Article

So Long 2009 - Hello 2010!

Whew, what a year! Most everyone I know is eager to escort the hard times of 2009 out the door in hopes of a more…

by John Shook

Article

Ask 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 fail?" In his many years…

by Art Byrne

Article

Ask Art: Why do you say the CEO needs to become a lean expert?

A key first step for any CEO leading a lean conversion is to call 1-800-lean-consultant to find an expert to train the VP of operations…

by Art Byrne

Article

Ask 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 you should certainly focus on…

by Art Byrne

Article

Is lean problem solving different from regular problem solving?

Dear Gemba Coach: How is lean problem solving any different from regular problem-solving?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Working on the Management

Effective daily management is still hard to achieve for most organizations, says Jim Womack. But until line managers start tackling problems first hand as they…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

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

Article

Getting to Sustainability

Sustaining gains from kaizen thinking is one of the hardest, and certainly most misunderstood, aspects of this work. It’s misunderstood because the actual change takes…

by Ernie Richardson and Tracey Richardson

Article

It’s About the Tools, Not the Terms

"I’ve never been a big fan of lean lingo," says John McCullough of Crayola. "It may sound expert-like, but I’ve always found its use to…

by John McCullough

Article

Advice 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 grasp. In this special installment…

by Karen Gaudet, Josh Howell and Matthew Savas

Article

Making 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 System certainly has - two…

by Laura Shue

Article

The Fight for the Meaning of Lean

"It seems like every one and their dog is doing Lean," writes Michael Ballé. "But what 'Lean' are we talking about? Is it the 'to…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Practical, Actionable Tips for Re-Engaging People with a Suggestion System, Part 2

Companies, responding to surveys showing that a troubling number of people are disengaged at work, respond with perks like nap pods, rock walls, and free…

Article

Shouldn'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 focus on solutions instead? Wouldn’t…

by Michael Ballé

Article

What is leader standard work?

Dear Gemba Coach: Is there such thing as a leader standard work, and, if so, what is it?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Where to Start in Engineering

Dear Gemba Coach: I’m in charge of the engineering department in our company and the CEO has asked me to start with lean. I’ve been reading…

by Michael Ballé

Article

How 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 missing parts all over the…

by Michael Ballé

Article

We're working hard on problem solving so why don't I see any improvement in our problem-solving capability?

Dear Gemba Coach: We're working hard on problem solving, asking "why" repeatedly, and looking for root causes, but I'm afraid I fail to see any…

by Michael Ballé

Article

What does “separating human work from machine work" mean?

Dear Gemba Coach: What does “separating human work from machine work” mean? How does it matter?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Does 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 on it. If you had…

by Michael Ballé