Article

Addressing the Labor Shortage by Innovating the Work

Learn how a restaurant is working to attract and retain workers by improving the work inside their commissary.

by Josh Howell and Matthew Savas

Article

Why reduce inventory further?

Dear Gemba Coach,We have a lot of machining operations in our process, and we carry inventory. What is the best way to show employees the…

by Michael Ballé

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How Lean Changed My Work: Lean Without Knowing It

Last month LEI sent out an email asking the lean community how lean changed their work. For Jeremy Venable of Shell Chemical, lean not only…

by Jeremy Venable

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The Challenges of Coaching

I’ve stepped into a new role recently, assuming responsibility for a variety of new-to-me jobs. One of my new jobs is writing this monthly e-letter.…

by Josh Howell

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How do we get started with standard work?

How do we get started with standard work? The literature seems to say there can’t be meaningful kaizen without standards, but although we have procedures…

by Michael Ballé

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Why audit standard work? And what is the best approach?

Dear Gemba Coach: Can you help me determine the best way to conduct audits of standard work (SW)? The Toyota Way Fieldbook describes a layered…

by Michael Ballé

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Should producing products with zero defects be my top goal?

Dear Gemba Coach: Is zero defects really the first goal? The number of defects doesn’t necessarily relate to the user’s experience with a product, does it?

by Michael Ballé

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What should I expect as a lean manager?

Dear Gemba Coach: I’m currently a team leader, and I’ve been offered a job as a lean manager – what should I expect?

by Michael Ballé

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Challenge: Understand and Adapt for Sales Pace Growth

It's our first Lean Challenge post! Come up with a plan to help a machining business deal with the technical and social challenges posed by…

by Jeff Smith

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Do lean-minded finance professionals make a difference in appraising lean initiatives?

Dear Gemba Coach: I would like to ask lean-minded fellow finance professionals if they make a difference in appraising lean initiatives from other investments in…

by Michael Ballé

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Lean Thinking at 20, Part 2: A Q&A with Jim Womack and Dan Jones

Twenty years ago Jim Womack and Dan Jones helped launch the lean movement as we know it today with their key book Lean Thinking. Now,…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD and Dan Jones

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How Does LPPD Help Create a Lean Enterprise?

What is LPPD? As noted by Jim Morgan LPPD is a set of principles and practices that promote collaboration, transparency, and rapid learning, in the…

by Lean Leaper

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Your Product Isn't Everything, It's the Only Thing

Jim Morgan, former product/process development executive at Ford (and co-author of The Toyota Product Development System), reflects on what should really matter to you and…

by James Morgan, PhD

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You Can't Manage a Secret

How did the obeya management system come to be at Toyota? How has it been refined since its beginning as a means of organizing research…

by James Morgan, PhD

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Getting Home: Jacob and Claude Stoller Appreciate the Lean Lessons of this New Book

"Getting Home is a terrific book that puts lean to work on a problem that’s really significant. Let’s hope it’s an inspiration for architects and…

by Claude Stoller and Jacob Stoller

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Leadership Without Giving Solutions (from a Fire Fighter's Perspective)

LEI faculty member Greg Lane shares a lean coaching story from his own life, in which he finds himself advising a friend on how best…

by Greg Lane

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Sharks & Tortoises

"A small number of firms have grown spectacularly in revenue, employees, and stock price by using [lean] to execute crisply on tactics," writes Jeff Morrow,…

by Jeff Morrow

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KAIZEN CHALLENGE: Lean Technical and Social Quiz

In this kaizen challenge, lean coach Jeff Smith invites you to help determine the optimal lot size to run through assembly. Please share your thoughts!

by Jeff Smith

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Personal PDCA and How I Learned It

"In 23 years at Toyota, I had many assignments and different bosses, I managed many people," writes Mark Reich, "but a constant part of the…

by Mark Reich

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What problem are you trying to solve?

As human beings, are we basically “programmed” to produce blanket solutions that typically only address symptoms of problems, never to discover what causes problems in…