Article

Coaches Need Improvement Too

"Whether you are a coaching client or a coach yourself," writes Brent Wahba, "you both have decided to pursue the world of continuous improvement, so…

by Brent Wahba

Article

6 Guidelines for Moving Toward a Lean Value Stream

Once you’re ready to use value-stream mapping to continuously improve your value streams, follow this advice from the authors of Learning to See, the workbook…

by Mike Rother and John Shook

Article

Focus on Process, Set Free Great Minds

What happens when organizations buy into this "focus on the process" concept? Read on to learn more.

by Tim Kane

Article

Building the Mindset and Skillset to Improve from the Board Room to the Classroom

A school district superintendent describes how lean thinking and practice transformed a failing district into a nationally recognized model of continuous improvement.

by Pat Greco

Article

Improve Continuously by Mastering the Lean Kata

Lean is about learning, say Rose Heathcote and Daryl Powell. Learning to find real problems, learning to face the limits of our current knowledge in…

by Rose Heathcote and Daryl Powell

Case Study

Putting Lean Principles in the Warehouse

While lean principles and practices have been widely adopted in manufacturing over the last couple of decades, their use in the warehouse and distribution center…

by Doug Bartholomew

Case Study

Sustain Your Lean Business System with a “Golden Triangle”

When medical device maker Phase 2 fought off an overseas challenge by meeting the global price, margins took a big hit. With help from customer…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

“A Roadmap to Lean Healthcare Success” Webinar: Follow-up Questions and Answers

The Lean Enterprise Institute's webinar "A Roadmap to Lean Healthcare Success" with John Toussaint, MD, CEO of the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value, drew thousands…

Article

How a Lean Quoting Process Helps You Capture High-Value Opportunities, Part 3

Setting up a Daily Opportunity Review Board helps your company strategically respond to high-value customer inquiries.

Article

How Wrong Assumptions about PDCA Problem Solving Destroy the Effectiveness of Lean Coaches

Problem solving based on the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle is very different from what we typically call problem solving. Here's why, according to lean coaching expert…

by David Verble

Article

Lean Warehousing and Distribution Benefits Your Company, Customers, and Supply Chain

Lean warehousing sounds like an oxymoron. But in this interview, lean practitioner and Toyota veteran David Graham explains how lean concepts apply to warehouse and…

by David Graham

Article

Follow-up Q & A to the Webinar "Integrating Leader Standard Work with Visual Management Tools”

This webinar was one of our most popular and highly rated. From among the hundreds of questions that we received during the webinar, we selected…

by Joe Murli

Case Study

“Pulling” Lean Through a Hospital

It's not unusual for North American hospitals to try lean for processes where patient flow most impacts costs or revenue. These efforts, if successful, often…

by George Taninecz

Article

A Lesson for Enabling Leaders and Systems

An executive's gemba visit reveals the value of engaging value-creating frontline workers in improving their work processes — and how you, as a leader, can…

by Josh Howell

Article

How Do the Problems of Continuous Improvement Professionals Differ from Those of Line Managers

Dear Gemba Coach: How do the lean-related problems or responsibilities of ci professionals differ from those of line managers or business unit managers?

by Michael Ballé

Case Study

The Backbone of Lean in the Back Shops

Learn why the lean concept of every part, every interval (EPEI) is the “backbone” of lean in this aerospace machine shop by leveling the mix…

Article

Visualize the Invisible: Connect Improvement Work to Real Business Needs

Reflecting on one of her most powerful learning experiences, Lesa Nichols writes, "It struck me that I hadn’t coached my team explicitly on how to…

by Lesa Nichols

Article

Lean Business-IT Integration, Part Five: Measurement - Finding Our True North

In the fifth article of a five-part series on Lean IT, LEI faculty member Steve Bell addresses measurement. Part One begins with the importance of…

by Steve Bell

Article

Helpful Coaching? Part One: Who Says What’s Helpful?

David Verble, a lean practitioner and Lean Enterprise Institute faculty member, offers advice for what kind of coaching is helpful for people with problem solving…

by David Verble

Article

Standardized Work in Business Processes

Dear Gemba Coach: How about standardized work in a business process environment? For example, in a procurement process or supply chain processes? There are not many…

by Michael Ballé