Articles
Learn more about your selected topics.
How can kanban or lean possibly apply in an office?
Dear Gemba Coach: You often say that one can’t do lean without kanban, and that continuous improvement without kanban is…
Read article
Lean Thinking at 20, Part 2: A Q&A with Jim Womack and Dan Jones
Twenty years ago Jim Womack and Dan Jones helped launch the lean movement as we know it today with their…
Read article
Lean Thinking at 20: A Q&A with Jim Womack and Dan Jones
Twenty years ago Jim Womack and Dan Jones helped launch the lean movement as we know it today with their…
Read article
Lean Thinking: A Roundup
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the publishing of Lean Thinking, by Jim Womack and Dan Jones, Lean Post…
Read article What are the elements of knowledge-based product development?
Dear Gemba Coach, What would be a knowledge-based approach to product development?
Read article
Manufacturing 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 study
Innovation 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 article
Summit Reflections: Knowing What You Need to Improve
"As leaders, sometimes the things that we feel like we can more easily change are not the things that we…
Read article
Highlighting 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 video
Making 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 article
Ask 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 article
Problem-Solving: One Size Does Not Fit All, Part 1
Problem solving is at the core of any lean transformation. But both beginners and experts will tell you that it…
Watch video