Article

It's Not the Crisis; It's How You Respond to It

He probably didn't ask for a problem of quite this magnitude, but like it or not, Akio Toyoda has his crisis. Akio took the reigns…

by John Shook

Article

What is Lean Management?

If lean thinking means a different approach to business, then it must also imply a different approach to managing by the people striving to operate…

by John Shook

Article

The Magnificent 7 of Lean Manufacturing

How do you establish stability on a shop floor that’s chaotic? Andrew Quibell recommends “7 manufacturing basics,” his personal selection of lean improvement tools, methodologies,…

by Andrew Quibell

Article

Ask Art: Why Is Something As Simple As Lean So Difficult to Do?

"Recently my good friend Paul Akers of FastCap and lean blogging fame asked me why lean, which appears to be so simple, ends up being…

by Art Byrne

Article

Key Traits and Behaviors of Great Lean Consultants

"If you want to accelerate your lean practice I highly recommend reaching out to a good lean consultant to serve as your coach, teacher, trainer,"…

by Art Byrne

Article

Why and How to Engage Finance in a Lean Transformation. An Interview with Jean Cunningham

There's often a disconnect between an organization's lean and finance departments, especially when a lean transformation is underway. In her newest piece for the Lean…

by Cameron Ford

Article

Should I use an A3 report to kick off a problem-solving effort?

Dear Gemba Coach: Should I use an A3 report to kick off a problem? I encourage my managers to tell me about their problems on…

by Michael Ballé

Article

What Too Many Leaders Get Wrong with Coaching Kata

Think you can dive headfirst into Coaching Kata with your direct reports? Think again.

by Beth Carrington

Article

What's Your Company's Bottleneck?

"A bottleneck is the weak link in the system, the one constraint that prevents us from manufacturing that next toaster or frothing that next latte…

by Brent Wahba

Article

Are You Prioritizing Efficiency Over Value?

A major element of lean is efficiency, but it's certainly not the ONLY element. While it may seem logical that customers value efficiency, an overreliance…

by Cameron Ford

Video

Autonomous Car Beta Version, Anyone? A Q&A with Jim Womack on Disruptive Innovation

What may be ahead for carmakers, product developers, and the lean management movement in a disrupted world is the subject of this Q&A with management…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD and Chet Marchwinski

Video

Lessons from a Chief Engineer on Starting and Sustaining Lean Product and Process Development

A Caterpillar executive shares his insights on applying LPPD principles.

by Chet Marchwinski and Steven Shoemaker

Video

Smitten Engineers or Love at First Sight of a Solution?

Entrepreneur Tyler Schilling has felt the pain of engineering heartbreak – falling in love early with a solution only to realize later in the project…

by Chet Marchwinski and Tyler Schilling

Article

The Next Frontier: Lean Government

On a recent trip to Saskatchewan Dan Jones went looking for a Canadian healthcare example but in the process he stumbled upon what he believes…

by Dan Jones

Article

Why Starting With a Model Area is Key to Lean Transformation

Lean coach Danielle Blais explains why starting small, with one team in one area, is so important to leading an effective lean transformation.

by Danielle McGuiness

Article

Questions and Coaching on A3 Thinking

In this Q&A, LEI's Deborah McGee shares insights into A3 thinking and problem-solving: "The A3 Management process is really a way of thinking and a…

by Deborah McGee

Article

Uncovering Lean’s Soul

Dr. John Ehrenfeld argues that lean as a different way of being is still woefully undervalued in lean transformations today. Here is his take on…

Article

Advice from the Gemba: Getting More Suggestions without Incentivizing Employees

Improving the work is difficult, if not impossible, without suggestions from those who actually do the work. But in many companies, getting the workers to…

by Gavin Martin and Kelly Moore

Article

Foolish Consistency or Meaningful Standard Work?

How do organizations develop system-wide standard work and also create the conditions for local problem solving within departments? Dr. Grant Greenberg of University of Michigan…

by Grant Greenberg

Article

Levelled Production: Where to Start

"A fixed repeating pattern in production that involves more frequent short runs seems ridiculous and impossible to achieve," writes Ian Glenday. In his latest piece…

by Ian Glenday