Article

How You Can Influence a Lean Transformation

A Lean Enterprise Institute faculty member and co-author of Toyota Culture, Mike Hoseus explains how you can positively influence senior management support for a lean…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

Kata Konfusion

Author and LEI faculty member Drew Locher explains why it is important when using the kata improvement methodology to not focus solely on key performance…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

Hazards at the Huddle Board: How to Coach a Team Away from “Fast Thinking” to Disciplined PDCA

Lean practitioner David Verble, an LEI faculty member and former HR manager at Toyota, is noticing that problem-solving at huddle boards tends to veer towards…

by Doug Bartholomew

Article

How to Lead with Respect

Showing respect to employees falls far short of leading with respect. Discover the seven core practices that true lean leaders use everyday to lead with…

by Doug Bartholomew

Article

Lean Accounting…No Thanks

“Lean Accounting” has been around for about 30 years, yet its adoption has not been widespread. Is that true?

by Orest (Orry) Fiume

Article

How Lean Start-ups Can Avoid Big Company Disease

SATPOS, a lean start-up in Norway specializing in positioning, sensing and monitoring solutions for the ocean is learning to remain agile by observing the effects…

by Daryl Powell

Article

Insights and Advice from a Lean Accounting Leader

Why and how to get started integrating lean thinking and practice into accounting and finance at your organization.

Article

Developing Meta-Habits at Baptist Memorial Memphis Hospital Emergency Department

After teeing up a problem in the Baptist Memorial Memphis Hospital ED using a Kata routine, Nursing Manager Melanie Mays now sees the need to…

by Brandon Brown

Article

Muda Corporation: Improving Your Suggestions System

Anyone who's had to implement a suggestions system in their organization knows it's not an easy task, especially from a cultural aspect. Marius Gil may…

by Marius Gil

Article

Why Coaching is a Core Skill of a Lean Leader

If "learning by doing" at the gemba is the best way to learn lean thinking and practices (and it is), coaching is THE skill leaders…

by John Shook

Article

Signs of Progress

Dear Gemba Coach: We've been doing lean for several years now, and the program has had its ups and downs. What are the signs that…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Isn’t there a better way to manage inventory than just-in-time?

Dear Gemba Coach,  This is 2019. Isn’t there a better way to manage inventory than just-in-time by now?

by Michael Ballé

Article

The Mythical Value Stream Manager

If you want to make a serious impact in your improvements, consider shifting your focus outward to a value-stream level perspective and find someone who…

by Mike Orzen

Article

Ask Art: Why Should I Convert to a Pull System?

Deliver more value to your customers by converting your business to a pull system and connecting demand directly to your production system, advises Art Byrne.

by Art Byrne

Video

How to Use Lean Accounting to Help Design Profitable Value Streams

How establishing relevant financial metrics at the start of a new product or process development project helps create higher performance value streams, according to BMA's…

by Lean Leaper

Article

How to Wipe Out IT’s “Technical Debt” with PDCA

Besides bonds, bank loans, and other types of corporate debt, your company also holds "technical debt," the burden of future IT rework caused by superficially…

by Mike Orzen

Article

Coach's Corner: Designing the Entire Value Stream From Concept to Product End Life

Creating an environmentally-conscious value stream can be done with LPPD principles in mind. Just ask Katrina Appell, who explains how LPPD can help reduce both…

by Katrina Appell, PhD

Article

Coach's Corner: How To Put People First Using Lean Practices

A veteran lean product and process development coach explains what leaders must do to create a people-first culture.

by Katrina Appell, PhD

Article

As Your Customer’s Definition of Value Evolves, So Must Yours

If you don’t realize that your customer’s definition of value has expanded to include social responsibility and racial equity, you may learn so at a…

by Christopher D. Chapman

Case Study

Ensuring Success of Hoshin Kanri – a Better Way to Plan and Execute Your Strategy

Logoplaste's global vice president of lean and strategy shares a few vital lessons, learned through experience, about a proven way to set and achieve your…

by Patricia Panchak