Article
Does quality really come first?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve been practicing lean for many years and have learned to create flow and one-piece-flow. However I still struggle with quality problems.…
View article![Article graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-article-375x137.jpg)
Article
Michikazu Tanaka of Daihatsu on “What I Learned from Taiichi Ohno”
This week (and in some future columns as well, no doubt) I’ll indulge my deep interest in the history of Toyota by sharing some of…
View article![Article graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-article-375x137.jpg)
Article
How to Create a Lean Management Book Club that Executives Will Actually Attend
At the start of a lean transformation, a continuous improvement leader convinced her division president that a book club would be a good way to…
View article![](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/882_large-375x137.jpg)
Article
The Hidden Value of Filling Out the Paperwork
Respect for people--and sustained continuous improvement--begins with something as simple as carefully filling out the paperwork for standardized work, says Josh Howell.
View article![calendar](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1263_large-375x137.png)
Article
6 Things You Can Do to Become a More Effective Lean Leader
This collection of articles from Lean Coach David Verble examines how the way managers and leaders talk to employees (and to each other) can contribute,…
View article![leader pulling colleagues up the mountain while holding a flag](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/verble-lean-leadership-375x137.jpg)
Article
Lean Consortia: Sharing Experiences, Learning from Others
Manufacturers, healthcare organizations, government agencies, and others gain powerful benefits through collaborative learning and networking in lean consortia. Consortium members trade improvement ideas and experiences,…
View article![Article graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-article-375x137.jpg)
Article
Why do lean practitioners use so many Japanese terms?
Dear Gemba Coach: Why do we use so many Japanese terms? I guess experts really want employees and students to think about these concepts. They make…
View article![Article graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-article-375x137.jpg)
Article
Ask Art: How Should I Re-invest the Gains from Kaizen?
Becoming lean through using kaizen activity allows you to remove a great deal of waste and deliver value to your customers, shares Art Byrne. If…
View article![](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/1005_large-375x137.jpg)
Article
Why do you keep referring to Toyota; does it still matter?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m very interested in lean, but fail to see why you guys keep referring to Toyota. What does a Toyota plant look like…
View article![Article graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-article-375x137.jpg)
Case Study
Shifting to Value-Stream Managers:a Shop-Floor Revolution Leads to a Revolution in Plant Organization
Two years into a lean transformation, the low-hanging fruit has been plucked and progress has started to slow. Read how a Thomas & Betts plant…
View case study![Case study graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-casestudy-375x137.jpg)
Article
Two Giants, Two Communities, One Lasting Thing
In this graceful elegy of the impact of two pioneers who recently passed away, John Shook says: "Ezra and Norm belonged to adjacent communities –…
View article![](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/1349_large-375x137.png)
Article
How Do I Address Resistance From Middle Management?
Dear Gemba Coach: Why does middle management resist lean transformations; how can they be brought on board?
View article![Article graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-article-375x137.jpg)
Article
Nonsense about JIT
In almost every value stream, there will be some inventory at points where the product cannot flow. This inventory will typically consist of finished goods…
View article![Article graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-article-375x137.jpg)
Article
Ask Art: I Want to Convert My Company to Lean. What Are the First Steps?
The former Wiremold CEO explains the commitment you must make— and the expectations you must set—when you start your continuous-improvement journey.
View article![where to start](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/where-to-start-art-byrne-375x173.jpg)
Article
Ask Art: Does Lean Really Work in A Non-manufacturing Company?
All companies and organizations, whether manufacturing or not, are nothing more than a group of people and a bunch of processes trying to deliver value…
View article![](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/962_large-375x137.png)
Article
Why We Believe People-Free Plants and Services Prevent Learning
We (Lean Sensei Women) are a group of women from different continents, horizons, and professions who share a commitment to the development of people. We…
View article![](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/990_large-375x137.png)
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…
View article![outside warehouse with boxes and a van](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/warehousing-375x137.jpg)
Article
How do we mid-level managers convince the CEO and senior management that adopting lean practices is worthwhile?
Dear Gemba Coach: The recent webinar on the business case for lean was particularly useful for us because it raised many questions and provided a…
View article![Article graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-article-375x137.jpg)
Article
What does developing people mean?
Dear Gemba Coach,Are people tools? Should bosses use people? What does development mean? How should we think about it?
View article![Article graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-article-375x137.jpg)
Article
What Is Information Waste?
Excess information — in our inboxes, hard drives, shared drives, intranet sites, data warehouses, etc., — is waste. This unnecessary "inventory" causes congestion, delays, inefficiency,…
View article![Article graphic image with repeating icons](https://www.lean.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/fallback-article-375x137.jpg)