Article

How Well Can Lean Principles Fuel New Ventures Like Tesla and Rivian?

How well do lean principles apply to the grueling challenge of launching a company—let alone launching a brand new automotive company?

by Tom Ehrenfeld

Article

Product Development Lessons from a Global Pandemic

How a Lean Product & Process Development (LPPD) approach would accelerate a Covid-19 vaccine.

by James Morgan, PhD

Article

No Standard, No Problem? Not Really. It’s a Big Problem

Learn why the A3 is more than a problem-solving tool, and why it's critical to leading change.

by David Verble

Article

GM Is Bankrupt: Does That Mean GM Managers Are Bad Managers?

John Shook discusses GM's bankruptcy and management

by John Shook

Article

An interview with Gary Convis on A3 thinking and lean leadership

Lean veteran Gary Convis explains how the A3 report serves as a flexible tool that develops leaders and aligns important goals across plants, divisions, and…

Video

Learning By Doing with Art Byrne

Art Byrne has the expertise of a lean executive and he's sharing more knowledge than ever in this clip from his most recent webinar.

by Lean Leaper

Case Study

Breaking the Cycle of Ineffective Strategic Planning and Execution

Bill MacPherson, managing director of Mercer Celgar, a division of Mercer International, describes why hoshin kanri is a better approach to strategy development and execution.…

by Patricia Panchak

Article

Ask Art: Why Do I Need a Kaizen Promotion Office (KPO)?

A veteran lean leader explains why companies seeking to cultivate a lean culture should establish an internal team to oversee the effort and explains how…

by Art Byrne

Article

From Concept to Reality: The Importance of Manufacturing Know-How in Product Development

This month’s Design Brief examines the know-how behind making things well, including how rigorous process development paired with product development improves quality and costs, how…

by James Morgan, PhD

Article

The Ingredients of Lean

Lean practitioner Steve Brenneman finds shared values in his Mennonite faith and his lean practice: a strong set of values like community over individual, thriftiness…

by Steve Brenneman

Article

Lean Was a Lot Simpler Back in the Day...

Lean transformations aren't easy. But, according to Brent Wahba, they weren't always that way. In his newest Post, Brent discusses his thoughts on what has…

by Brent Wahba

Article

Lean Labor Relations and The Customer First Principle

Here’s the scene: A production line at a car and truck manufacturing plant is stalling several times a day resulting in serious workflow issues. Read…

by Jeff Smith

Article

Any step forward in a lean transformation is a good step -- right?

Dear Gemba Coach: Surely a step forward in a lean transformation is a good thing, even if it’s not completely in the right direction?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Don't Gloat Too Quickly - If This Could Happen to Toyota, It Could Happen to You ...

Okay, so how do you respond to a "crisis"?  My recent encouragement to Toyota President Akio Toyoda that "It isn't the crisis, it's how you respond…

by John Shook

Article

Lean at Heart: Kanban

The underlying principles of lean can be found everywhere in daily life. In this article Masia Goodman identifies examples of "Better" practices that overlap with…

by Masia Goodman

Article

Leaning Up Baby

Olivia Talman, a former intern at The Lean Enterprise Institute, knew problem-solving was important, but wasn't sold on Lean at first. In her first piece…

Article

How to Test Your A3 Thinking

Are you pretty sure you've completed the A3 process correctly but want to test the logic of your thinking? Or could you use some advice…

by Tracey Richardson

Article

"Our people are our most important asset"…Really?

This well-intentioned phrase can carry a buried and profoundly disrespectful message, implying conventional capital asset thinking, treating the people in the organization as an asset…

by John Shook

Article

Homicide by Example?

My LEI colleague Dave LaHote is fond of saying that managers - and especially senior managers - overestimate their effectiveness, particularly as they seek to…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Where can I find information about visual management?

Dear Gemba Coach: I can’t find much written about visual management although it seems an important part of lean – any idea where to look?

by Michael Ballé