Podcast

Ron Pereira and Jim Morgan Discuss the Power of Lean Product and Process Development

Check out excerpts from Gemba Academy's podcast with Jim Morgan on core lean product and process development concepts, what makes "LPPD" different from traditional product…

by Lean Leaper

Article

Managing to Create Problem-Solvers: A Lean Transformation Summit Roundup

Countless people have asked us over the years, "My organization can't be lean without a problem-solving culture. So how do I create one?" The answer:…

by Lean Leaper

Article

Leave Your Ego at the Door

Jim Morgan reflects on what he's learned from Alan Mulally (CEO of Ford Motor Company 2006-2014)--lessons like the importance of providing people with context, always…

by James Morgan, PhD

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.

Video

“Too much, Too early” and other Common Pitfalls of Lean Product Development

Veteran product development coaches Eric Ethington and Matt Zayko provide insights about the most common mistakes they see companies make when implementing Lean Product and…

by Eric Ethington, Chet Marchwinski and Matt Zayko

Article

Using Lean Thinking to Create an “Emergency Management System”

The Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC) demonstrates how one organization with scarce resources can respond to a problem as daunting as a global pandemic using…

by Alice Lee

Video

Exploring the Technical and Nontechnical Challenges of Being a Chief Engineer, A Candid Conversation with Two CEs (Part 1)

Chief engineers typically have strong technical skills to effectively lead and manage the work of engineers, designers, and other developers. But perhaps their greatest talent…

by Chet Marchwinski

Article

In Lean We Trust; Especially in a Crisis 

When phone calls and cancellations started coming in, the COVID-19 crisis became more than a news report about somewhere else. We knew we had our own situation to deal with. 

by Josh Howell

Article

Standardize Locally

A few weeks ago, during a day-long meeting with an executive management team, the topic of standardized work came up … again. It’s been popping up in…

by Josh Howell

Article

Why You Should Link Hoshin Kanri with A3 Problem-Solving

With A3 tightly linked to hoshin, an organization will not only solve problems but also will have the opportunity to innovate new ways of operating…

by Mark Reich

Article

Why Visualize?

Dear Gemba Coach: Why do you insist so much on visualizing information?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Are You Training People to Think or to Follow a Checklist?

"Without attention to why continuous improvement is important, the purpose behind [PDCA], when tools should be used, and when to apply ideas," Erin Urban writes,…

by Erin Urban

Article

What Does "Waste" in Government Processes Mean Anyway?

"It is commonplace in the US Federal Government to see placards and signs admonishing us to be on guard for instances of 'Fraud, Waste, and…

by William Journigan and James Phillips Jr.

Article

Mega Mura Bubble Trouble

I started writing my monthly e-letter in October of 2001 to speak to the worries of the Lean Community as the world economy slid into…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Launching and Sustaining a Lean “Pop-Up”

"It’s not unusual for a lean leader or lean practitioner to feel alone, especially in a company or enterprise early in its lean journey," writes…

by Doug Bartholomew

Article

Beyond Lean: Towards Compression Thinking

"Lean thinkers make things better by framing issues as Problems," writes Doc Hall. "Yet today our great challenges transcend corporate Problems. The core Problems confronting…

by Robert W. (Doc) Hall

Article

Value Stream Management

As we emerge from the recession and look ahead old ways of thinking and action will not be enough to meet two big challenges ahead.…

by Dan Jones

Article

What happens after the lean coach leaves?

As a lean coach, after you move to a new management assignment, finish a training course, or run several kaizen events, can the team you…

by Dan Jones

Article

I am the Violin, or, Mastery through Doing

Developing lean vision, lean mastery, is hard work says Orry Fiume, who compare this learning journey to a childhood prodigy who explained her young talent…

by Orest (Orry) Fiume

Article

6 Insights on How to Show Respect for People: A Lean Post Roundup

Practicing respect in a lean environment requires both a general mindset committed to the practice and constant daily actions grounded in the work. This roundup…

by Tom Ehrenfeld