Article

The Tesla Way vs. The Toyota Way

Does Tesla offer a Way of working that can challenge TPS? Perhaps a bit more time, and the development of a complete Tesla Business System,…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Podcast

33. On the Job with Ron Kelner, President and COO of the Deublin Company

Ron describes the Deublin Company's business system built with lean thinking that puts human development at the center.

by Josh Howell

Article

5 Barriers to Lean in Government

"There are many challenges for lean in government... The structure of the workforce, disincentives for risk-taking at all levels, complex stakeholder relationships, the simple problem…

Article

After Lean Progress, Fighting the Challenges of Backsliding

After accepting the tough challenge of reducing deliver lead-time, CEO Nicolas Chartier and their entire team learned "to react at the first sign of backsliding…

by Nicolas Chartier

Article

How Can One Be A Better Sensei?

Dear Gemba Coach,Our operations VP is disappointed with our lean program. Despite his close personal involvement with the program, it is not delivering the level…

by Michael Ballé

Video

Lean Thinking's Past, Present, and Future: A Q&A Roundtable with Jim Womack and Jim Morgan

To close each week of the Lean Enterprise Institute's Virtual Lean Learning Experience 2020 (VLX), we bring together the week's speakers for a Q&A and…

by Lean Leaper

Article

Overcoming Challenges with Lean Thinking Leads to Record-breaking Performance 

Despite obstacles, a new CEO transformed a manufacturing business from plant floor production to design engineering — and created a learning organization with a relentless…

by Matthew Savas

Article

What's Needed to Ensure a Successful Lean Transformation

Learn what works--and what doesn't--in driving your lean transformation. LEI Senior Advisors Jim Womack and Jim Morgan share top-line learning from their decades of experience…

by Lean Leaper

Video

Art of Lean on Problem-Solving, Part 7: Dreyfus Model and the Stages of Learning

Art looks at another external framework in an effort to help shorten your lead times of learning, development, and problem-solving.

by Art Smalley

Case Study

How a Retailer's Distribution Center Exemplifies the Lean Precept “Respect for People,” and Reaps the Benefits

To make sure training engaged and resonated with people after previous attempts at a lean transformation faltered, LifeWay matched lean management tools and principles to…

by David Drickhamer

Video

Videos from WLEI: Deep Dives on the Factory Floor with Cliff Ransom

Cliff Ransom walks through a factory with us, emphasizing how lean thinking improves the quality and efficiency of the work at hand.

Article

Is Lean Scientific?

Dear Gemba Coach: I often hear that lean is like the scientific method. As a lean consultant, I facilitate kaizen events, and find it hard to…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Toyota Trouble: A Dialogue with Jeff Liker (AKA the Coffee Shop Talks)

With the appearance of Toyota's various quality and recall problems, Jeff Liker and I have been meeting in coffee shops in Ann Arbor to discuss…

by John Shook

Article

How to Fail At Lean in Four Easy Steps

Nobody wants to fail at lean, to be sure. Author Regis Medina calls our four surefire ways to achieve this goal, and suggests a more…

Article

5S for Information

When a Lean Thinker asked how to apply the principles of 5S to the company server, Dan Markovitz responded with advice for applying these five…

by Dan Markovitz

Article

Understanding the Fundamentals of Value-Stream Mapping

This overview explains the essential elements of this powerful lean practice.

by Lean Leaper

Article

Helpful Hints about Mapping off the Plant Floor in Support of Administrative Operations

Off the shop floor, the distinctions between material and information flows often blurs. Here are nine suggestions from LEI author John Shook for adapting the…

by John Shook

Case Study

How to Focus on a People Accelerated Lean Transformation

Business and operational performance improved dramatically when a car dealership's leaders embraced the lean principle of respect for people. Here's their story.

by Sharon Visser, Principal, Halfway Toyota Ngami

Article

The Missing Link

There is a missing link between the world’s brilliant objects – now cheaper and better in many cases because of lean thinking applied to their…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Columbus Public Schools Use Process Thinking to Improve Academic Achievement

Principals and staff at Columbus, Ohio, schools created current states and future states of a diagnostic testing process in order to identify students' weaknesses and to improve the processes…

by George Taninecz