Article
Taiichi Ohno's Birthday and 100 Years of Lean
Today is Taiichi Ohno's birthday. Were he alive, the primary developer of the Toyota Production System would be turning 100 years old. Much has happened…
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Article
Is Lean Thinking Art or Science? Yes
Calling the recent book Lean Conversations a landmark initiative on lean and the arts, John Shook observes that "If Jean Cocteau’s famous observation that 'art…
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Article
Learning Lean - Collaboratively
John Shooks reflects on the importance of continual learning in lean practice, emphasizing the distinction between being a passive knower and an active learner.
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Video
Getting Started with Lean Thinking and Practice
This brief animation answers the novice lean thinkers’ most common question.
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Article
Lean Information Management
Recently I was walking through a manufacturing operation and found myself wondering about the principles of lean information management, in particular with regard to production…
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Article
My management team feels tense and pressured about going to the gemba. Is this normal?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’ve decided to take my management team to the gemba to get them to solve real problems but this is creating a…
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What does customer focus really mean?
Dear Gemba Coach: We’re discussing improving our customer focus, but we’ve realized we’re not quite sure what the phrase really means. Any pointers?
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Could you clarify the difference between cause and root cause?
Dear Gemba Coach: Could you clarify the difference between cause and root cause?
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How Do I Keep My Lean Team Motivated for the Long Term?
Dear Gemba Coach: My team often feels that they are alone in their improvement efforts. Even after all our work we continue to encounter resistance…
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Should value-stream mapping come before 5S?
Dear Gemba Coach: Shouldn’t VSM come before 5S so we see the whole picture first?
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How effective is a book club?
Dear Gemba Coach: How effective is a book club? Should we invest in book clubs?
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What the heck is a dojo?
ear Gemba Coach: What is a “dojo”? I hear about it but don’t find it referenced in the lean tools. Is it important?
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How can I speed up my team’s lean learning?
Dear Gemba Coach: How can I speed up my team’s lean learning?
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How do we pass the baton from one lean leader to the next?
Dear Gemba Coach: What are your thoughts about ensuring that a lean transformation persists past a leader’s tenure at an organization?
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Gemba, workplace, genchi genbutsu, go-and-see ... What’s the difference?
Dear Gemba Coach: Is there a difference between “gemba” as used in lean texts and “genchi genbutsu” as they appear in Toyota literature?
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Ask Art: What Role does Human Resources Play in a Lean Turnaround?
Although you shouldn’t expect HR to lead the kaizen effort or set up extensive training programs, there is still plenty for them to do that…
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Article
Take Baby Steps Towards Improvement
As you think about your 2019 resolutions, ask yourself if you’re making the change too big and, therefore, too scary, suggests Mark Graban. Instead of…
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Article
7 Elements of Quality on the Shop Floor
"How do you lean out a quality approach that can work on the shop floor (maybe even compatible in a healthcare environment as well)?" people…
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Article
Ask Art: Is there a formula to predict or evaluate the success of a lean implementation?
Art Byrne is often asked how to best measure the success of a lean transformation -- but does such a measurement even exist? He's been…
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Article
Mining the Lessons From Designing the Future
Designing the Future shares a wealth of insights that transcend product development minutiae; this articles shares the broader argument presented by the authors in this…
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