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Lean Principles Are Changing How the U.S. Recovers from Tornadoes & Floods

When the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina receded, they uncovered tens of thousands of homes in devastated areas such as St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, that…

by Chet Marchwinski and Zack Rosenburg

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Coaches coaching coaches

The Olympics are always great fun. It is inspiring to see human performance taken to such astounding levels. Watching the London games, I found myself…

by John Shook

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Striking With The Zen Stick

A key part of lean coaching is the practice of striking with a zen stick, says Dan Prock. This helps break people out of their…

by Dan Prock

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How can firing people be part of developing people?

Dear Gemba Coach: Can you explain how you reconcile the principles of "developing people" and "firing people," especially in light of the challenges illustrated in…

by Michael Ballé

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How Lean is Ruining My Life

Since you began learning about Lean, have you noticed it's nearly impossible to get through a day without seeing opportunities for improvement everywhere? LEI Coach…

by Danielle McGuiness

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What I Could Only Learn from a Sensei

Some aspects of lean can be learned through experience, but other aspects can only be taught by an experienced sensei. Michael Balle reflects on some…

by Michael Ballé

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A Fundamental Question

As I continue to visit your gemba and receive emails (over 500 and counting since I started in September), I am asked many questions. And…

by John Shook

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And You Forgot About Overproduction

John Shook discusses waste - specifically, overproduction

by John Shook

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Ask Art: What Do You Look At in a "Pre-lean" Company?

Art Byrne identifies factors such as excess inventory and floor space, long turnaround times, and numerous other elements to study when considering the long-term value…

by Art Byrne

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Grasping the Real Situation

Emmanuel Jallas visits a well-respected company that is vocal about its lean transformation. Upon further investigation he finds that like so many places, lean was…

by Emmanuel Jallas

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SBP Has a Helping Hand in Hurricane Harvey

Learn how SBP (formerly Saint Bernard Project) is using lean to help victims of Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters -- plus what you can…

by Zack Rosenburg

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Practical Approaches for Making Innovation an Enterprise-Wide Activity

Jim Morgan tells an interviewer how to make innovation an enterprise-wide endeavor, based on his years of experience as a product development researcher, author, and…

by Chet Marchwinski

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Beach Reading

The second edition of Lean Thinking has been out two months now and at least a few members of the Lean Community seem to have used it…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

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Taking a Value Stream Walk at Firm A

I was out walking through a company this past week, something I often do. The firm I visited had asked what I thought of their…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

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How to Wipe Out IT’s “Technical Debt” with PDCA

Besides bonds, bank loans, and other types of corporate debt, your company also holds "technical debt," the burden of future IT rework caused by superficially…

by Mike Orzen

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It's Not All About the Data on Value-Stream Maps: An Interview with Judy Worth

Data is a critical component of value-stream mapping. But it's not the only component you should be concerned about. All too often we find mappers…

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Any advice for someone (me) in sales who fails to see how lean can help?

Dear Gemba Coach: Our company has a long history of lean in manufacturing, but I work in the sales department. We have our own sales…

by Michael Ballé

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What If Elon Musk Took Manufacturing Cars Seriously?

Jeff Liker asks of Tesla: What if it took Toyota’s help seriously in learning basic manufacturing before undertaking disruptive technology change? What if Tesla built…

by Jeffrey Liker

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Ask Art: Is Lean Inward-Focused?

Art Byrne has been asked over and over if lean is inward-focused or customer-focused. There are aspects of lean that may suggest otherwise at a…

by Art Byrne

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Do Managers "Get" Lean?

Dear Gemba Coach: You mentioned during the webinar that plant tours reveal how well managers 'get' lean. Can you be more specific?

by Michael Ballé