Article

How to Make Your Planning Process More Effective

Learn why Toyota's planning process is much more effective than traditional approaches used by North American companies. David Verble shares what he learned working at…

by David Verble

Article

What's Your Lean Origin Story? And Why Does It Matter?

I’m wondering, as a leader and a coach, how can I help others develop similar routines, propagating, for example, the principle of 'work/er first' or…

by Josh Howell

Article

Framing Art and Science: What Lean Knowledge Are We Going to Create Together?

"What is the purpose of lean product development? Where are its limits? Who plays, and what is 'out of bounds?' Such an identity 'crisis' is…

by Dr. Terence (Terry) Barnhart

Article

Lean in Japan: The Benefit of an Outsider's View

"Sometimes when we know a process, culture, or organization too deeply, we struggle to view things as they actually are..." writes Katie Anderson who is…

by Katie Anderson

Article

Reaching Your Organization’s Full Potential

A visit to Turner Construction's New York Business Unit reveals how its leaders use the A3 process to build their staff's problem-solving capabilities.

by Josh Howell

Video

Jim Womack Explains the Origins — and Value — of Value-Stream Mapping

In this brief video, the LEI founder and senior advisor offers an introduction — or refresher on why value-stream mapping is vital to your continuous…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD

Article

Does it matter if we call lean "lean"?

Dear Gemba Coach: If it works, why worry if it’s called lean, operational excellence, or the company’s excellence system? As long as we get results,…

by Michael Ballé

Article

How can I help middle managers handle contradictory instructions from top management?

Dear Gemba Coach: As a lean coach, how can I help middle-managers who are faced with contradictory instructions from top management?

by Michael Ballé

Article

Warning: What You Call Kaizen May Really Be Rework

If you begin your lean management transformation on the shop floor, you run the risk of having to rework processes and products that should have…

by Chet Marchwinski and James Morgan, PhD

Article

What is Lean Management?

If lean thinking means a different approach to business, then it must also imply a different approach to managing by the people striving to operate…

by John Shook

Article

Ask Art: Why Is Something As Simple As Lean So Difficult to Do?

"Recently my good friend Paul Akers of FastCap and lean blogging fame asked me why lean, which appears to be so simple, ends up being…

by Art Byrne

Article

What Too Many Leaders Get Wrong with Coaching Kata

Think you can dive headfirst into Coaching Kata with your direct reports? Think again.

by Beth Carrington

Article

Are You Prioritizing Efficiency Over Value?

A major element of lean is efficiency, but it's certainly not the ONLY element. While it may seem logical that customers value efficiency, an overreliance…

by Cameron Ford

Video

Autonomous Car Beta Version, Anyone? A Q&A with Jim Womack on Disruptive Innovation

What may be ahead for carmakers, product developers, and the lean management movement in a disrupted world is the subject of this Q&A with management…

by James (Jim) Womack, PhD and Chet Marchwinski

Article

The Next Frontier: Lean Government

On a recent trip to Saskatchewan Dan Jones went looking for a Canadian healthcare example but in the process he stumbled upon what he believes…

by Dan Jones

Article

Uncovering Lean’s Soul

Dr. John Ehrenfeld argues that lean as a different way of being is still woefully undervalued in lean transformations today. Here is his take on…

Article

Levelled Production: Where to Start

"A fixed repeating pattern in production that involves more frequent short runs seems ridiculous and impossible to achieve," writes Ian Glenday. In his latest piece…

by Ian Glenday

Article

Active Caring

Caring about others, caring about quality, caring about professionalism. When you care, continuous improvement and action come naturally. Turner Construction CEO Peter Davoren says that…

by Jim Benson

Article

Even Visual Management Starts from Need

Have you ever implement a visual management tool at your gemba after seeing it used successfully somewhere else? If so, according to Mark Hamel, you…

by Mark Hamel

Article

Yes, Lean is About Cost Reduction

Why focus on cost reduction? Because many of the cost-saving kaizens of are simpler and require less engineering resources, and this type of kaizen motivates…

by Mark Reich