Article

How 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 value-stream map to improve our…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Want 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 you focus on value, good…

Article

Leadership and Having an Effective Plan

You wouldn’t want to be known as a source of “fake news” but are you practicing

by Andrew Quibell

Article

Is 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 identifying invisible waste in his…

by Lean Leaper

Article

Ask 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 any setting

by Art Byrne

Article

Kaizen Learning vs. Traditional Problem-Solving

"Lean offers a fundamentally different approach to problem-solving than most traditional companies practice," writes Art Byrne. "Most [traditional] companies delegate important problems to teams of…

by Art Byrne

Article

Ask 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 for a steady state environment…

by Art Byrne

Article

Breaking Through To Flow

The other day I began a speech to a leading supplier of medical devices by congratulating them on the absolutely level demand for their products…

by Dan Jones

Video

Lean 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 meet growing customer demand for…

by Lean Enterprise Institute

Article

The Dark Side of Concurrent Engineering

One of the fastest ways to reduce development lead time from concept to market is to work concurrently. But as product development coaches Katrina Appell…

by Katrina Appell, PhD and John Drogosz, PhD

Article

Preventing Problems by Thinking Upstream: A Talk with Dan Heath

Tune in to the LEI podcast to catch a conversation with Dan Heath on his new book Upstream, which urges people to address problems before…

by Tom Ehrenfeld

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

Show Respect, Psychological Safety, and Social Neuroscience

Mike Orzen and David Verble examine the meaning and lean relevance of showing respect, creating psychological safety, and the links between these two.

by Mike Orzen and David Verble

Article

Align Your Continuous Improvement Efforts: Practical Tips from 4 CEOs in 4 Major Business Sectors

Four CEOs who are leading lean management voices in the critical economic sectors of manufacturing, supply chain, healthcare, and education, offer advice on aligning your…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

Ask 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 and deployed down to every…

by Art Byrne

Article

Learning to Teach the Soft Side of Lean

If there’s one common theme among virtually any failed effort, it boils to a failure to engage people in the purpose, says Tracey Richardson. That's why…

by Tracey Richardson

Article

Fixing Lean’s “Sales” Problem

When companies begin lean transformations, IT systems too often are viewed as obstacles. So, some lean thinkers may view Jacob Stoller, author of The Lean…

by Jacob Stoller

Article

Launching and Sustaining a Lean “Pop-Up”

"It’s not unusual for a lean leader or lean practitioner to feel alone, especially in a company or enterprise early in its lean journey," writes…

by Doug Bartholomew

Article

Can lean management help with the start of production?

Dear Gemba Coach: Can lean management help with the start of production?

by Michael Ballé and John Shook

Article

Is 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 troubles. It's mostly good-natured, but…

by Michael Ballé