Article

Can 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 accurately, not to mention that…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Will 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 a while, they tick the…

by Michael Ballé

Case Study

Seasoned 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 about how Freudenberg-NOK answered these…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

A3: Tool or Process? Both....

Coach Tracey Richardson explains why an A3 is both a useful tool that captures and shares the results of an investigation--and is also a thinking…

Article

Isn’t PDCA enough? Why do we always need to complicate things?

Dear Gemba Coach: Isn’t PDCA enough? Why do we always need to complicate things?

by Michael Ballé

Case Study

Lean Inroads Into Alabama Academia

Despite business’s declared need for graduates experienced with lean concepts, most colleges and universities offer only a lean module or course here and there. But…

Article

What 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, and they tell me they’re…

by Michael Ballé

Article

How Lean Can Help You Go Green

How to use lean thinking and practices to create sustainable business practices.

by Gary Cundill and Rose Heathcote

Article

The 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 soybean farm where success meant…

by Ben Hartman

Video

How the A3 Came to Be Toyota’s Go-To Management Process for Knowledge Work (intro by John Shook)

A3 thinking is synonymous with Toyota. Yet many often wonder how exactly this happened. Even if we know A3 thinking was created at Toyota, how…

by Isao Yoshino

Article

Developing Students, Improving Universities

"Today, lean thinking in higher education is uncommon," writes Theresa Coleman-Kaiser of Michigan Tech University. "As a rule, institutions that teach lean continuous improvement in…

Article

Ask Art: What to Look for in a Lean Team Leader

One of Art Byrne's most-asked questions is, "What are the key traits for a lean team leader?" His recommendation might surprise you - take a…

by Art Byrne

Article

A3 Thinking Roundup

Following last week's immensely popular Posts on the origins of A3 thinking, LEI Senior Editor Tom Ehrenfeld compiles a collection of the very best reads…

by Tom Ehrenfeld

Article

Ask 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 people. Use the lean tools…

by Art Byrne

Article

Ask Art: I Want to Convert My Company to Lean. What Are the First Steps?

The former Wiremold CEO explains the commitment you must make— and the expectations you must set—when you start your continuous-improvement journey.

by Art Byrne

Article

Lean Roundup: Pull

A pull system links all production activity to actual customer demand--and creates what one lean thinker calls "an architecture for kaizen." Read more about this…

by Tom Ehrenfeld

Article

Ask 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, who explains how a good…

by Art Byrne

Article

The Obstacle is the Path

Deborah McGee, LEI's Learning Activities Manager, reflects on the most common obstacles she sees people facing when they first try to introduce lean ideas in…

Article

My management team feels tense and pressured about going to the gemba. Is this normal?

Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve decided to take my management team to the gemba to get them to solve real problems but this is creating a…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Should 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 shop floor. What should I…

by Michael Ballé