lean 101 but they still require 110% of your undivided attention," writes Andrew Quibell. "And…
Read articlePersonal Kanban: You Can’t Manage What You Can’t See
Think personal kanban can't be applied to knowledge work? Think again. Drawing on examples from Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria…
Read articleWhy you can’t convince your boss to support lean activities, unless …
Dear Gemba Coach: I work as a deployment champion in a manufacturing company, but I don’t have the support of…
Read articleFord’s Focus: Lean Lessons from the Recession’s Greatest Success Story
After listening to Jim Morgan talk about Ford Motor Company's lean turnaround strategy during the Great Recession, Cam Ford (no…
Read articleJust-in-Time Roundup: Great Lean Reads from Across the Web (Vol. 12)
Our latest compilation of lean reads from around the web, this time featuring articles from Stanford Medicine, the Association for…
Read articleLean Thinking and My Navy Experience
When you think of lean organizations, does the U.S. Navy come to mind? Probably not, but it's an organization with…
Read articleHow do I reconcile the lean healthcare goal to organize around the patient with management demands to cut costs?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m the lean director at a hospital where the board keeps investing and then asking us to…
Read articleHow and Where Should I Start Using Andons?
Dear Gemba Coach: I understand the andon is an essential part of a lean system, but it seems very far…
Watch videoLean Physician, Heal Thyself!
"We [need] to equip people with the right tools to address the problems they must solve," writes Phil Coy. "New…
Read articleLean Thinking for Quicker Police Emergency Response Time
Bob Downing and Erin Magee reflect on the results of a collaborative project they worked on last year when their…
Read articleWhat the heck is a dojo?
ear Gemba Coach: What is a “dojo”? I hear about it but don’t find it referenced in the lean tools.…
Read articleStandardized Work Hangs Ten with San Diego’s Surfing Culture — Meeting the Challenges of Leadership, Culture, and Resistance
Instead of wiping out with a Southern California surfing school, the lean management principle of standardized had a positive impact,…
View case studyToyota Partners with Nonprofit to Rebuild Homes and Lives
When the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina receded, they uncovered tens of thousands of ruined homes in devastated areas like…
View case studyValue Stream Mapping and Obeya: Key Enablers for Better Product Development
For an organization to be continually relevant and profitable, it needs to develop products and processes that consistently create value.…
Read articleRedefining Work
We need to think about redefining work. Until we – anyone who wishes to bring about organizational change – redefine…
Read articleConstruction Safety: It’s a Respect for People Issue
A stock photo showing unsafe working conditions at a construction site (used and shared via The Article) sparks an important…
Read articleKaizen Event “Malpractice” and What to Do About It
Performed properly, kaizen events create the technical and cultural foundation for daily continuous improvement. Performed improperly, they can get you…
Watch videoJust-in-Time Roundup: Great Lean Reads From Across the Web (Vol. 7)
Five recent articles from across the web to help you reflect on your organization's approach to lean transformation or your…
Read articleHeijunka: Mastering the Peaks and Valleys
Struggling to run different types of products down one line? Lean coach Jeff Smith explains the lean manufacturing concept of…
Read articleTraining Within Industry for the 21st Century
"How about a program that does for senior leaders today what Training Within Industry did for Japanese management in the…
Read articleUsing Value Stream Management to Better Care for Stroke Patients
"To make value stream management really work, the most significant cause for transformation lay simply in the shifting of team…
Read articleWhy a Plan for Every Part Is Essential to Lean Transformations
“What’s needed instead is system kaizen in which the material-handling system for an entire facility, supplying every value stream, is…
Read articleWhy Toyota is Still My North Star
"In the past five years the local lean engineering community has gained a deeper hands-on appreciation of how intermeshed product…
Read articleTPS 2.0?
Jim Morgan and Jeffrey Liker chime in on Toyota's announcement of their TNGA program (Toyota New Global Architecture). "The impetus…
Read articleWhy do we hear less and less about lean in manufacturing?
Dear Gemba Coach: Why do we hear less and less about lean in manufacturing? Is it that most companies have…
Read articleWhat does customer focus really mean?
Dear Gemba Coach: We’re discussing improving our customer focus, but we’ve realized we’re not quite sure what the phrase really…
Read articleUnderstanding the True Cost of Care
"Today, frontline clinicians are being asked to provide even more cost-efficient care to patients yet few understand how to do…
Read articleJust-in-Time Roundup: Great Lean Reads From Across the Web (Vol. 5)
Check out our editors' picks for 5 high value lean reads you may have missed, this time from Industry Week,…
Read articleMaking a Football is a Contact Sport
With football on the brain after the Superbowl, Lesa Nichols reflects on the football manufacturing process. "There's a concept called…
Read articleWhat Strategy Is and What It’s Not
"In my career, I was always more interested in what it would take to create and sustain competitive advantage than…
Read articleJust-in-Time Roundup: Great Lean Reads from Across the Web (Vol. 4)
LEI editors share an interesting assortment of lean-themed and lean-related articles from across the web, this time from Harvard Business…
Read articleLessons Learned from My Lean Sensei about “Customer Service”
"To 'get' Lean we have to change our specs, and no longer see processes as sequences of dependent tasks, but…
Read articleJust-in-Time Roundup: Great Lean Reads from Across the Web (Vol. 3)
LEI editors have gathered another five articles that either teach us something new about lean practice or show us where…
Read articleIs lean just another word for productivity?
Dear Gemba Coach: Isn’t lean about productivity before all else?
Read 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…
Read articleNot a High-Volume Widget Manufacturer? Lean Still Makes Sense for High-Mix, Low-Volume Production
If your organization deals with a wide variety of products that incur fluctuating demand and your customers are ever increasing…
Read articleWhat Experience Tells Me About How Change Happens
Dave LaHote reflects on his earliest experiences learning lean thinking and practice. "We all became increasingly better at making improvements…
Read articleUsing TWI Job Instruction to Supplement CDC Guidelines
"Healthcare organizations across the country have been implementing lean practice into their work, but not without some resistance," writes Patrick…
Read articleWhat do you actually do on the gemba?
Dear Gemba Coach: What is it you actually do on the gemba?
Read articleFor Distribution Managers, Lean Means a Sea Change in Roles
Making the leap to lean management in the warehouse or the supply chain requires the same kind of cultural shift…
Read articleHow is standardized work different from the Taylorist one best way?
Dear Gemba Coach: How is standardized work different from the Taylorist one best way?
Read articleLean Thinking for Warehousing and Distribution: How to Know Your Business
"The vast majority of warehouse or distribution center managers have nowhere near the level of detail about the business that’s…
Read articleThink You Know Your Warehouse or Distribution Center? Think Again
Most warehouse and distribution center managers lack the detailed knowledge needed for a lean transformation. Traditional management approaches often result…
Read articleI’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…
Read articleHow to Make Your Supplier Your Lean Partner
Lean practitioner Randy Dobbs says working with suppliers to improve the extended value stream of his company has been one…
Read articleRemembering Jim Harbour
"We in the Lean Community stand on a lot of shoulders. One broad pair belonged to Jim Harbour, who passed…
Read articleDistilling Lean Ideas Down to Their Essence
Andrew Quibbell, lean leader and VP of a global enterprise, loves teaching lean concepts. Finding PowerPoint wholly ineffective at communicating…
Read articleHow Lean Tools Support the Principle of Respect (Part 1)
We first met Andy Ward when he was struggling to save his plant from closure in The Lean Manager. Since…
Read articleSummer Reading
LEI Senior Editor Tom Ehrenfeld picks his favorite lean books you might want to take to the beach with you…
Read articleMixed Model Work at the Office
In manufacturing, running a mixed model reduces the risk of overproducing any one product and lowers finished "good" inventory. What…
Read articleCost Reduction, Waste, and Purpose
"Eliminating waste makes it easier to see and find problems, which is the first step to solving them," writes Katrina…
Read articleWhat? My Pull System Is Supposed to Fail?
Dear Gemba Coach: We’ve given up on installing a pull system – every time we try, our on time delivery…
Read articleLevelled Production: Where to Start
"A fixed repeating pattern in production that involves more frequent short runs seems ridiculous and impossible to achieve," writes Ian…
Read articleTWI Job Instruction As a Way of Sharing High Value Knowledge
"Before we try to create value, we first need to study the jobs — looking for those parts of the…
Read articleReinforcing Lean Behavior Through Visual Management
"Without having a visual management perspective in place, it’s difficult for people to know what good is, what the standard…
Read articleOne Idea for Improving Hospital Emergency Room Care
Sami Bahri, dentist and author of "Follow the Learner: The Role of a Leader in Creating a Lean Culture," suggests…
Read articleValue at the Imperial Grill
"The Imperial Grill was a lean enterprise, and my folks, lean thinkers, though they would simply call it common sense,"…
Read articleAutoliv: Giving Power to the People
A case study looks at how Autoliv developed and sustained a lean-problem solving culture and how this global company shares…
Read articleLeadership Q&A: Thomas Hartman, Senior Director, Autoliv Americas
From the LEI senior executive series on Lean Leadership: Autoliv’s Thomas Hartman describes the development of a lean problem solving…
Read articleChallenge: Understand and Adapt for Sales Pace Growth
It's our first Lean Challenge post! Come up with a plan to help a machining business deal with the technical…
Read articleLevelled Production: Why Do It?
Ian Glenday explains how levelled production and "economies of repetition" make way not just for stability, but improved business performance.
Read articleI want to apply lean to engineering. Any thoughts?
Dear Gemba Coach: I am the regional manufacturing VP of a large industrial company. After the latest reorganization, engineering now…
Read articleLean Communications: Why Old School is Cool
How often do you send an email when you could talk to somebody or pick up the phone? Read why…
Read articleThe Difference a Visual Cue Makes
At work and off the clock, visual cues and andons keep us safe and aware of what's going on at…
Read articleGreening Up the Gemba
Lean practitioner Tim Kane shares a story of lean-meets-green thinking and collaborative problem solving... with a little help from the…
Read articleVeteran Supply Chain Managers Drive Lean Systems Thinking in SoCal
Lean coach and 29 year Toyota veteran Bob Bennett tells us what supply chain management professionals are thinking about in…
Read articleMura, Muri, Muda in the Kitchen
Emmanuel Jallas demonstrates variation, overburden, and waste through the simple/not-so-simple challenge of breaking an egg.
Read articleWhat is the worst mistake you’ve made on the gemba?
Dear Gemba Coach: What is the worst mistake you’ve made on the gemba?
Read articleImprovement for the Sake of Improvement Means Nothing
"We need to dig deep to understand why we do what we do and question whether it really provides value…
Read articleSustain 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…
View case studyThe Real Lean Challenge: Levelling Production
Most lean practitioners focus primarily on the waste elimination aspect of Lean and ignore levelled production. In his second piece…
Read articleIf I turn off MRP in favor of kanban, will the factory collapse around us?
Dear Gemba Coach: Our sensei wants us to turn off MRP and work with kanban cards. I’m really nervous about…
Read articleWhy Fundamental Shifts in Thinking Take Longer Than You Think
Think learning the fundamentals of lean thinking and practice is easy? Think again. Deep shifts in thinking will take some…
Read articleReading the Signs
How often does your organization settle for an inferior process design or process fix, bandaged together with labels and signs?…
Read articleEffective Leaders Tackle Challenges Systematically
"It's not enough to simply set a challenge," writes Dario Spinola. "We need effective ways of working toward challenges." Read…
Read articleLean Transformation Starts with a Learning Culture
After attending a Lean Applied to Sales seminar, Tina Roach and Pete Mangan of ProMed Molded Products knew they needed…
Read articleWhich Will Prevail: Batch Thinking or Worker Leadership?
For most of two centuries, batch and queue production was the golden key that opened the factory doors of mass…
Read articleThe Problem with Batch Logic
Enterprise Resource Planning processes use economic order quantities (=EOQ), also known as batch logic, to calculate what is required. This…
Read articleIn TPM, Isn’t it needlessly costly to replace parts that are working fine? What do you think?
Dear Gemba Coach: I have a question about Total Productive Maintenance. My management has hired a TPM consultant who makes…
Read articleHow does lean fit together with Lean Startup concepts?
Dear Gemba Coach: I work in IT and discovered lean through the Lean Startup movement. Now, as I read more…
Read articleWhat Exactly Is – or Isn’t – a Lean System?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m confused as to what a “lean system” is or should be. Could you clarify?
Read articleAsk Art: How Should We Staff and Run Kaizen?
"Unless you have some lean knowledge before you launch any kaizen, your traditional ('batch' rather than 'flow') thinking will overwhelm…
Read articleActing Your Way to Horizontal Thinking
In this keynote presentation from the 2013 AME conference, James Womack, founder of the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute, and Ingersoll-Rand…
Read articleWhy Lean Isn’t Successful in Healthcare
How often do you choose to improve processes that may not provide any financial benefit whatsoever? Read why lean practitioner…
Read articleHow Lean is Ruining My Life
Since you began learning about Lean, have you noticed it's nearly impossible to get through a day without seeing opportunities…
Read articleLean Labor Relations and The Customer First Principle
Here’s the scene: A production line at a car and truck manufacturing plant is stalling several times a day resulting…
Read articleGetting the Most Out of the 5 Whys
Are your 5 Whys leading you to dead ends? Emmanuel Jallas has some advice on how to really get to…
Read articleAsk Art: Will Lean Work for a Distributor?
Pairing distribution companies with Lean may seem counterintuitive to some. However author of The Lean Turnaround, Art Byrne, says this…
Read articleOne Year Later, How Toyota Has Helped Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts
There are few processes that are more critical to get right than those involved in disaster relief. Check out how…
Read articleHow do I re-size supermarkets when demand changes or to keep pace with seasonality?
Dear Gemba Coach: How do I calculate re-sizing supermarkets when demand changes or to keep pace with seasonality?
Read articleFollowing Four Steps to a Lean Material-Handling System Leads to a Leap in Performance
The Delphi Delco Electronics facility in Kokomo, IN, followed a methodical four-step implementation process to replace a traditional material-handling system…
Read articleAre You Playing Today’s Game or Yesterday’s?
Are your coaching sessions with your staff inspiring 3-pointers or are they all air? LEI coach Josh Howell has some…
Read articleTee Up Your Continuous Improvement
Despite achieving success across all key metrics early on in their lean journey, ProMed Molded Products still experienced a lack…
Read articleMore Evidence That ThedaCare Rocks
LEI coach Danielle Blais reflects on her recent gemba visit to the lean healthcare organization, Appleton Medical Center in Appleton,…
Read articleCan a pull system with zero stock make the company more fragile?
Dear Gemba Coach: Can a pull system with zero stock make the company more fragile?
Read articleWhy reduce inventory further?
Dear Gemba Coach,We have a lot of machining operations in our process, and we carry inventory. What is the best…
Read articleWaste-Free Capitalism
In his first piece for The Lean Post, lean thought leader and LEI author Michael Ballé shares Toyota's lessons for…
Read articleDoes quality really come first?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve been practicing lean for many years and have learned to create flow and one-piece-flow. However I…
Read articleEmergency Departments Use Lean Principles in an Effort to Perfect Patient Journeys
Sixty hospital emergency departments in Michigan formed a collaborative to apply the value-stream improvement methodology to cut the length of…
Read articleStarting Points for Different Value Streams
No lean transformation story is the same. Read Dan Jones's take on gaining traction for lean learning within your organization…
Read articleCan lean go wrong?
Dear Gemba Coach: Can lean go wrong? Can the ideas be misused and can the outcome be bad for the…
Read articleWhy It’s Time to Embrace Design Thinking
What do lean thinking and design thinking have to do with each other? What do practitioners in each field have…
Read articleCommunity Communication
Lean thinking and practice is all about tackling problems – little ones, big ones, wicked ones, sticky ones, concrete ones,…
Read articleLean concepts that help you eliminate waste and create flow in your own work
Lean Enterprise Institute faculty member Dan Markovitz, an expert on improving personal performance, explains how the lean principles of 5S…
Watch videoUsing lean principles to escape the tyranny of the email inbox
Lean Enterprise Institute faculty member Dan Markovitz, an expert on improving personal performance, tells you how to reduce the volume…
Watch videoWhy aren’t the laws of lean articulated?
Dear Gemba Coach: Aren’t there laws of lean, just as there are laws of physics? And why aren’t these clearly…
Read article“A Roadmap to Lean Healthcare Success” Webinar: Follow-up Questions and Answers
The Lean Enterprise Institute's webinar "A Roadmap to Lean Healthcare Success" with John Toussaint, MD, CEO of the ThedaCare Center…
Read articleLean Management for High-Mix, Low-Volume Operations
LEI faculty member Greg Lane offers some examples of how the application of lean concepts differs in high mix/low volume…
Watch videoHow do we get started with standard work?
How do we get started with standard work? The literature seems to say there can’t be meaningful kaizen without standards,…
Read articleBecoming Lean Means Reorganizing Around Value Streams
After successfully implementing lean strategies in more than 30 companies in 14 different countries, former Wiremold CEO Art Byrne identifies…
Read articleWhy haven’t kanban and value-stream mapping improved delivery from a low-volume/ high-mix process?
Dear Gemba Coach,We work in a low-volume/ high-mix process with component machining and assembly. Our OTD is somewhere between 70%…
Read articleHow is lean strategic?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve been told by my senior management that there is no strategic vision in lean and they…
Read articleTHE IMPROVEMENT KATA AT AEROJET
Aerojet explains how they're using VSM + the Improvement Kata to connect daily process improvement with the organization's strategy.
Watch videoWhy audit standard work? And what is the best approach?
Dear Gemba Coach: Can you help me determine the best way to conduct audits of standard work (SW)? The Toyota…
Read articleIdentifying the Organizational Problem and Opportunity at Community Servings
Lean is first and foremost about learning by doing, so during summer 2012, the LEI team headed to Community Servings…
Read articleCan Lean Boost Sales?
Dear Gemba Coach: Every one says that lean is not just about cost cutting. But I fail to see how…
Read articleAre You Being SMART?
Coach Tracey Richardson shares five key qualities that should inform your A3 thinking.
Read articleCreating the Conditions for Effective Lean Learning
If lean is problem-solving and problem-solving is all about learning, lean practitioners must develop a learner's attitude in everything they…
Read articleHow do you suggest we should do lean in a foundry?
Dear Gemba Coach: How do you suggest we should do lean in a foundry?
Read articleDon Berwick on healthcare spending: “We have to improve our way out of this”
Dr. Donald Berwick, former administrator of the federal Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says the U.S. will have to…
Read articleIt seems that lean these days is all about learning and coaching. What about the good ol’-fashioned just-in-time stuff of the earlier days?
Dear Gemba Coach: It seems that lean these days is all about learning and coaching. What about the good ol'-fashioned…
Read articleWhat’s the difference between model lines and kaizen events?
Dear Gemba Coach: We used to do six sigma and are new to lean. Some consultants talk to us about…
Read articleCan Lean and ERP Work Together?
With its top-down approach to materials planning and production scheduling, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems often conflict with lean production's…
Read articleManagement has a bad case of investment loss aversion. What can I do?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve been asked to take over the corporate lean program but the company’s investment plan favors large…
Read articleHow are Assumptions Framing the Way You Do Business?
Coach Tracey Richardson shares a productive way to examine whether you are dealing with facts or assumptions at the gemba.
Read articleTranslating Collaborative Learning Into Practice
What does collaborative learning mean for lean thinkers in practice, on a day-to-day basis? In his final talk at the…
Read articleHow Do I Reduce Buffers To Zero?
Dear Gemba CoachI run an assembly line for service station equipment. Our product is customized for each customer so we…
Read article4Ps Prove Lean Applies Everywhere
Trainer Tracey Richardson explains how four deep principles reveal how lean thinking applies to any organization.
Read articleCan Hospitals Reap the Deeper Benefits of Lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: As Health Systems globally wrestle with skyrocketing healthcare costs, many hospitals are jumping on the lean bandwagon,…
Read articleWhich is best for a lean environment, a U-shaped cell or assembly line? Why?
Dear Gemba Coach: Which is best for a lean environment, a U-shaped cell or assembly line? Why?
Read articleShould we plan according to what we can do, or the other way around?
Dear Gemba Coach: Should we plan according to what we can do, or the other way around?
Read articleEngineering Checklists
Dear Gemba Coach: How do I apply standardized work to product development?
Read articleAre lean principles universal?
Dear Gemba Coach: Can we really consider Lean principles as Universal? I am currently working on a case study about…
Read articleTop athletes and singers have coaches. Should you?
Surgeon Atul Gawande explains why he got a coach and why everyone’s work would benefit from having one.
Read articleTakt Time Thinking for a Low-Volume High-Mix Company
Dear Gemba Coach: Our company produces custom products that cannot be easily forecast in terms of when they will be…
Read articleWhy Is Failure Key to Lean Success?
Dear Gemba Coach: I am a LSS black belt working with a sensei to improve our performance. We conduct many…
Read articleFulfillment-Stream Measurement Systems: Driving Action in Real Time
Derek Browning, a lean supply chain executive at LeanCor, takes time out from a lean logistics conference to answer questions…
Read articleMethod vs. Tool
Dear Gemba Coach: I think that TPM, JIT, SMED, Heijunka are methods and the 5S, VSM Kaizen are tools. Perhaps…
Read articleLean Enterprise Institute Calls for Ending the “Madness” in Supply Chain Strategies
Shook made his recommendations on lean supply chains to authorities on Japan, leading investors, economists, policymakers, and business executives at…
Read articleHow Often Should We Change Takt Time?
Dear Gemba Coach: How often should we change takt time?
Read articleLean management case study series: Pediatric Hospital in Tough Market Pegs Growth to Lean Process Improvement
Lean improvement projects at Akron Children’s Hospital have saved millions of dollars, increased utilization of expensive assets, and reduced wait…
View case studyStandards vs. Standardization
Dear Gemba Coach: We’re often told that “there can be no kaizen without standards.” But when do you start when there…
Read articleThe Bottom Line: Running hard
Lean one piece flow keeps the last shoe factories in U.S. producing athelteic shoes for New Balance. This story in…
Read articleAny Color You Want Except Tuxedo Black
Henry Ford could get the customer any type of Model T as long as it was black. But the Ford…
Read articleA Turbulent Industry Looks to Lean for Smoother Flying
Lean Thinkers in aviation try to take some of the turbulence out of an industry that often hits bumps on…
Read articleLet’s Take a Gemba Walk
I have good news for those of you who missed last week's Transformation Summit in Dallas. One highlight was the…
Read articleWhy is Flow Easy, and Quality Hard?
Dear Gemba Coach: My lean team has become proficient at teaching flow but it's not gaining traction when it comes…
Read articleAre You Pulling?
Dear Gemba Coach: We’ve made a substantial effort in training all our operators to standardized work (SW) by deploying Training Within…
Read articleProperly Applying Auto-Eject Isn’t Automatic
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m working on improving the design of our machines for lean manufacturing, and hear that an auto-eject…
Read articleGlad That I Asked You
About 400 of you responded with excellent suggestions for the final "Learning Session" for the upcoming LEI Lean Transformation Summit.…
Read articleHow Do We Manage Our Stock to Be Lean AND Responsive to Varied Customer Demand?
Dear Gemba Coach: We’re a tier two supplier and we’re trying to implement a pull system. We’re leveling our production schedules,…
Read articleA Fundamental Question
As I continue to visit your gemba and receive emails (over 500 and counting since I started in September), I…
Read articleLeveling to Build Capacity and Flexibility
Dear Gemba Coach: We manufacture a seasonal product and are working on leveling, but are having a tough time. Our peak…
Read articleLEAN = TPS {KAIZEN + RESPECT}
Dear Gemba Coach: In the webinar, you’ve defined LEAN = KAIZEN + RESPECT. Isn’t it simplistic? Is that all there is…
Read articleFollow-up Q&A to the Webinar “Lean Logistics and Supply Chain Networks: 8 Guiding Principles”
The Lean Enterprise Institute's webinar "Lean Logistics & Supply Chain Networks: 8 Guiding Principles" drew hundreds of questions from Lean…
Read articleHow to Use Red Bins
Dear Gemba Coach: We’re having an internal debate about how to involve the quality department and how to use “red…
Read articleMutual Assistance Teamwork
Toshiko Narusawa, co-author with John Shook of Kaizen Express, illustrates Taiichi Ohno’s comparison of workplace teamwork to passing a baton.…
Read articleDo We Need a Truck Preparation Area?
Dear Gemba Coach: As logistics manager, I disagree with our lean expert who insists we should have “truck preparation areas”…
Read articleHow Does Pull Relate to Problem-Solving?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve been following the exchanges on The Lean Edge with great interest, and all the lean authors…
Read articleStandardized Work in Business Processes
Dear Gemba Coach: How about standardized work in a business process environment? For example, in a procurement process or supply chain…
Read articleStandardized Work in Machine-Intensive Processes
Dear Gemba Coach,Most lean literature and case studies to date focus on assembly type manufacturing which utilizes very people-intensive operations.…
Read articleWhat Should I Be Looking For?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve just started working with lean with my team, and we’re doing a value-stream mapping project with a…
Read articleThe Tipping Point?
Early efforts to apply lean principles to healthcare faltered and for many years the challenge seemed to be too great.…
Read articleStandards at workstations
Dear Gemba Coach: Our corporate production system asks us to post standard work at workstations, but we feel that the paperwork…
Read articlePhilosophy Helps Start-Ups Move Faster
"Lean isn't about being cheap [but is about] being less wasteful and still doing things that are big," says Eric Ries,…
Read articleBecoming Horizontal in a Vertical World
One of my favorite value-stream walks is with the senior managers of several organizations who share and jointly manage a…
Read articleWhat are you going to do about your plant’s ‘cats and dogs’?
Dealing with "cats and dogs,” parts or products that are typically small volume, high variety, hard to make, or all of the…
Read articleQ & A with the Authors of Building a Lean Fulfillment Stream
A Conversation with Robert Martichenko and Kevin von Grabe, authors of Building a Lean Fulfillment Stream: rethinking your supply chain and…
Read articleValue-Stream Mapping at FAA Office Improves Information Flow
Lean management principles and tools originated on the shop floor to improve manufacturing processes but in its first value-stream mapping…
Read articleShould I pursue waste elimination or lead-time reduction?
Dear Gemba Coach: We’re having a heated debate in our company over whether to pursue cost reduction through waste elimination by…
Read articleLean Transformation: Thinking, Learning, & Experimenting For Today’s Complicated Operating System
Matt Zayko, an LEI faculty member, notes that many organizations that have tried to implement lean in the past 20 years have…
Read articleHow Does Lean Apply In a Job Shop?
Dear Gemba Coach: In our job shop we make high precision modules and tools, work that involves a great deal…
Read articleFreedom
Dear Gemba Coach: I work for a large governmental organization that has decided to do lean. I have been interested in…
Read articleMistake Proofing Webinar Follow-up Q & A
In a follow-up to the webinar Mistake Proofing to Reduce Medical Errors, mistake-proofing expert John Grout tackles questions from attendees that…
Read articleHow Come Toyota Veterans Don’t Use a Roadmap?
Dear Gemba Coach: Recently I spent a few months working with Toyota veterans at an automotive supplier. I was surprised…
Read articleOn Our Watch
A few weeks ago I walked through the Arsenale in Venice, which has been in continuous use for building and…
Read articleWhy does one-piece-flow matter?
Dear Gemba Coach: Recently, during a plant visit, our sensei made a big fuss because there were three parts between…
Read articleValue Stream Management
As we emerge from the recession and look ahead old ways of thinking and action will not be enough to…
Read articleDo Managers “Get” Lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: You mentioned during the webinar that plant tours reveal how well managers 'get' lean. Can you be…
Read articleFive 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…
Read articleFive Missing Pieces in Your Standardized Work (Part 2 of 3)
John Shook delves more deeply into two of the five most often neglected elements, demonstrating the importance of practice and…
Read article5 Missing Pieces in Your Standardized Work (Part 1 of 3)
John Shook offers an overview of the five most frequent misunderstandings about this fundamental lean practice and expands on three…
Read articleManaging Suppliers
Dear Gemba Coach: We've done a lot of kaizen work in production and have something of a pull system running. We've…
Read articleWas NUMMI a Success?
By now you know that Toyota made its much-anticipated decision to close NUMMI. Many of my friends are saddened by…
Read articleHerman Miller’s Experiment in Excellence
With initial support from the Toyota Supplier Support Center, Herman Miller cultivates experimental thinkers who make process improvements every day.…
View case studyIn Search of Value Stream Architects
Recently I've been spending most of my gemba time walking through value-creating processes in organizations far away from manufacturing. And…
Read articleWho To Move?
Dear Gemba Coach: "Kaizen Express" landed on my doormat this morning. While reading through I noticed that it states that if…
Read articleThe Virginia Mason Production System: So Much Waste, So Little Time
In this 53-minute video, Marnee Iseman from Virginia Mason talks about the Virginia Mason Production System to a group at…
Watch video5S Again and Again and Again
Dear Gemba Coach,†I've just inherited responsibility for our 5S efforts in our company. Any suggestions for how I can get…
Read articleThe Lean Dentist Webinar Follow-Up Questions & Answers
After reviewing all the questions that we couldn’t get to during the webinar with Dr. Sami Bahri, several key themes…
Read articleLean Thinking in Aircraft Repair and Maintenance Takes Wing at FedEx Express
The FedEx Express lean initiative at its repair and maintenance facility at Los Angeles International Airport just began in December…
View case studyToyota, Too, Is Looking to Cut Costs
Toyota employees meet in a large "war room" at a plant in Woodstock, Ontario -- called an obeya in Japanese -- to find nearly $100…
Read articleForward to Fundamentals Redux – Kaizen Express
Thanks to those of you who joined last week’s webinar. We had some great questions, only a few of which…
Read articleAnd You Forgot About Overproduction
John Shook discusses waste - specifically, overproduction
Read articleGM Veteran Lou Farinola Responds to, “Why hasn’t GM learned from NUMMI?”
John Shook discusses how GM learned from NUMMI with a former GM executive
Read articleLandscape Forms Cultivates Lean to Fuel Growth Goals
With single-item orders 80% of the time, adopting single-piece flow and cellular production made sense to management at Landscape Forms,…
View case studyToyota’s New Material-Handling System Shows TPS’s Flexibility
Art Smalley, LEI author and faculty member, reports on Toyota's new material-handling system for assembly areas that he saw in…
Read articleBack to Basics
I often take advantage of relaxing holiday time to go over old things, take care of less pressing matters that…
Read articleSurvive to Make Money or Make Money to Survive?
With GM’s demise becoming more real every day, many people have been asking me, “Why didn’t GM learn from Toyota…
Read articleManage the Contract or Improve the Value Stream?
As much as I would like to, I can't walk frequently along every type of value stream. As a result,…
Read articlePutting Lean Principles in the Warehouse
While lean principles and practices have been widely adopted in manufacturing over the last couple of decades, their use in…
View case studyKnife Company Hones Competitiveness by Bucking the Status Quo
Family-owned Buck Knives needed to reduce costs by at least 30% to keep its U.S. operations open. In turning to…
View case studyA Journey to Value Streams: Reorganizing Into Five Groups Drives Lean Improvements and Customer Responsiveness
While many plants have used value-stream thinking and practices such as current- and future-state mapping, Parker Hannifin Corporation's New Haven,…
View case study“Pulling” Lean Through a Hospital
It's not unusual for North American hospitals to try lean for processes where patient flow most impacts costs or revenue.…
View case studyDentist Drills Down to the Root Causes of Office Waste
Applying lean concepts to dentistry isn't as difficult as, well, pulling teeth. Dr. Sami Bahri, driven by a gut feeling…
Read articleFrom Supply Chains to Value Streams
Fifteen years ago I first began to study lean supply chains, by observing Toyota’s inbound parts supply chain and later…
Read articleCreating Lean Healthcare
Ten years ago this month I made a visit to the Mayo Clinic’s large medical complex in Rochester, Minnesota. I…
Read articleNew Facility, New Flow, and New Levels of Patient Care The wait is over for patients at the Clearview Cancer Institute in Alabama
Dr. Marshall Schreeder treats cancer and treatment processes at the Clearview Cancer Institute in Alabama.
View case studyInterview: Lean Software Development
Lean software practitioners Mary and Tom Poppendieck, authors of Lean Software Development, relate lean concepts to the practical work of…
Read articleLittle and Often
I still encounter a degree of confusion about one of the key mental models that gets in the way of…
Read articleSell One, Buy One, Make One: Transforming from Conventional to Lean Distribution
Big batches. Long lead times. Infrequent deliveries. Large inventories to cover fluctuations in demand. These aren't characteristics normally attributed to…
View case studyWhat is the Theory of Constraints, and How Does it Compare to Lean Thinking?
The following article reviews the Theory of Constraints (TOC), first published in The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff…
Read articleLean Thinking: A Look Back and a Look Forward
The meaning of lean thinking, how lean got its name, and an example of how it improved a grinding process…
Read articleBest in Healthcare Getting Better with Lean
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN., is famous for the quality of its healthcare, but is using lean concepts to…
View case studyLeaning Healthcare
Healthcare is the next great industry to begin the Lean journey. The existing model in which the hospital doctor acting…
Read articleChange in Implementation Approach Opens the Door at EMCO to Greater Gains in Less Time
Many lean thinkers ask how they can accelerate the pace of a transformation or spread it to other facilities. EMCO…
View case studyShifting to Value-Stream Managers:a Shop-Floor Revolution Leads to a Revolution in Plant Organization
Two years into a lean transformation, the low-hanging fruit has been plucked and progress has started to slow. Read how…
View case studyBuild Your “House” of Production on a Stable Foundation
Faced with downtime on key pieces of sophisticated equipment in a machine-intensive environment, Delphi's Plant 1 launched a successful improvement…
View case studyA Tale of Two Business Systems
In the fall of 1990, The Machine That Changed the World forecast that 1991 or 1992 would be the moment…
Read articleBreaking Through To Flow
The other day I began a speech to a leading supplier of medical devices by congratulating them on the absolutely…
Read articleJust in Time, Just in Case, and Just Plain Wrong
Jim Womack responds the the January 12th Wall Street Journal headline “Just-In-Time Inventories Make U.S. Vulnerable to a Pandemic”
Read articleProcess Leadership
I first heard the term Kaikaku over ten years ago when travelling with a Toyota Sensei around Japan, while researching…
Read articleCompeting with China
There are two sea changes going on in the world economy. The first is the rise of the “low cost”…
Read articleMassachusetts General Looks to Lean
Northeast Proton Therapy Center uses lean principles to increase capacity to treat life-threatening diseases.
View case studyValue-Stream Mapping in a Make-to-Order Environment
Tips from LEI author Mike Rother on applying value-stream mapping and continuous flow in high-variety, custom manufacturing environments.
Read articleLean Consumption, Lean Provision, and Lean Solutions
Here’s some good news for the Lean Community. I was recently in Spain where I toured a facility belonging to…
Read articleSupply Chain Walks
One of the most interesting things I do is to take a walk through a complete supply chain. I did…
Read articleThe Problem with Creative Work and Creative Management
Categorizing the existing steps is a great way to start lean thinking, and it’s pretty easy in a factory environment…
Read articleThe Dramatic Spread of Lean Thinking
Without question, lean thinking was born in the factory. Then lean thinking spread to logistics, to tie supplier production tightly…
Read articleToothbrush 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…
View case studyA Lean Walk Through History
Most of us don’t realize that we are heirs to a remarkably long struggle in human history to see beyond…
Read articleLean Information Management
Recently I was walking through a manufacturing operation and found myself wondering about the principles of lean information management, in…
Read articleThe Anatomy of Innovation
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Shadyside enjoys a reputation for innovation, due, in part, to its recognition that finding…
Read articleCompetition Equals Lean?
Those of us in the lean movement know that even in highly competitive industries like autos, companies can go for…
Read articleThe Backbone of Lean in the Back Shops
Learn why the lean concept of every part, every interval (EPEI) is the “backbone” of lean in this aerospace machine…
View case studyAvoiding Common Pitfalls of Value-Stream Mapping
Mike Rother, co-author of Learning to See, offers some insights about the dos, don’ts, and maybes of value-stream mapping.
Read articleThe Wonder of Level Pull
Many years ago in Toyota City I first witnessed the twin concepts of level production and the smooth pull of…
Read articleLean Transformation Lives and Dies With Tools and Dies
The story of The Wiremold Company's lean transformation is familiar to many Lean Thinkers. But what isn't as well known…
View case studyAdding Cost or Creating Value?
I was out on tour this past week, listening to companies' stories as they try to achieve a "lean" transformation.…
Read articleMisunderstandings About Value Stream Mapping, Flow Analysis, and Takt Time
Value-stream mapping is not flow analysis, but rather a simple tool that guides you through the process of analysis to…
Read articleLean Thinking Therapy Spreads Beyond the Shop
Medtronic Xomed expanded the lean transformation beyond the shop floor to areas such as international distribution, product development, and domestic…
View case studyThe Power of a Precise Process
When I first started to study the Toyota Production System many years ago, I was struck by something very simple:…
Read articleDueling Sensei and the Need for a Standard Operating System
Recently I witnessed a sight I’ve seen too many times before. I was visiting a company when a new sensei…
Read articleBeach Reading
The second edition of Lean Thinking has been out two months now and at least a few members of the Lean Community…
Read articleLSG Sky Chefs Caters to New Market Realities
Business at airline caterer LSG Sky Chefs dropped 30% when airlines cut flights after the terrorist attacks on September 11,…
View case studyTaking a Value Stream Walk at Firm A
I was out walking through a company this past week, something I often do. The firm I visited had asked…
Read articleMove Your Operations to China? Do some lean math first.
I recently got a phone call from a reporter for The Wall Street Journal with a simple but provocative question:…
Read articleSeasoned Lean Effort Avoids “Flavor-of-the-Month” Pitfall
What comes first in a lean transformation? What comes next? Where do tools like six sigma fit? Here's an overview…
View case studyThe “Right Sequence” for Implementing Lean
One of the best things about leading the Lean Enterprise Institute is that I travel widely to learn how things…
Read articleLEI’s indicator that can’t lie: Doing the math
Jim elaborates on the idea of using inventory turns as a measure of lean transformation
Read articleInventory Turns Charts
How can you tell if your firm is really getting lean — count the future state maps on the walls,…
Read articleLEI’s New Indicator That Can’t Lie
I’m often asked by operations managers how they can know if their firm is really getting lean. My answer is…
Read articleNonsense about JIT
In almost every value stream, there will be some inventory at points where the product cannot flow. This inventory will…
Read articleNine Tips to Better Process Development
Achieve exceptional results with your next product launch. Master nine proven techniques for designing successful, waste-free processes.
Read articleDeveloping 35,000 Problem Solvers: OhioHealth’s Journey in Lean Healthcare with Alli Kulp and Emily Swaney
How one large healthcare system is developing problem-solving skills across 35,000 employees through standardized lean processes, daily huddles, and leadership…
Listen to podcastConnecting the Classroom to Industry: Experiential Lean Learning with Dennis Wade and Lisa Eshbach
In this episode of the WLEI podcast, we learn how two universities are creating hands-on lean learning experiences for students…
Listen to podcastExtending Lean Thinking Beyond the Factory at MillerKnoll: a Conversation with Jennifer Trask and Brittney Heatherington
In this episode of the WLEI podcast, we learn how MillerKnoll brings lean thinking to its dealer network to drastically…
Listen to podcastCoaching to the Challenge
With coaching there is no black and white answer – everything depends on the criticality of the business situation, the…
Read articleThe Human Element of TWI (Training Within Industry)
"When I’ve taught the TWI courses in countries all over the world, from India to Malaysia to Mexico to Germany,…
Read articleDiscover the Lean Leadership Learning Tour: A Preview with Toyota, GE Appliances, and LEI
Dive into our recent webinar for an exclusive preview of the Lean Leadership Learning Tour. Learn how this unique collaboration…
Watch webinarWhy ‘Framing’ is Crucial to Leadership and Encouraging Team Unity
A personal reflection of a company’s response to challenges brought on by Covid explores the fundamental thinking that drives how…
Read articleAsk Art: Why Do I Need a Kaizen Promotion Office (KPO)?
A veteran lean leader explains why companies seeking to cultivate a lean culture should establish an internal team to oversee…
Read articleIn Honor of Dr. Edgar Schein: A Tribute to a Giant in Organizational Theory
Edgar Schein passed away last Thursday, January 26, 2023. Ed, the godfather of organizational development, was a spry 94 years…
Read articleAsk Art: How Do You Align Incentives for a Lean Turnaround?
A veteran lean leader offers practical strategies for incentivizing employees during a transition to lean management.
Read articleLean in One Drawing
An LEI faculty member explains in a brief video why it’s vital to view lean thinking and practice as a…
Watch videoThe Healing Power of Lean Product and Process Development in Healthcare
Can Lean Product and Process Development or LPPD, which evolved in the automotive industry, work in healthcare? Paul Paliani, who…
Watch videoRespect for People: Making the Job Easier for Workers
How a lean mindset and practices are reining in workplace disruptions, minimizing workers’ physical aches and pains, and improving flow…
View case studyHow to Improve Decision-Making to Accelerate Product Development
GE Appliance’s next-generation dishwasher development team created a decision-flow mapping process to eliminate project delays.
Read articleAsk Art: What’s So Important About Reducing Setup Times?
An overview of the strategic and tactical benefits of eliminating waste from changeovers demonstrates why it should be a focus…
Read article6 Guidelines for Moving Toward a Lean Value Stream
Once you’re ready to use value-stream mapping to continuously improve your value streams, follow this advice from the authors of…
Read articleA Postcard — with Leadership Insights — from Nashville
A look back at LEI’s Lean Transformation Summit in 2018 shares a few tips from CEO keynoters on how to…
Read articleAsk Art: How Important are Your Suppliers to Implementing Lean Production?
You won't reap the full benefits of lean production without involving your suppliers as an essential part of your value…
Read article10 Tips for Getting the Most Value from Value-Stream Mapping
Before you map your value stream, review and keep in mind these tips for ensuring your organization reaps the performance…
Read articleAsk Art: Is Lean a Good Cost-Reduction Program?
A point-by-point comparison demonstrates why lean thinking and practice is a business strategy, not merely a cost-cutting strategy.
Read articleHow to Get the Most from Your A3 Thinking and Practice
This selection of Lean Posts provides vital information that can help lean leaders and practitioners leverage the full power of…
Read articleStudents Take the Lead in JPW Fund Internship
A hands-on, gemba-based “lean internship” gives participants broad-based lean management experience backed by professional and academic coaches.
Read articleBeyond Six Sigma: How Lean Delivers Deeper and More Enduring Benefits
In this enhanced presentation, former Wiremold Company CEO Art Byrne explores the differences between lean/continuous improvement and six sigma.
Read articleAsk Art: How Well Do Companies Follow Toyota’s ‘Respect for People’ Principle?
Comparing traditional command-and-control management shows why this lean management tenet benefits both employees and the organization.
Read articleAsk Art: How Do You Motivate Managers to Adopt Lean?
Leading an enterprise-wide lean transformation requires everyone at every level to adopt new approaches to their work. Here are some…
Read articleA Philanthropic ‘Lean Internship’ Experiment Yields Unexpected Question About Purpose
To understand what could work in a hands-on, gemba-based lean learning experience, the LEI's JPW Fund did what lean practitioners…
Read articleUnique Philanthropy Does Well by Doing Good
An internship program enables students to attain real-world lean management experience while helping community service organizations reach more people.
Read articleWhat’s the Problem?: Andrew Lingel Discusses Transforming a Family Business through Knowledge, Grit, and Outrage
In this What's the Problem? podcast with Matt Savas, President Andrew Lingel of United Plastic Fabricating shares how he helped…
Listen to podcastAsk Art: How Useful is Six Sigma and the Black Belts and Green Belts that Come with It?
Several specific examples demonstrate why lean continuous improvement practices are usually superior to six sigma for solving problems.
Read articleHow Organizations Can Increase Profitability While Improving the Work Environment
A restaurant’s management team discovers that enabling cooks to stay focused on value creation improves business performance and makes them…
View case studyHelping Companies Thrive by Creating Good Jobs
Two case studies and a detailed discussion of The Good Jobs Strategy show how investing in creating good jobs results…
Read articleUnderstanding Before Executing
LEI's lean product and process development coaches share the second of several guiding principles that will help you improve the…
Read articleApplying Lean Thinking and Practices in a Digital Environment
The cofounder and CTO of Theodo, a software company, describes how lean management drives growth, increases employee engagement, and delivers…
Read articleImproving the Value-Creating Work of Building Data Centers Around the World
Microsoft's head of data center lean construction describes how applying lean thinking and practices helps work teams complete their work…
Read articleHow to Respond to the ‘Great Resignation’
A trip to the gemba reveals an overlooked management strategy that could be the most effective way to keep your…
Read articleIntegrating 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.
Read articleWhy You Need a Better Process Development System
Two veteran lean product and process development coaches share the benefits of improving this critical, too often overlooked part of…
Watch videoOrganizing for Successful Product and Process Development
This short video shows how one organization brought a large team together to learn what their customers value.
Watch videoHow Lean Can Help You Go Green
How to use lean thinking and practices to create sustainable business practices.
Read articleHow to Wipe Out IT’s “Technical Debt” with PDCA
Besides bonds, bank loans, and other types of corporate debt, your company also holds "technical debt," the burden of future…
Read articleHow Designing Value Streams, Not Just Products, Creates Competitive Advantage
TechnipFMC and Pella Corporation leaders describe how lean development practices helped them develop better products, create profitable value streams and…
Watch videoAsk Art: Why Should I Convert to a Pull System?
Deliver more value to your customers by converting your business to a pull system and connecting demand directly to your…
Read article10 Golden Rules for Radical Quality Improvement
What you need to know and do to lead your team to make step-change improvements to quality.
Read articleHow Building in Learning and Knowledge Reuse Improves Product Development Success
Three leading practitioners share successful examples of how they built learning and knowledge reuse into their development process.
Watch videoHow to Save Time and Money in Innovation by Reusing Knowledge
Massive books of knowledge or huge lists weren’t very effective ways of getting the engineers he managed to reuse knowledge,…
Read articleOnce Again, Here’s Why JIT Matters
Jeffrey Liker argues that recent media snipes fail to understand the crucial role JIT plays in a complete #lean system…
Read articleHow Stalwart Lean Leadership and Classic Lean Practices Yield Operational and Clinical Excellence
Organizations can achieve the seemingly impossible when they have steadfast lean leadership, a sharp focus on purpose, and experience applying…
Read articleHow 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…
Read articleSteady Work Shares Practical Ways to Create Quality Enterprise For All
Karen Gaudet's Steady Work is the story of a leader helping teams develop steady work to help them get through…
Read articleAsk Art: What is the Walk of Shame, and Why Is It Effective?
Take your team on a walk of shame, urges lean veteran Art Byrne. He suggests that you have some fun…
Watch videoHow Ford Built an Aligned Team Using ‘Matched Pairs’
Inside a winning strategy for Ford Motor Company's new product development process.
Read articleSelling Water by the River
The most important challenge facing the lean community is that of sustaining both tangible and intangible improvements, says Dan Prock,…
Read articleTaking Time for a Year-End Reflection with the Most Popular Lean Articles, Podcasts, and Videos of 2020
This year's content featured plenty of guests, returns from lean legends, and handfuls of ways that lean has been applicable…
Read articleArt of Lean on Work & Waste, Part 3: Excess Inventory
Take a closer look at the various types of inventory, with an eye toward identifying waste, with your guide, Art…
Watch videoArt 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…
Watch video“It’s Only A Failure If You Don’t Learn”
"It's only a failure if you don't learn" says Toyota veteran Isao Yoshino, whose experience developing an ultimately failed water-ski…
Read articleEncountering Problems and Resistance
The doctor entered with a comforting bedside manner. We small talked. She asked about my work and I answered, in short. “Lean? You mean that Toyota thing?” In spite…
Read articleMining the Lessons From Designing the Future
Designing the Future shares a wealth of insights that transcend product development minutiae; this articles shares the broader argument presented…
Read articleAsk Art: What Was Danaher Like In the Early Days of Lean?
In this personal account of launching lean at Danaher, Art Byrne shares a wealth of insights into how to seed…
Read articleThe Hidden Value of Filling Out the Paperwork
Respect for people--and sustained continuous improvement--begins with something as simple as carefully filling out the paperwork for standardized work, says…
Read articleTap the Power of Flow to Develop Lean Thinkers
Flow is personal--a moment of enrichment, and a mental state. It´s stretching oneself just that little bit extra, not because…
Read articleLearning to Face Challenges with Agility and Resilience
In this excerpt from his book The High-Velocity Edge, Steven Spear explains how Toyota managed to adapt quickly to a…
Read articleMaking Pivots Operational
Learn how NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) hospital (NYP) pivoted to meet crisis-level demands at the epicenter of the Coronavirus pandemic -- thanks…
Read articleWhy a Lean Transformation Requires a New Quoting Process, Part 1
How to ensure your lean transformation leads to improved profitability.
Read articlePivoting Just-In-Time with Hoshin Kanri at Toyota
Learn about the power of hoshin kanri, a systematic approach to defining a strategy and, more importantly, a management system…
Read articleWhy Good Lean Detectives Visit the Crime Scene
You can't solve a problem with data alone, says Dan Markovitz. He urges you to go to the "crime scene,"…
Read articleThe Sanity of Just-in-Time
Path dependence is the worst enemy of smart resolution, argue the authors, who suggest greater "frame control" with enabling tools…
Read articleSingle Week Exchange of Business
You’ve no doubt heard of a single-minute exchange of dies in manufacturing, but what happens when you need to changeover…
Read articleAddressing Production Challenges that Arise from the Pandemic
How two companies with deep lean experience – General Electric Appliances (GEA) and Herman Miller – have responded quickly and…
Read articleNine Lessons from Steady Work
In her book Steady Work, Karen Gaudet discusses nine key lessons for practicing lean. Here she discusses these key principles.
Read articlePracticing Steady Work for Lean Value with Karen Gaudet
"What is the role of a lean leader, and what is the humbling daily work that goes into this task?…
Listen to podcastActive Caring
Caring about others, caring about quality, caring about professionalism. When you care, continuous improvement and action come naturally. Turner Construction…
Read articleLean and “emotional heijunka” in a Time of Pandemic
In this timely reflection, Jim Womack calls for "emotional heijunka": taking a deep breath, identifying the most important problems that…
Read articleHow One Company is Using Lean Fundamentals When Facing Disruption
Companies that have been built using lean principles are turning to these core ideals when confronting the unique challenges caused…
Read articleWhat should I expect as a lean manager?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m currently a team leader, and I’ve been offered a job as a lean manager – what…
Read articleWhy You Need a Product Focus for an Enterprise Transformation: A Talk By Jim Morgan
In this talk from the 2018 Designing the Future summit, former Rivian COO and LEI Senior Advisor Jim Morgan discusses…
Read articleHow Can Lean Help Respond to Crises?
Although lean might seem fragile to crises, because of low inventories, it’s quite the opposite, says Michael Balle: Lean thinking…
Read articleA Consciousness of Reality
There are countless cases of lean thinking being applied masterfully with the word lean (or the Toyota Production System) nowhere…
Read articleOn the Job with Tom Root, Managing Partner of Zingerman’s Mail Order
Spoiler alert! The food you just ate is not fresh. It was "sourced" longer ago than you'd imagine. And since…
Listen to podcastShould I be worried that management is buying software for virtual gemba walks?
Dear Gemba Coach: A consultant is selling us “virtual gemba walks” software to schedule gemba visits with a “leader standardized…
Read articleStandardization Can Set You Free
It is only through actually standardizing the routine work elements by applying a common method of thinking, that enables true…
Read articleAsk Art: What Are the Most Important Management Changes Needed to Implement A Lean Turnaround?
Lean thinking requires a totally different mindset than traditional management, argues lean veteran Art Byrne. This is probably the most…
Read articleThe 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…
Read article33. On the Job with Ron Kelner, President and COO of the Deublin Company
Ron describes the Deublin Company's business system built with lean thinking that puts human development at the center.
Listen to podcastHow Ron Kelner Helped Build A System of Improvement at Deublin
In this podcast, Deublin COO Ron Kelner shares with Josh Howell the long learning journey of his company as it…
Read articleIsn’t the obsession with problem solving unnecessarily negative and depressing?
Dear Gemba Coach: Isn’t the obsession with problem solving unnecessarily negative and depressing?
Read articleWorking Hard…For One Minute
Anyone who doubts the ability of their people to work hard in enacting change--or who blames problems on their "people"…
Read articleAsk Art: What Happens When Standard Cost Accounting Meets Takt Time?
Trying to become a lean enterprise while retaining traditional standard cost accounting is an exercise in futility. It was developed…
Read articleAre morning team huddles that go on forever a waste of time?
Dear Gemba Coach: Our company has made morning team huddles mandatory. I don't see how that helps. On my team,…
Read articleHow Lean Can Help Deliver Social Justice While Boosting Quality Health Care
In this podcast, developed from a talk at the 2018 Lean Transformation Summit learn how the Lynn Community Health Center…
Watch videoAre These Two Non-learning Trends Hurting Your Company Culture?
The beating heart of continuous improvement is learning, concludes author and product development executive Jim Morgan, who has done pioneering…
Read articleHow Do Lean CEOs Learn To Improve?
What, and how, do I have to learn? This key question confronts all CEOs who are practicing lean seriously, argues…
Read article22. What’s the Problem: An interview with medical oncologist and CEO of Instituto de Oncologia do Vale (IOV), Dr. Fred, on reducing the cancer burden
Dr. Carlos Frederico Pinto (aka ‘Dr. Fred’) is a medical oncologist and CEO of Instituto de Oncologia do Vale (IOV),…
Listen to podcast20. Coachable: Two Conversations Built on Trust, Inspiration, Experimentation and Transformation.
Meet two influential voices in my own coaching practice: Paul Serafino who first engaged me in a coaching way in…
Listen to podcastAsk Art: At What Pace Should A Lean Turnaround Be Implemented?”
Changing from a traditional batch, make-the-month culture to a lean value driven culture takes a lot of time and effort,…
Read articleIsn’t there a better way to manage inventory than just-in-time?
Dear Gemba Coach, This is 2019. Isn’t there a better way to manage inventory than just-in-time by now?
Read articleAsk Art: What Do You Mean When You Say Run Your Company On Your Operational Excellence Goals?
The Lean company competes on its operational excellence goals, says Art Byrne. These stretch goals must be aggressive in nature…
Read article12 Wastes of Product & Process Development
The wastes found in manufacturing are well known and relatively visible. But as you move upstream into the very different…
Read articleFeeling the Gemba Magic
After months of work at the gemba with his factory manager helping line workers grapple with problems, CEO Nicolas Chartier…
Read articleWhat should I look for so I don’t get burned taking a lean director’s job?
Dear Gemba Coach,I’ve been offered the job of a lean director in an industrial group. The offer sounds very attractive,…
Read articleProcess Excellence Means Developing New Processes Along with New Products
The traditional way of developing new products or services in isolation from the processes that must deliver them almost guarantees…
Read articleAs someone who is new to lean, is there something I’m not being told?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m new to lean, and I find it fascinating. Is there something I’m not being told? Is…
Read articleWhat Do Managers Do?
After walking the gemba with sensei Hideshi Yokoi, Matt Savas learned three basic agreements between workers and management, and shared…
Read articleAsk Art: Why Focus on Why When Doing A Lean Turnaround?
In switching to lean, understanding the WHY is the most important thing, argues Art Byrne. It helps people overcome their…
Read articleDesigned In Quality
Extraordinary quality is not only designed into the product, it is designed into the development process itself, says Jim Morgan,…
Read articleCan Smart Manufacturing Replace the Art of Go and See?
Continuous improvement in a manufacturing environment has to happen at the spot where the work took place, shares Dave Westphal,…
Read articleAsk Art: Aren’t You a Little “Old School” in Your Kaizen Approach To Implementing Lean Thinking?
When you say “kaizen is old school” you may be seriously off track, argues Art Byrne. Focusing on tools like…
Read articleIs Your Strategy a Plan–or a Hypothesis?
Success in a VUCA world requires senior executives to engage thoughtfully and frequently with company operations across all levels and…
Read articleIs value engineering just about cutting costs?
Dear Gemba Coach: My boss has hired a consultant to do value engineering, who has us looking for design opportunities…
Read articleGood Night Sweethearts
On this Valentine's Day, GBMP President Bruce Hamilton laments this year's lack of Sweetheart Candies, reflecting that, "NECCO, like General…
Read articleImproving Engagement One Kaizen at a Time
Engaging the employees at all levels with a clear and realistic understanding of how they inspire, drive and support getting…
Read articleCultivating Intuition at the Gemba
Our trainers conditioned us to water the seed of experience and use it not just to fire-fight but rather be…
Read articleAsk Art: How is Lean A Time-Based Strategy?
Operating lean is the best way to compete on time, says Art Byrne, who notes that every time you remove…
Read articleLean Production Begins with LPPD
To create a "turbo-charged product-creating machine, start by designing clear processes with useful tools and a “people first” culture--which form…
Read articleSeafood Restaurant Fishes for Problems Customers Really Care About
The executive chef at Legal Sea Foods explains how the restaurants are cutting lead times from fishing boat to your…
Watch videoLPPD Under the Sea: Efficient Product Design with Subsea 2.0
In this excerpt from the new book Designing the Future, authors Jim Morgan and Jeff Liker share the case study…
Read article“We Are Unique”
While many people see Lean as applicable only in limited industries and situations and therefore can’t work in their unique…
Read articleSeason 2 Ep. 1 Leadership at the Gemba with Scott Heydon and John Shook
Former Starbucks Executive and Senior Coach at LEI Scott Heydon, joined author and LEI Chairman John Shook for a last…
Listen to podcastBook Review: Four Types of Problems
If you are developing a problem solver in your personal life or on your team, or if you’re continuously developing…
Read articleIs agile project management simply lean thinking applied to software development?
Dear Gemba Coach: You seem to distinguish between agile and lean, but to my understanding, agile is simply lean thinking…
Read articleFactory physics was once the rage, but I don’t hear about it any more — was it wrong?
Dear Gemba Coach: What happened to factory physics? It used to be all the rage some years ago, but we…
Read articleWill changing the standard for supervisors’ morning gemba walks make them pay more attention?
Dear Gemba Coach, We have a standard gemba walk for supervisors to check their areas every morning. I’ve noticed that after…
Read articleAsk Art: Why Does Boosting Inventory Turns Matter So Much?
If you want to deliver more value to our customers such that you can grow and gain market share then…
Read articleWhat is the hardest conversation you ever had during gemba walks?
Dear Gemba Coach: What is the hardest conversation that you have during gemba walks?
Read articleFresh Eyes Bring Lean Problems into Clarity
“Fresh eyes” reviews are an indispensible part of developing new value. It’s amazing what you can learn from the input…
Read articleAs Toast Kaizen Turns 20, Bruce Hamilton Shares How This Famous Video Came About
Watch this "director's cut" video by Bruce Hamilton sharing the backstory behind what has become a classic lean resource: Toast…
Read articleWhat is Lean Product & Process Development (LPPD)?
This animation offers an overview of this proven approach to new product, process, and service development.
Watch videoLeadership and Having an Effective Plan
You wouldn’t want to be known as a source of “fake news” but are you practicing
Read articleThoughts on Coaching from John Shook and Edgar Schein
Excerpts from an in-depth conversation between John Shook and Ed Schein on the nature of coaching, humble inquiry, and the…
Read articleLessons from Japan: Day Four
On day four of the Lean Learning tour in Japan, the participants share their lessons, which are tied to this…
Read articleAre You Managing By The Right Numbers?
Knowing the key metrics to track will help you and your team start your learning journey, says Tracey Richardson. She…
Read articleStability Before Innovation
Given its foundational strengths of stable and robust product development, production, supplier development, and general management system, Toyota is well…
Read articleExpanding Our Perspective on Lean Management, Part 2: Lean has its Roots in Spirituality
To explore the idea that there may be other angles for understanding lean management than business or analytical perspectives, a…
Read articleThe Road to Production Hell is Paved with Lack of LPPD
The real work of companies like Tesla who face stupendous challenges in launching a product should have happened long before…
Read articleSeeing the Work of a Daily Management System
Daily management systems tap visual elements that expose problems, and also use obeyas as thinking spaces for reflecting on broader…
Read articleEp. 5: The Lean Farm and Sharing Your Gift Live from the 2018 Lean Transformation Summit
Live from the 2018 Lean Transformation Summit in Nashville, Jim Womack interviews Ben Hartman, author of the Lean Farm, Joel…
Listen to podcastThe Magnificent 7 of Lean Manufacturing
How do you establish stability on a shop floor that’s chaotic? Andrew Quibell recommends “7 manufacturing basics,” his personal selection…
Read articleTesla vs. TPS: Seeking the Soul in the New Machine
While Tesla has excited customers and drawn praise for innovative design and bold thinking, author Jeff Liker believes that it…
Read articleTips for Proving the Financial Value of Lean to Leadership
Of the many aspects of lean accounting, one that has proven especially useful is the principle of “cost avoidance.” Today…
Read articleUnique Industries Continue to Share and Learn from their Common Challenges: Fall 2017 LPPD Learning Group Activity
The Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) organized the second Lean Product and Process Development (LPPD) Learning Group event of 2017, which…
Read articleYour Favorite Lean Posts of 2017: A Lean Post Holiday Special
2017 has seen another terrific year of content on the Lean Post. Over the past 12 months we've released dozens…
Read articleThe Time for Healthcare Leaders to Implement Lean Is Now – Stat!
Pioneering healthcare leaders have demonstrated that lean applied to healthcare can help solve the problems of quality, delivery of care,…
Read article7 Elements of Quality on the Shop Floor
"How do you lean out a quality approach that can work on the shop floor (maybe even compatible in a…
Read articleThe Future of Lean Healthcare: A Faster Type of Transformation?
We all know that lean transformations take a long time to occur, and in some senses, they never end. But…
Watch videoThe (Real) Lean Firefighter: Bringing Lean to the Grand Rapids Fire Department
Brad Brown had no lean experience when he joined the Grand Rapids Fire Department (GRFD) in 2003. But as the…
Read articleIt Starts Within: The Lean Journey of CI&T
The lean transformation of Brazilian tech company CI&T was unique in that it began with an implementation of hoshin kanri.…
Read articleIs the digital revolution a more important business development than lean?
Dear Gemba Coach, Isn’t the digital revolution, especially in services, a more important business development than lean?
Read articleBack-to-School Lean: Lunchbox Kanban
Lean thinking is just as impactful on the home front as it is at work. In honor of back-to-school season,…
Read articleWhat lean concepts are most difficult to teach?
Dear Gemba Coach: In your experience of teaching lean, what do you find most difficult to teach?
Read articleFollow-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…
Read articleWhy do lean management experts differ on how to apply lean principles?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve worked with several managers who worked at Toyota or Toyota suppliers who were considered experts in…
Read articleI’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…
Read articleYour Gemba Isn’t the Only Gemba to Walk
We all know the critical importance of gemba walks in our organization. But what many of us forget is that…
Read articleShouldn’t lean focus on solutions, rather than problems?
Dear Gemba Coach: Why is lean so focused on problem solving? Isn’t seeing everything as a problem negative? Shouldn’t we…
Read articleAdvice from the Gemba: How Do People Accidentally Make Change Unsustainable?
The only thing tougher than change is SUSTAINING change, we often hear. But does sustaining change need to be SO…
Read articleAsk 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…
Read articleWhat do you think are the pros and cons of merging lean and TOC?
Dear Gemba Coach: In the DevOps movement, the amalgamation of agile, lean, and IT service management practices, there is a…
Read articleMuda Corporation: The Pitfalls of 5S
In the latest installment of his "Muda Corporation" series, Marius Gil shares nine common mistakes he has seen people make…
Read articleA 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.…
Read articleAsk Art: Is “We are customer-driven” a good lean strategy?
Art Byrne is often asked if "customer-driven" is a good lean strategy. The answer is yes - as long as…
Read articlePlanning Meetings Around A3s
"How many times have you sat in a meeting to discuss solving a pressing, urgent or serious problem – and…
Read articleAsk Art: How high is up with lean?
Art Byrne explains that continuous improvement really is continuous and that there is no limit to the “up” in lean.
Read articleAdvice from the Gemba: Best Tips for Designing a Work Experience
When designing a work experience, the benefits of having an experienced coach to guide you cannot be overstated. In this…
Read articleAn A3 Antidote to the Opiate Epidemic
Opiate use in America has been spiking at an alarming rate. Many healthcare organizations, such as the University of Michigan…
Read articleAdvice from the Gemba: The Most Frustrating Types of Waste (and How to Eliminate Them!)
If you've ever lost sleep over a particularly frustrating source of waste in your organization, you're not alone. Some forms…
Read articleLean Expansion: Spreading Lean from One Store to a Region at Starbucks
Scaling up is a challenge often talked about in lean circles. How can we best leverage our individual or small-scale…
Read articleAsk Art: How is lean the opposite of everything people have been trained to do?
Art Byrne explains why, and how, lean practice is the opposite of what most people have learned about work in…
Read articleWhat should I know about lean management that I won’t find in books?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m new to lean and reading all I can find about it, but is there something specific…
Read articleInnovation in the Work
LEI's chairman explores the meaning of “innovation” and lean thinking’s relationship to it, bringing a fresh perspective to challenge traditional…
Read articleAsk Art: Is Lean Inward-Focused?
Art Byrne has been asked over and over if lean is inward-focused or customer-focused. There are aspects of lean that…
Read article3 Common Problems in Government that A3 Thinking Can Help Solve
I’m always surprised at how little the public sector uses A3 thinking to tackle their toughest challenges. It’s the same…
Read articleJust Trying “Stuff” Is Not A Real Experiment
"Today it seems like you can’t throw a stick of butter without hitting someone who is “running a lean experiment”…
Read article“What Do I Need to Know?”
"What do I need to know?" A simple, but powerful, question to ask at the gemba and beyond. Kelly Moore…
Read articleA3 Thinking Roundup
Following last week's immensely popular Posts on the origins of A3 thinking, LEI Senior Editor Tom Ehrenfeld compiles a collection…
Read articleReflecting to Learn: Takeaways and Reflections on the A3 Process
In the wake of yesterday's interview with Mr. Isao Yoshino on the roots of the A3 process at Toyota, LEI…
Read articleDo we need more research to understand what works and what doesn’t when implementing lean healthcare?
Dear Gemba Coach: There are controversies over whether lean/TPS works in healthcare or not. Authorities in lean practice suggest conducting…
Read articleWaste in Process: Squeeze Before You Lean
"It seems intuitive to start applying lean to our processes, right?" writes Andrew Quibell. "Maybe so, but all that says…
Read articleIs there “mudagement” in your organization?
"Mudagement." What a strange word. But to Tony Lamberton, the concept behind that word has made all the difference in…
Read articleWhy Value-Stream Mapping is So Difficult in the Public Sector
Identifying value in an organization isn't the easiest task to accomplish. If you happen to work in the public sector,…
Read articleLeading Companies Gather for a Two-Day Lean Learning Exchange
The latest LPPD Learning Partners' learning event was held at GE Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky. Thirty-five people from five…
Read articleYou Are Not Different: Make universal lean principles work locally
Lean principles are universal, argues Orry Fiume, but the application of them is always local. Don't use this challenge as…
Read articleHow to Avoid Team Disinterest and Management Disappointment with Huddles
Team huddles are rapidly becoming a day-to-day staple in the lean organization. But too often the problem-solving aspect of huddles…
Watch videoAny step forward in a lean transformation is a good step — right?
Dear Gemba Coach: Surely a step forward in a lean transformation is a good thing, even if it’s not completely…
Read articleYour 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…
Read articleFocus: Process or Results?
"We cannot improve results “directly," writes LEI faculty member Orry Fiume. "It can only be achieved by improving those processes…
Read articleHow do I introduce kaizen to IT?
Dear Gemba Coach: Based on your experience, what is the best strategy to introduce kaizen as social, ongoing events without…
Read articleWhat Too Many Value Stream Maps Completely Miss
Believe it or not, up to half of all the value-stream maps that cross Drew Locher's desk are missing something…
Read articleDoes lean apply to sales?
Dear Gemba Coach: Does lean apply to sales? We’re trying to introduce lean thinking throughout the company and have found…
Read articleWhat is the best way to start gemba walks and keep them focused ?
Dear Gemba Coach: We are looking to implement gemba walks in our facility. This is new to everyone including myself…
Read articleWatch John Shook’s Keynote at Lean Construction Institute’s 17th Annual Congress!
This past October, LEI Chairman and CEO John Shook delivered a keynote at Lean Construction Institute's 17th Annual Congress in…
Read articleThe Importance of Team Leaders on the Shop Floor
Why does upper management often fail to invest in team leaders on the shop floor? Andrew Quibell has his money…
Read articleGovernance Matters
"The very term “governance” seems somewhat antithetical to lean," writes Mark Hamel. "Yet...over my 20-plus years of lean learning, I’ve…
Read articleNarrowing the Scope of Kaizen Activities
Are you having trouble implementing kaizen activities? If so, the solution could be as simple as narrowing down your targets…
Read articleLean Fitness: The Individual vs. the Organization
"For both the individual and the organization, the problem is the same," writes Dan Markovitz. "There may be a stated…
Read articleGemba, workplace, genchi genbutsu, go-and-see … What’s the difference?
Dear Gemba Coach: Is there a difference between “gemba” as used in lean texts and “genchi genbutsu” as they appear…
Read article6 Ways to Lay the Groundwork for More Effective Meetings
"Even in organizations working hard in pursuit of lean production systems [and] employee capability development – the failure to host…
Read articleRethinking Disaster Recovery on the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
As the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches on August 23rd-29th, read about how lean thinking is changing how New…
Read articleWant to Instill A3 Thinking? Teach A3 Behaviors
A3 thinking is all about A3 behaviors, says auto-manufacturing veteran Andrew Quibell. "Only by applying a step by step mentality,…
Read articleTwo managers I relied on a lot are still fighting a two-year-old pull system and creating a lot of conflict on the team. Is this normal?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m two years into establishing a pull system through my plant and two of my key managers…
Read articleJust-in-Time Roundup: Great Lean Reads from Across the Web (Vol. 8)
Check out our picks for high value lean reads you may have missed - this time from Inc., Harvard Business…
Read articleWhy Lean Fails in Job Shops… and What to Do to Succeed
Like many job shop owners, LEI faculty member Greg Lane struggled with implementing lean principles early on. The experiences and…
Read articleTransforming Healthcare: What Matters Most? How the Cleveland Clinic Is Cultivating a Problem-Solving Mindset and Building a Culture of Improvement
Imagine if you could create a culture of excellence and improvement in a large healthcare organization. That’s the challenge that…
View case studyContinuous Improvement is Good, But Is It Lean?
Take a look at your organization. Is Lean clearly directed and connected to strategy? Are senior leaders directly involved in…
Read articleHow is leadership engaged and trained in lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: How is leadership engaged and trained in lean?
Read articleGetting a Jump on Unplanned Changes
Andrew Quibbell, veteran of the auto industry, uses graphic recording to share lean concepts. Here's a visual of how Quibbell…
Read articleHow do you protect jobs while reducing lines and shifts?
Dear Gemba Coach: How do you protect jobs while reducing lines and shifts?
Read articleFrom Victim to Partner: The Evolution of a Manufacturing Development System
"Excellence in product development is not 'an engineering thing'; it is an enterprise thing," writes Jim Morgan. And it's helpful…
Read articleAre You Serving “Internal Customers” or Your Real Customer?
Are teams in your organization working in silos? Do processes feel fractured? Do upstream or downstream steps occurring in different…
Read articleWe’re Ernie and Tracey Richardson: Ask Us Anything
It's our second "Ask Me Anything" post, this time with lean coaches Tracey and Ernie Richardson. With a combined 54…
Read articleThree Lean Healthcare Success Stories From Across the Globe
Read a summary of 3 lean healthcare stories from the Lean Global Network, including reflections on what seems to make…
Read articleHow do I set up an obeya room?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’d like to set up an obeya room – where should I start? What’s the simplest way…
Read articleAny tips for conducting daily stand-up meetings with my team?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve been told I should conduct daily stand-up meetings with my team to solve problems collaboratively. I’m…
Read articleAnd the Best Articles from 2014 Are…
Two weeks ago we asked for your favorite Lean Post articles of 2014 and the results are in!
Read articleIs momentum loss normal during a lean transformation?
Dear Gemba Coach: One of our outpatient wards reduced waiting time by 75% and got an award for their lean…
Read articleWhy Creating Products Customers Actually Want Requires a Great Process
80% of the cost (and hence, waste) is committed for a new product or service by the time product designs…
Read articleGrasping the Real Situation
Emmanuel Jallas visits a well-respected company that is vocal about its lean transformation. Upon further investigation he finds that like…
Read articleInnovation at Smartphone Speed
Ever wonder what it takes to make those smartphone chips? Learn how IBM continuously improves smartphone technology using lean thinking…
Read articleWant Your Organization to Survive Over the Long Haul? Value Process Over Results
"There are two ways to run your business," writes Doc Hall. "Focus on value, or focus on results... Interestingly, when…
Read articleLean & Scrum: Complementary Methods with a Shared Lineage
Lean coach Steve Bell shares his thoughts on Jeff Sutherland's presentation at the Lean IT Summit earlier this month in…
Read articleStructured Experiments Into the Unknown
"For years we tried to find situations where we could apply lean tools," writes Linus Brodén of HP Tronic, an…
Read article8 Tips for “Passing the Baton” with Suppliers and Customers
In a relay, the winning team isnít the one that runs the fastest leg, but the one that runs fastest…
Read articleWhy Skill-Based Learning is Harder Than You Think
Lean practitioner Joel Gross explains why skill-based learning (like learning how to problem solve using PDSA) requires active, hands-on practice…
Read articleCoaching Effectively Within Takt Time
When time is of the essence and work just needs to be done, how do you help someone improve their…
Read articleA Body Needs Skeleton and Muscle to Work
How do you create alignment across the organization when you have separate departments, value streams, and executives with conflicting priorities?…
Read articleAre computer screens okay for visual management?
Dear Gemba Coach: Can I use computer screens for visual management or is that a big no-no?
Read article“How ThedaCare Created Its Own Management System”, Follow-Up Q&A
Kim Barnas, author of Beyond Heroes: A Lean Management System for Healthcare, answers questions that we couldn't get to during…
Read articleLong-term Organizational Health or Sugar High?
"We know 'flavor-of-the-month' initiatives can't be the focus of a lean leader," writes Bob Miller of the Shingo Institute. So…
Read articleReal Concurrent Engineering: Developing Engineers and Products Simultaneously
Jim Morgan and Durward Sobek compare and contrast Lean with traditional product and process development.
Watch videoWhy do you lean guys always focus on shop floor processes? The lack of clarity and focus at headquarters is far worse!
Dear Gemba Coach: Why do you lean guys always focus on shop floor processes? The lack of clarity and focus…
Read articleUsing Lean To Fundamentally Rethink How We Develop Products and Services
Jim Morgan (former Global Engineering Director at Ford Motor Company) and Durward Sobek (Professor of Industrial Engineering at Montana State…
Watch videoHow to Handle Fire Fighting, Process Averse Cultures, Naysayers, and More
Summit attendees hosted their own conversations on lean thinking and practice last week, identifying challenges and opportunities for Lean within…
Read articleStarting Up, Growing Up, and Starting Over
In an essay first published in Gemba Walks (2nd Ed) and adapted for the Post, LEI founder and thought leader…
Read articleManaging By Not Wandering Around
“We’re still very early in our journey,” says Dan McDonnell, VP of Operational Excellence at Ingersoll Rand. “But we’re following…
Read articleCultivating a Lean Problem-Solving Culture at O.C. Tanner
O.C. Tanner is in the appreciation business. It develops employee reward and recognition programs and manufactures a wide variety of…
View case studyTransforming Transformation
We are all trying to transform. That's what lean thinking and practice are all about: challenging us to reflect deeply…
Read articleA Real S&OP Opera
Have you been implementing Lean but are still losing money due to inconsistent customer demand? Well, don't blame the customer.…
Read articleGet On Your Sneakers and Start Conversations, Learning How to Create End-to-End Excellence
Take a (gemba) walk on the sustainable improvement side with Ingersoll Rand.
Read articleWhat’s Your Lean Elevator Pitch?
How do you describe Lean to others? To beginners, your team members, your boss? What's your quick definition or elevator…
Read articlePDCA: The Scientific Method or the Artistic Process?
What does lean have to do with art? Lean practitioner and sculptor Karyn Ross says the two really aren't so…
Read articleAlice Lee on the Challenges and Rewards of Applying Lean to Healthcare
Alice Lee, VP of Business Transformation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, discusses BIDMC's unique application of lean…
Watch videoShould I use an A3 report to kick off a problem-solving effort?
Dear Gemba Coach: Should I use an A3 report to kick off a problem? I encourage my managers to tell…
Read articleThe Virtue of Small Data
"Small Data can be found everywhere, with every customer transaction and interaction," writes LEI faculty member and Lean IT expert…
Read articleWhy Starting With a Model Area is Key to Lean Transformation
Lean coach Danielle Blais explains why starting small, with one team in one area, is so important to leading an…
Read articleSuch a Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever
Lean thinking, principles, and experiments show up everywhere and make a real difference, sometimes in places you'd least expect.
Read articleOperator morale has suffered terribly since we implemented cell manufacturing, and the ideas that kaizens generate have been weak. Would you please share your insights on this situation?
Dear Gemba Coach: Operator morale has suffered terribly since we implemented cell manufacturing, and the ideas that kaizens generate have…
Read articlePart 2: What is the best lean way to understand VALUE (in terms of what our customers want)?
Dear Gemba Coach, What is the best lean way to understand VALUE (in terms of what our customers want)
Read articlePart 1: What is the best lean way to understand VALUE (in terms of what our customers want)?
Dear Gemba Coach: What is the best lean way to understand VALUE (in terms of what our customers want)?
Read articleImproving Information Technology Processes with Lean Principles: An Interview with Steve Bell
Steve Bell, a lean IT coach, practitioner, and author is a trailblazer in the use of lean to improve information…
Read articleHow do I convince senior management to visit the shop floor?
Dear Gemba Coach: How do I convince my senior management to get interested in our kaizen projects? In fact, how…
Read articleThe Insourcing Boom
From industrial monument to memorial and then back again, the improving fortunes of GE’s huge Appliance Park plant illustrate the…
Read articleCoaches coaching coaches
The Olympics are always great fun. It is inspiring to see human performance taken to such astounding levels. Watching the…
Read articleWhat Is Your Purpose? Who Is Your Audience?
In this article, the third in a series of starting your A3, sensei David Verble suggest that you reflect more…
Read articleHow Can Our Back Office Sustain Lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: The improvement program at the back office of the bank where I am a lean facilitator is…
Read articleVisual Management – the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Visualization is a good thing. We all know that. And many of us in the Lean Community practice it, to…
Read articleCan you help us define the role of team leader?
Dear Gemba Coach: My lean team is creating a team leader role, and we are struggling to define this function…
Read articleHow Do I Address Resistance From Middle Management?
Dear Gemba Coach: Why does middle management resist lean transformations; how can they be brought on board?
Read articleLean Thinking Helps City of Chula Vista with Budget Crunch
After laying off 350 employees and still facing a continuing budget shortfall, the City of Chula Vista, CA, faced a…
View case studyGemba and Quality
Dear Gemba Coach: We’ve made good progress on quality with Six Sigma, but we’ve reached a plateau. I’ve met a…
Read articleSo, what are you going to do about it?
What a year for global supply chains! It started quietly, with a few leading firms taking the lead in reintegrating…
Read articleShould we have our own TPS “house”?
Dear Gemba Coach: My management wants to build our own version of the TPS (Toyota Production System) house in order…
Read articleWhy Create Poka-yokes—and Why Disconnect Them?
I’m a manufacturing engineer and since I have started participating in kaizen workshops, I have noticed that production supervisors tend…
Read articleWhat Are the Different Types of A3s?
What are the different types of A3s and what are they used for?
Read articlePerformance versus costs, part 2
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve read your recent column on performance versus cost with great interest, as I believe we’re currently having…
Read articleHow 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.…
Read articleToyota and Sudden Acceleration: Facts from the NASA Report
NASA just released its highly anticipated report about the Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) charge in Toyota vehicles. The verdict is…
Read articleMaking People Before Making Products
Dear Gemba Coach: I keep hearing about “making people before making products” but I have a hard time visualizing what this…
Read articleHow can we remain positive?
Dear Gemba Coach: I am a kaizen coach in a large company, and it never seems to get any easier. We’ve…
Read articleWhen should I push and when should I praise?
Dear Gemba Coach: I am in charge of a service activity and have started a lean approach with a sensei. In…
Read articleNUMMI Closes and is Crushed by N.Y. Times Columnist Bob Herbert
New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. closes its doors for the final time this Thursday, April Fools' Day. It is a…
Read articleIs Toyota No Longer a Guiding Light?
Dear Gemba Coach: I'm the lean manager of a mid-sized company, and have been getting teased by many folks about Toyota's…
Read articleToyota Trouble: A Dialogue with Jeff Liker (AKA the Coffee Shop Talks)
With the appearance of Toyota's various quality and recall problems, Jeff Liker and I have been meeting in coffee shops…
Read articleDon’t Gloat Too Quickly – If This Could Happen to Toyota, It Could Happen to You …
Okay, so how do you respond to a "crisis"? My recent encouragement to Toyota President Akio Toyoda that "It isn't the…
Read articleThe Business Case for Kaizen
Dear Gemba Coach: I can see the benefits kaizen has brought our company, but find it hard to formulate the…
Read articleHow Do We Reduce Costs with Lean?
Dear Gemba Coach: I have been asked to reduce the cost of a product by a significant amount. I believe…
Read articleHow Much Control Do I Need (and Need to Give Up) to Lead?
Dear Gemba Coach: I am interested in setting up a team for implementing lean. So far I have been trying…
Read articleYou Gotta Have Wa
In July, just prior to the Major League All Star break, I introduced you to The Mental ABCs of Baseball.…
Read articleA Lean “Teachable Moment”: Starbucks in The Wall Street Journal
John Shook discusses recent news about Starbucks and lean.
Read articleThe Lean Manager (Chapter 1)
The Lean ManagerChapter OneCUSTOMERS FIRST“He’s closing the plant!”Closing the plant meant losing his job. Losing his job meant losing Malancourt.…
Read articleManaging to Pitch with PDCA (Pitch-Defend-Catch-Adjust)
John Shook discusses lean thinking in baseball.
Read articleThe End of an Era
When General Motors filed for bankruptcy yesterday it marked the end of an era. The first truly modern, manage-by-the-numbers corporation,…
Read articleMichikazu Tanaka of Daihatsu on “What I Learned from Taiichi Ohno”
This week (and in some future columns as well, no doubt) I’ll indulge my deep interest in the history of…
Read articleThedaCare Improved Outcomes with Lean Management
This article provides a summary of ThedaCare's lean journey, including improvements in their radiation oncology department. From the article:"The results…
Read articleFighting Cancer with Linear Accelerators and Accelerated Processes
A series of cross-functional lean improvement teams in the Radiation Oncology Department at the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS)…
View case studyFrom Staffs Conducting Programs to Line Managers Solving Problems
Jim Womack, founder and senior advisor of LEI, introduces the concept of 'touzen'—kaizen that should not have been necessary.
Read articleNice Car, Long Journey
2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Model T Ford. This truly is “the machine that changed…
Read articleKaizen or Rework?
I recently visited a contract electronics manufacturer with a striking capacity for kaizen – the steady improvement of every step…
Read articleAsking Questions
It is always refreshing going to the gemba – actually walking a value stream all the way through an organisation.…
Read articleGross Domestic Product Verses Gross Domestic Waste
I’ve always been fascinated by how humans count, especially the way we always seem to count the wrong things. Recently…
Read articleColumbus Public Schools Use Process Thinking to Improve Academic Achievement
Principals and staff at Columbus, Ohio, schools created current states and future states of a diagnostic testing process in order to identify students'…
Read articleThe Big Opportunity
I started studying manufacturing performance††26 years ago this fall. We set out at MIT to perform the most exhaustive and…
Read articleHelpful Hints about Mapping off the Plant Floor in Support of Administrative Operations
Off the shop floor, the distinctions between material and information flows often blurs. Here are nine suggestions from LEI author…
Read articleThe Lean Service Machine
The Harvard Business Review details how Jefferson Pilot Financial applied lean principles to its insurance business, not only to cut…
Read articleLean Thinking for Air Travel
Recently I got a call from an aide to Don Carty at American Airlines (their Chairman who resigned this past…
Read articleLEI’s new tool for seeing the big picture
We introduce the latest LEI workbook, Seeing the Whole, which provides a simple tool for mapping the extended value stream…
Read article10 Lean Steps for Surviving the Recession
Jim provides an action play for lean thinkers to think leaner to get through the recession and secure a strong…
Read articleLearning to Solve Problems By… Wait for It… Solving Problems
A team learns what matters when it comes to problem-solving using lean thinking and practices.
Read articleWhy Coaching is a Core Skill of a Lean Leader
If "learning by doing" at the gemba is the best way to learn lean thinking and practices (and it is),…
Read articleKeep It Simple: Value-Stream Mapping at the Gemba
A veteran lean coach shares a story showing that even simple and quick value-stream mapping can be hugely helpful when…
Read articleAll Lean Is Local
When I think about the idea of “all lean is local,” I think about the fundamental entry point questions for…
Read articleUkrainian Resilience: How Lean is Helping Companies Cope with War, Part 1
A real-time discussion with the Lean Institute Ukraine President shows how leveraging lean thinking and practices help companies adapt to…
Read articleA Video Primer on Improvement Kata as a Funnel
A veteran kata instructor uses a visual model to explain the four routines of the Improvement Kata practice.
Watch videoA Video Primer on Improvement and Coaching Kata
A veteran kata instructor offers a brief explanation of two vital problem-solving and innovation-driving practices.
Watch video3 Go-To Ways for Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement Anywhere
To reach a state of endless continuous improvement, executives must lead the company in making a critical leap from management-driven…
Read articleFront-Load Your Design Process By Using Set-Based Design
Jeffrey Liker highlights the benefits of set-based design in this in-depth reflection of his time working in product development at…
Read articlePDCA 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…
Read articleHow Hospitals are Leveraging Visual Management in the Battle Against Covid-19
A Lean Global Network team of lean practitioners and coaches shares a set of lean healthcare tips hospitals can use…
Read articleBe More Innovative with These Resources and Ideas for Exploiting World-Shaping Trends
Great products and services begin with great ideas and great ideas are informed by the big trends that are shaping…
Read articleRivian: The Electric-Vehicle Company Taking the Auto Industry by Storm
In this podcast, Rivian Founder and CEO R.J. Scaringe and former COO Jim Morgan discuss the challenges of forming a…
Read articleHow Working In Oncology Has Reframed Failure and Success
Doctor Carlos "Fred" Pinto and his colleagues at IOV in Brazil have learned that resilience emerges when applying lean thinking…
Read articleAsk Art: What Do You Mean When You Say “Productivity equals Wealth”?
Productivity is the greatest wealth creator whether you talk about countries or companies, says Art Byrne. If you go about…
Read articleLean Thinkers Are Systems Thinkers
Lean thinkers are systems thinkers, argues Rich Sheridan: "Intentional cultures thrive when the simple systems put in place reinforce every…
Read articleShould A3s be used for solving organizational or technical problems?
Dear Gemba Coach: Should A3s be used for solving organizational or technical problems?
Read articleAny advice for a team with a new boss who doesn’t know lean but wants us to switch to agile instead?
Dear Gemba Coach: We have a new boss who doesn’t know lean and is asking our lean team to switch…
Read articleTalking About Lean: How Leaders Support Improvement With Words and Actions
In this comprehensive series of reflections, Lean Coach David Verble examines how the way managers and leaders talk to employees…
Read articleAsk Art: How Can I Engage All Our Leaders to Learn and Teach Lean?
What's the best way to teach lean to your internal leaders? By forming teams who will learn by doing, shares…
Read articleGo and See: Where The Magic Is
To reconnect with the reality of your business, go to the gemba, advises CEO Nicolas Chartier of Aramisauto. But to…
Read articleI’ve just been named team leader with zero training and my team is not co-located – where should I start?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve just been named team leader with zero training and my team is not co-located – where…
Read articleLean Is A Product-Driven Strategy
What is at the core of lean? Michael Balle argues, in terms of our best known example: "Toyota is not…
Read article“But TPS Doesn’t Apply to Us….”
Yes, cars are not weaving looms. Patients are not cars, either. Airplanes are not cars. Electric vehicles are not the…
Read articleLearning to Help Anna Elevate Her Game
Anna was trained by NUMMI to identify and solve challenges via experiments with her team, notes Jeff Smith, sharing a…
Read articleWhy We Believe that Lean is About Changing Our Own Behaviors, and Not Just Accumulating New Knowledge
Lean repeatedly pushes us to develop new competences (or recover lost know-hows) through kaizen and problem solving. This collection of…
Read article4 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…
Read articleShould we seek professional help for our sensei who talks to parts?
Dear Gemba Coach: My sensei has gone crazy; he’s talking to parts. Everyone is looking at him funny on the…
Read articleWhat If Elon Musk Took Manufacturing Cars Seriously?
Jeff Liker asks of Tesla: What if it took Toyota’s help seriously in learning basic manufacturing before undertaking disruptive technology…
Read articleCan you implement TPS if management doesn’t accept the fundamental values of the Toyota Way?
Dear Gemba Coach: How can we implement the principles of TPS if our management doesn’t accept the fundamental values of…
Read articleWe get good results with kaizen, but why don’t they stick?
Dear Gemba Coach: Our teams have good results with kaizen, but nothing seems to stick for long – any advice?
Read articleNot Every Problem Is a “Nail” But Companies Typically Reach for the Same Old “Hammer”
Learn how you can avoid the frustrating, ineffective, but widespread “hammer-and-nail” problem-solving pitfall by recognizing four main problem types so…
Read articleCan Lean Know-How Come Home?
When you decide to stop making things, you lose the ability to make things, argues Eric Buehrens: not just the…
Read articleWhy does visual management at a Toyota plant look so much different than at ours?
Dear Gemba Coach: We have been deploying lean visual management in my company for a while now, and I am…
Read articleHow Does Asking Questions Create Change?
Lean is not a sum of processes to acquire and apply which then will make things magically work better. It’s…
Read articleWe mapped a process, improved it, but six months later, performance is as bad as it was before – what are we missing?
Dear Gemba Coach: We’ve drawn the value-stream map of one of our complex production processes (17 steps), identified the key…
Read articleCardboard, Duct Tape, and String: The Do-First Mindset & Meaning of Kaizen
Whatever field you work in, if you are responsible for kaizen in your company, strive for making quick changes in…
Read articleWhat’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…
Read articleAs a business unit manager who is new to lean, what is the one thing I must know to get it right?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m a business unit manager new to lean, and our CEO has decided to embark us on…
Read articleAsk Art: Why Do People Reject Proof that Lean Works?
Despite compelling proof, most people will find a way to doubt the power of lean to improve their particular work,…
Read articleCan I change a company’s attitude that people can’t be trusted to do their jobs unless they are scared into complying?
Dear Gemba Coach: A major assumption in lean thinking is that people genuinely want to do a good job, and…
Read articleWhy ‘Yes Chef!’ Is No Longer the Answer
In order to meet the changing demands of today's restaurants, chefs must learn to evolve from old-school methods of the…
Read articleWhy 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.…
Read articleLean Roundup: Respect for People
Respect for People is one of the most abstract and yet most concrete tenets of lean, a guiding principle that…
Read articleAs CEO, how do I get my management team to support the lean effort?
Dear Gemba Coach: As a CEO, lean has enabled me to renew our company’s profitable growth, so I love it.…
Read articleAsk Art: Why Should I Set Stretch Goals?
Art Byrne urges you to take the lean leap and set stretch goals. Setting ambitious goals shows respect for your…
Read articleHow big should my lean promotion office be?
Dear Gemba Coach: How large should my lean promotion office be if I want to achieve quickly a lean culture…
Read articleAs a facilitator, how much do I have to know about an area targeted for improvement?
Dear Gemba Coach: As a lean "facilitator" in my organization, how important is it to gain a deep understanding of…
Read articleFollow-up Q&A for Jim Lancaster’s Work of Management Webinar
“The Real Work of Management” webinar drew very engaged attendees who submitted hundreds of questions. We now present some of…
Read articleBack to Basics: Jim Womack on Why Managers Need a “Lean State of Mind”
In this classic eletter from 2009, Jim Womack explains the crucial importance of a "lean state of mind" if a…
Read articleYou can do a lot by doing a few things
"Developing a good strategy and actually executing it is really hard," writes Leslie Barker. "What I didn’t fully realize was…
Read articleLeaders’ Actions Speak, but Their Talk Matters Too
How leaders talk to employees can either help or hurt efforts to create and sustain a culture of engagement and…
Read articleHow can I tell good lean consultants from bad?
If lean’s not a scam – but there are scammers -- how can I distinguish good lean consultants from bad?
Read articleDaily Management, Daily Sustainment: The Remarkable Story of Lean Transformation at Lantech
Jim Lancaster attended the 2017 Lean Transformation Summit in Carlsbad, California to speak about Lantech's journey to create a daily…
Read articleWhat Too Many Lean Leaders Forget about Gemba Walks
Lean Coach Darren Walsh of the UK's Lean Enterprise Academy has seen many lean leaders make a troubling, yet highly…
Read articleDeveloping 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…
Read articleDo You Own Your Lean Learning?
LEI COO and Toyota veteran Mark Reich is back with a new series on the role of consultants and OpEx…
Read articleWorking on the Management
Effective daily management is still hard to achieve for most organizations, says Jim Womack. But until line managers start tackling…
Read articleIs there a lean way of delegating?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m an entrepreneur and I used to micromanage everything, quite successfully. Now the firm has grown and…
Read articleAccelerating Justice with Lean Forensics
One of our most popular subjects on The Lean Post is the use of lean in unorthodox places. But one…
Read articleDoes lean change how you think about business?
Dear Gemba Coach: I can see that lean changes how one thinks about business, but can’t quite put my finger…
Read articleSix Personal Kanban Habits to Avoid
Jim Benson, kanban specialist, shares the six most common mistakes found on kanban boards.
Read articleGetting to Sustainability
Sustaining gains from kaizen thinking is one of the hardest, and certainly most misunderstood, aspects of this work. It’s misunderstood…
Read articleLean and Agile: Finding a Role for Your Leadership in Your Transformation Model
"Lean and Agile are two of the most commonly discussed (and hotly debated) principles for managing a business, particularly when…
Read articleWhat are your three most important problems?
Dear Gemba Coacg: What should I look for during a gemba walk?
Read articleHow Does Shop-Floor Lean Compare to Lean Product and Process Development (LPPD)? A Q&A with Matt Zayko
Matt Zayko was recently asked, "Is my knowledge of shop-floor lean enough for me to get by in product development?"…
Read articleBig Problems? Start Small
"In problem solving, we’re taught to ask a simple question, “Is this problem within my scope of control?” If yes,…
Read articleLean Roundup: Jidoka
"Jidoka captures the principle of building quality into the production process—of designing work so that the people making the product…
Read articleDoes a lean transformation boost a company’s stock price?
Dear Gemba Coach: You’ve worked with a lot of different companies in the public and private sectors. How have the…
Read articleHow do I implement standard work in an office environment?
Dear Gemba Coach: I really enjoyed reading your article on the difference between standard work and procedures back in December.…
Read articleWhy and How to Engage Finance in a Lean Transformation. An Interview with Jean Cunningham
There's often a disconnect between an organization's lean and finance departments, especially when a lean transformation is underway. In her…
Read articleTurn 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,…
Read articleSmall Batch: Hand-Picked Articles form the Global Lean Community (Vol. 2)
Our picks for the best high-impact learning stories and columns from Planet Lean.
Read articleWhat Type of a Leader Do You Choose to Be?
Plenty of people want to become better leaders. Few people want to change. Michael Bremer shares his advice for more…
Read articleSurfer Culture Meets Standardized Work
Can surfing instructors and students really learn standardized work? Read the surprising story of how lean coach Sammy Obara worked…
Read articleUsing 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…
Read articleSafety Through Gemba
"When I do a gemba walk, I don’t necessarily ask questions about safety," writes Brian Fitzpatrick (a director of Health…
Read articleTraining as a Crutch
Your organization has a problem. Something has gone wrong. A process that was previously working fine is no longer working.…
Read articleAfter improving processes with help from a consultant, how do I sustain kaizen in my department? My teams are hard to motivate.
Dear Gemba Coach: How do I sustain kaizen in my department? We’ve had a consultant help us with workshops, and…
Read articleHow Do You Spread a Lean Transformation from One Site to Many?
Dear Gemba Coach: My CEO has asked me to spread lean to 30 other sites. How should I go about…
Read articleEffective Supervision 101
One of the biggest challenges for lean thinkers is translating lean thinking into lean doing, writes Stan Shaw. One of…
Read articleIs there a lean strategy?
Dear Gemba Coach: My team demonstrated the benefits of kaizen to the CEO who then asked us what our strategy…
Read articleToo Busy to Improve
"The number of people I meet who tell me, 'I don’t have time to make improvements to my work,' amazes…
Read articleI’m not sure I understand solving problems one by one.
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m not sure I understand solving problems one by one. I thought listing problems and pushing hard…
Read articleThe Angry Team Member and the Changing Organization
Toyota veteran and lean coach Lesa Nichols reflects on one of the most challenging and ultimately rewarding conversations she had…
Read articleI Don’t Know What I Don’t Know, But Spread the Word
In her first piece for the Post, Lesa Nichols reflects on one of her most powerful learning experiences while working…
Read articleShow Up On Time (And Other Instructions from a Cook)
Lean practitioner Matt LeVeque reflects on the concepts of 5S, (JIT) Just-in-Time, and "respect for people" throughout history.
Read articleAccidental Soccer Coach
When she's not working on graphic design projects, LEI's own Lory Moniz now coaches her son's soccer team. The assignment…
Read articleIt’s About Best Practicing
"Just like practicing to learn to play an instrument, practicing the Improvement Kata helps us learn to view uncertainty more…
Read articleWe found your visit rather challenging … does “real” lean have to be such a struggle?
Dear Gemba Coach: The question I’m facing internally is whether “real” lean needs to be that challenging or is there…
Read articleLean Alone is Never Enough
Lean can help any organization become more efficient and effective, but there is much more to being successful than just…
Read articleWhy One Startup Will Never “Change the World”
Nathan Rothstein, co-founder of Project Repat, calls for founders to stop pitching their companies as "world-changing" charitable organizations. Businesses should…
Read articleWhat’s the main quality I should look out for in hiring a lean coach?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m in the process of hiring a Lean Coach for my team and I wondered if there…
Read articleLearning Through Struggle
LEI coach Danielle Blais reflects on one of the most frustrating (and ultimately, most rewarding) coaching moments she's experienced so…
Read articleUsing Lean to Take Farming to the Next Level in Denmark
"When you start to think and work systematically with Lean (rather than just off the cuff), looking for waste becomes…
Read articleHow a Problem-Solving Culture Takes Root
Changing one's own leadership behaviors is no easy task, but it can be done. Leaders can shift away from giving…
Read articleHooray for Honda
"We in the lean movement talk an awful lot about Toyota. But Honda has always been my favorite company in…
Read articleWhy do you lean experts still revere the Toyota Production System? Hasn’t any one come up with something better?
Dear Gemba Coach,Since Toyota formulated TPS 50 years ago, many other companies have come up with their own business systems…
Read articleWhat’s Your Company’s Bottleneck?
"A bottleneck is the weak link in the system, the one constraint that prevents us from manufacturing that next toaster…
Read articleManaging to Reboot Leadership
"Despite sweeping changes to the business environment and real threats to organizational sustainability, too many managers remain stuck in traditional…
Read articleFighting fires vs. problem solving: what’s the difference?
Dear Gemba Coach: I hear that lean is about less fighting fires and more problem solving but I am unsure…
Read articleBook 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…
Read articleLeading and Learning the Toyota Way
Lean coach and LEI faculty member, Tracey Richardson, tells us why a learner's attitude is essential for effective leadership and…
Read articleWhy Are There So Many Points of View About What Lean Is?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve been interested in lean for over two years now, and can’t quite understand why after 20…
Read articleFollow-up Q & A to the Webinar “Getting to Everyday Improvement: How to Connect the Science and Culture of Problem Solving”
A follow-up Q&A with presenters Judy Worth and Beau Keyte for the Lean Enterprise Institute's webinar on Getting to Everyday Improvement.
Watch videoLead from the Front, Lead from Behind
In my last letter I alluded to a common view in the Lean Community – shared by the broader business…
Read articleWhy won’t senseis ever give a straight answer?
Dear Gemba Coach: Why won’t senseis ever give a straight answer?
Read articleHelpful Coaching? Part One: Who Says What’s Helpful?
David Verble, a lean practitioner and Lean Enterprise Institute faculty member, offers advice for what kind of coaching is helpful…
Read articleHow can we reconcile the lean principle of respect for people with our disrespectful atmosphere?
Dear Gemba Coach: My company's lean program stigmatizes competent people as “concrete heads” for disagreeing with the lean coaches, even…
Read articleDeveloping PDSA Capabilities
Improvement kata and A3 management have become popular ways for developing and practicing plan-do-study (or check)-act capabilities. What’s the connection…
Read articleLeadership Q&A: Bill Hopkins, Akron Children’s Hospital board member and former vice president, technology/strategic initiatives, at Goodyear
From the LEI senior executive series on lean leadership:Hopkins on why Akron Children’s Hospital leadership decided to implement lean process…
Read articleThe Trouble with Lean Experts
Dear Gemba Coach: I run a Lean Promotion Office (LPO) and my team mostly conducts kaizen events across the company. We…
Read articleHomicide by Example?
My LEI colleague Dave LaHote is fond of saying that managers - and especially senior managers - overestimate their effectiveness,…
Read articleBack to Work
Only a month ago I wrote about going beyond Toyota. And in light of the last month's events, I suppose…
Read articleSo Long 2009 – Hello 2010!
Whew, what a year! Most everyone I know is eager to escort the hard times of 2009 out the door…
Read articleIs Your Technical Person a Technical Problem or a People Problem …?
John Shook discusses the need for both technical and social skills
Read articleLeaning Your Boss
What do top managers need to learn to be able to lead a lean transformation? I get asked this question…
Read articleIsao Kato Interview on Shigeo Shingo’s Influence on TPS
Isao Kato believed that people development cannot be separated from production system development. During his career at Toyota he developed…
Read articleLinking Lean Thinking to the Classroom
As team members sat down to discuss hiring a new production employee, the conversation gradually centered on the need to…
View case studyGetting Back to Basics
I recently had a request from a Detroit newspaper to write a brief piece for the Motor Show on how…
Read articleAn LEI New Year’s Resolution: No Wallpaper!
I've resolved that in 2002 no one in the lean community will turn their value stream maps into corporate wallpaper…
Read articleThe Human Side of Hard Times
Harder times call for leaner thinking and presented an action plan, but what about the human side? Lean thinking requires…
Read articleAction Plan for Hard Times
Last week I pointed out that the big leaps in applying lean thinking have all been made in hard times.…
Read articleTransforming Your Organization with Lean Thinking and Practices
This brief animation offers a guide to the five fundamental equations that help lean practitioners understand — and execute —…
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