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The 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…
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The (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…
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Why don’t people learn from experience?
Dear Gemba Coach: On the gemba, we have many problems to manage every day. People don’t seem to learn from…
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Advice from the Gemba: Getting More Suggestions without Incentivizing Employees
Improving the work is difficult, if not impossible, without suggestions from those who actually do the work. But in many…
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Ask Art: Can Lean and “Make-the-Month” Co-exist?
"Make-the-month" programs are not unusual in manufacturing organizations. But, many people have asked Art Byrne, are such programs compatible with…
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Don’t Start with Tools!
Starting off your lean transformation with one of the various tools at your disposal is certainly tempting. But according to…
Read article How do we ensure sustainability of a successful lean effort?
Dear Gemba Coach: We used training and workshops to roll out a lean program with good early results – what…
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The “Playbook” of Sustaining Change
In a world where most lean transformations fail, what can we do to learn from others' mistakes and help our…
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It 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.…
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It’s Not All About the Cash: How to Help Leadership Understand Lean’s Financial Benefits
Lean's cost savings might not show up immediately on the income statement -- but that doesn't mean there were no…
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Advice from the Gemba: The Most Frustrating Types of Waste (and How to Eliminate Them!) II
If you've ever lost sleep over a particularly frustrating source of waste in your organization, you're not alone. Today we…
Read article What 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…
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