Article

Why do we hear less and less about lean in manufacturing?

Dear Gemba Coach: Why do we hear less and less about lean in manufacturing? Is it that most companies have implemented lean successfully or at…

by Michael Ballé

Article

I’ve been improving process efficiency for years with value-stream mapping, why did you write that it is misleading?

Dear Gemba Coach: In your previous column you stated that value-stream mapping can be misleading. I’ve been using VSM for years to improve process efficiency…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Still Faithful to Lean Thinking

"We wrote Lead With Respect to show just how central engagement and involvement is to lean success," says Michael Ballé. "As a sociologist, 'making people…

by Michael Ballé

Video

Art of Lean on Problem-Solving, Part 1: Coaching Problem-Solving

Art Smalley is back and ready to teach all about problem-solving, this time with an emphasis on coaching. He starts broad and goes deep in…

by Art Smalley

Article

Delivering Effectively on a Noble Mission: Community Servings Gets High-Quality Meals to the People Who Need Them

At the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), our partner organizations usually come to us, or a learning relationship develops over time due to an interest in…

by Lex Schroeder

Podcast

Diving Deep to Discover the Value of Lean Companies with Cliff Ransom

The following conversation drills down into the lessons learned from looking at public companies through lean-colored glasses.

by Lean Enterprise Institute

Article

ASK ART: “Why do you say lean is all about people?”

Lean is all about people, says author and former CEO Art Byrne, who has been successfully turning around companies for over 20 years. That means…

by Art Byrne

Article

PDCA, Fitness Apps, and Using Social Media to Improve Our Health

"Health isn't about always being perfect," writes lean coach Tracey Richardson. "Just like in our organizations, we all have imperfect days. It’s how we change…

by Tracey Richardson

Case Study

Landscape Forms Cultivates Lean to Fuel Growth Goals

With single-item orders 80% of the time, adopting single-piece flow and cellular production made sense to management at Landscape Forms, a low-volume, high-mix producer of…

Article

Three Core Capabilities in Any Lean Product and Process Development System

"Good development leaders work in earnest to create a 'safe culture' for people to share issues. Working to [drive out fear] is both important and…

by James Morgan, PhD

Article

How To Get Out of the Habit of Telling

How do we get out of the habit of just “fixing” the immediate problem at hand ourselves (or telling others how we think they should…

by Katie Anderson

Article

How Do We Help Our Plant Managers Want to Do Lean?

Dear Gemba Coach: We've just changed our divisional general manager and the new boss wants our lean approach to be less directive and more participative. That…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Gemba and Quality

Dear Gemba Coach: We’ve made good progress on quality with Six Sigma, but we’ve reached a plateau. I’ve met a lean consultant who tells me…

by Michael Ballé

Article

Ask Art: Am I Showing Respect for People by Asking for Fast Action?

Lean is a “learn by doing” exercise not a classroom training approach. The best method I know to achieve this is through a sustained high…

by Art Byrne

Article

My Lean Journey: The 5Ss

Do you remember the first time you realized the true potential of lean in improving work output? Lean newcomer Cam Ford does - here's his…

Article

Why We Believe Questions Accelerate Learning

The key to achieving better outcomes over time is to develop the vital skill of asking questions designed to spur critical thinking, argue the Lean…

by Lean Sensei Women

Article

PD C+ A+ In the Classroom

Looking back on her time as a teacher through a lean lens, the author suggests how the process of education might be improved by examining…

by Allison O'Neill

Article

Is lean problem solving different from regular problem solving?

Dear Gemba Coach: How is lean problem solving any different from regular problem-solving?

by Michael Ballé

Video

Understanding Lean Product and Process Development: An LEI Explainer Video

Learn what Lean Product & Process Development (LPPD) is, why it's critical in developing successful value streams, why companies struggle to implement its practices and…

by Lean Leaper

Article

Ask Art: Why do so few companies that implement lean do it successfully?

We've all heard the stories of failed lean implementations, as well as the hotly debated question of "Why did it fail?" In his many years…

by Art Byrne