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Lean Accounting Summit Impacts Dissertation
Since 2008, the Lean Enterprise Institute has sponsored the Excellence in Lean Accounting Award to fund scholarships helping pairs of students and professors attend the…
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Why Value-Stream Mapping is Essential to Product and Process Development
Learn about a proven way to help cross-functional teams clearly “see” their work and achieve their full potential.
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Advice from the Gemba: TPS Mythbusting
Despite its fundamental role in a lean transformation, the Toyota Production System is not an easy thing for many to grasp. In this special installment…
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Ask Art: Is Lean a Good Cost-Reduction Program?
A point-by-point comparison demonstrates why lean thinking and practice is a business strategy, not merely a cost-cutting strategy.
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The Impact of Social Distancing on Assembly Operations
Take a deep-dive look at how GE Appliances and Herman Miller are working on designing a safe work environment for production employees during the Covid-19…
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Shouldn't lean focus on solutions, rather than problems?
Dear Gemba Coach: Why is lean so focused on problem solving? Isn’t seeing everything as a problem negative? Shouldn’t we focus on solutions instead? Wouldn’t…
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I’m struggling to understand exactly what people mean by a “lean system”?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m struggling to understand exactly what people mean by a “lean system”?
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Don't Just Go Back--Go Forward...With Kindness and A Little Creativity!
As we all grapple with ongoing changes imposed by the Covid-19 virus, we have reflected deeply, and humbly share the following new ways that will…
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Value Stream Walk, Management Walk or….Just Walking Around?
Gemba Walks can raise consciousness about problems and the possibilities for dramatic improvements, says Jim Womack. Or they can serve as a means of reinforcing…
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Think of the best mentor/coach you've had on your lean journey. What did he or she do to help you become a better problem solver?
Whether practical, profound, or humorous, the guidance that your best mentors provided was just what you needed, just when you needed it during your personal…
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Value Stream Mapping
Value-stream mapping (VSM) is diagraming every step involved in the material and information flows needed to bring a product from order to delivery. It is…
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Lean Lessons from Japan: Day One
This week, LEI is in Japan with 19 eager learners. The purpose of this trip is not just to see Just-In-Time. The purpose is to…
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Now is the Time for Resilience and Adaptability!
People and organizations can create the conditions for building their own resilience by drawing from TPS, the Thinking People System, says Sandrine Olivencia. But for…
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Lean and "emotional heijunka" in a Time of Pandemic
In this timely reflection, Jim Womack calls for "emotional heijunka": taking a deep breath, identifying the most important problems that must be addressed in a…
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Back-to-School Lean: Lunchbox Kanban
Lean thinking is just as impactful on the home front as it is at work. In honor of back-to-school season, LEI Learning Activities Manager Deb…
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Lean Thinking for Quicker Police Emergency Response Time
Bob Downing and Erin Magee reflect on the results of a collaborative project they worked on last year when their company was asked by the…
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The (Real) Lean Firefighter: Bringing Lean to the Grand Rapids Fire Department
Brad Brown had no lean experience when he joined the Grand Rapids Fire Department (GRFD) in 2003. But as the Great Recession went into full…
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