Article
How NUMMI Changed Its Culture
I received a lot of questions on-line and off about last week’s column on the pending closing of NUMMI. One question in particular came up…
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Article
The Role of Lean Product and Process Development in Building the Lean Enterprise
A distinguished group of lean leaders discusses the role of Lean Product and Process Development in building the lean enterprise during a panel discussion during…
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Article
Lean Practitioners Gather to Share Ideas that Grow the Bottom Line by Growing People’s Knowledge
We were among the nearly 2,000 lean thinkers attending the 2014 AME conference, organized around six value streams: Engaged People, Daily Improvement, Innovation, Extended Enterprise,…
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Article
Ask Art: How Useful is Six Sigma and the Black Belts and Green Belts that Come with It?
Several specific examples demonstrate why lean continuous improvement practices are usually superior to six sigma for solving problems.
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Article
Would you have a few tips about coaching on the gemba?
Dear Gemba Coach: Would you have a few tips about coaching on the gemba?
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Article
Isn’t lean all about culture?
Dear Gemba Coach: Isn’t lean all about culture, really?
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Article
Product and Process Lean
Dear Gemba Coach: Lean product development guys tout the gospel of product focus as core to lean success. No argument from me. But … how,…
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Article
Ask Art: How Do Improvements to Your Balance Sheet Drive Earnings?
Converting to true lean practice yields significant improvement in financial performance -- and one place to start is by focusing and fixing your balance sheet.…
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Case Study
To Successfully Apply Lean Thinking in Distribution, Go to Where the Action Is!
Two years after its first kaizen workshop, Plumbers Supply Company has made significant progress toward a lean business conversion. Starting with daily management walkabouts and…
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Article
Ask Art: Why is a Lean Sensei Necessary?
Lean veteran Art Byrne explains how having a lean sensei helps leaders and organizations succeed in their lean transformation.
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Article
Kaizen Power
In his latest piece for the Post, Michael Ballé explains why "humble 100x1% is better than 1x100% kaizen." This kind of kaizen impacts the bottom…
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Article
What is the hardest conversation you ever had during gemba walks?
Dear Gemba Coach: What is the hardest conversation that you have during gemba walks?
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Case Study
Creating the Course and Tools for a Lean Accounting System
A unit of Parker Hannifin used a financial kaizen and other lean accounting techniques to bridge the gaps between shop-floor improvements and traditional financial statements.
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Article
Deconstructing the Tower of Babel
As the years have gone by, we seem to be building a lean Tower of Babel. I hear the term applied very vaguely and used…
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Article
I have years of experience in operational excellence but if I were to start lean where should I start?
Dear Gemba Coach: I have years of experience in operational excellence and have always assumed that lean is just a more gemba-focused way of improving…
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Video
Exploring the Technical and Nontechnical Challenges of Being a Chief Engineer, a Candid Conversation with Two CEs (Part 2)
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…
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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…
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Case Study
Lean Inroads Into Alabama Academia
Despite business’s declared need for graduates experienced with lean concepts, most colleges and universities offer only a lean module or course here and there. But…
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Article
The Remarkable Chief Engineer
Last week I shared this principle quoted from an unexpected source, the U.S. Marine Leadership Manual: "An individual's responsibility for leadership is not dependent on…
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Article
Lean Transformation: "Shock and Awe" vs. "Slow and Grow"
When leading a lean transformation, is it better to use the "shock and awe" method or the "low and slow" method? It may not even…
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