Article

Live Blogging the Lean Transformation Summit, Day 2

LEI Senior Editor Tom Ehrenfeld continues his live blog of the Lean Transformation Summit, happening now in Orlando!

by Tom Ehrenfeld and Lex Schroeder

Article

There are so many lean management principles to know and tools to master at the start – is there an easier way to begin?

Dear Gemba Coach: Isn’t there an easier way to start lean? For a beginner, it seems like such a mountain to climb – all these…

by Michael Ballé

Article

How Can Lean Help Respond to Crises?

Although lean might seem fragile to crises, because of low inventories, it’s quite the opposite, says Michael Balle: Lean thinking is about training to solve…

by Michael Ballé

Article

7 Things Coaches Need to Get Over

"Over the years, I have noticed some common misperceptions about coaching effective problem solving skills and developing lean thinking," writes Mike Orzen. Read more to…

by Mike Orzen

Article

Create Constancy of Purpose

Looking back on the admirable work of two lean leaders who established constancy of purpose, Jim Womack asks: what would have happened to the world…

Article

How Do I Plan for the Long Term?

Dear Gemba Coach: I don’t know how to plan for two or five years out. As a plant manager, my requirement is to be able…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Ask Art: How Can I Ensure the Participation of Top Management?

Always keep in mind that to be successful with lean, senior management must drive the change, says lean veteran Art Byrne. He shares evidence of…

by Art Byrne

Article

5 Ways to Help Every Team Member Contribute Ideas for Improving Work

"Engaging staff in problem identification and suggestions for improvement is essential for any organization," writes Dan Fleming, Continuous Improvement Manager at GBMP (Greater Boston Manufacturing…

by Daniel Fleming

Article

Personal Kanban: You Can’t Manage What You Can’t See

Think personal kanban can't be applied to knowledge work? Think again. Drawing on examples from Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria Berry's book "Personal Kanban: Mapping…

by David Drickhamer

Article

Lean Thinking for Quicker Police Emergency Response Time

Bob Downing and Erin Magee reflect on the results of a collaborative project they worked on last year when their company was asked by the…

by Robert Downing and Erin Magee-Hall

Article

Remembering Norman Bodek, the “Miraculous Life” of an Author, Teacher, and Publisher of Groundbreaking Business Books

Called “Mr. Productivity” and the “Godfather of Lean,” Norman Bodek began 41 years ago translating and publishing groundbreaking books by the Japanese managers who had…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

Ask Art: How Important are Your Suppliers to Implementing Lean Production?

You won't reap the full benefits of lean production without involving your suppliers as an essential part of your value stream. Here's how.

by Art Byrne

Article

TPS 2.0?

Jim Morgan and Jeffrey Liker chime in on Toyota's announcement of their TNGA program (Toyota New Global Architecture). "The impetus for TNGA is not the…

by Jeffrey Liker and James Morgan, PhD

Article

Using Lean Thinking and Practices to Shrink the Time Between Disaster and Recovery 

SBP leveraged a continuous-improvement model based on the Toyota Production System to devise and execute creative solutions to rebuild a devastated community.

by Andy Stofleth

Article

Kanban As A Learning Strategy

Toyota’s Kanban legacy—and its underlying ideas—have far more direct lineage with today’s digital economy than most folks realize; and capture the core elements of the…

by Michael Ballé, Jacques Chaize, Dan Jones and Orest (Orry) Fiume

Article

Standardized Work in Machine-Intensive Processes

Dear Gemba Coach,Most lean literature and case studies to date focus on assembly type manufacturing which utilizes very people-intensive operations. This is not the case…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Crossing Silos: Connecting Disconnected Communities at LeanUX NYC

LEI’s John Shook will give a talk, “Lean is About Building an Organization That Learns to Learn" at this year's LeanUX NYC conference, April 15-19.…

by Will Evans and Lex Schroeder

Video

Art of Lean on Problem-Solving, Part 4: Military Science and Leadership

Art takes a look at the military and their methods of teaching to see what lean can borrow, giving the coaching side of lean even…

by Art Smalley

Article

Advice from the Gemba: Top Mistakes Lean Leaders Make III

Mistakes are just a part of lean, even for leaders. Luckily they're also a great opportunity for improvement. Today three lean practitioners share mistakes they…

by Lean Leaper

Video

Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn

Hear how a personal lean transformation supported a crucial organizational transformation following a financial crisis at a large medical center. In this unique Lean Talk,…

by Eric Buehrens and Alice Lee