Article
I want to apply lean to engineering. Any thoughts?
Dear Gemba Coach: I am the regional manufacturing VP of a large industrial company. After the latest reorganization, engineering now comes under me. I’ve had…
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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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Video
“Too much, Too early” and other Common Pitfalls of Lean Product Development
Veteran product development coaches Eric Ethington and Matt Zayko provide insights about the most common mistakes they see companies make when implementing Lean Product and…
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Article
The Manufacturing Waste Series: Introduction
In the first installment of his new series on waste, Andrew Quibell's latest sketch introduces his take on why kaizen efforts often fail to achieve…
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Article
Ask Art: How Do I Get Senior Leadership On Board with Lean?
Lean transformations are rarely successful without the support and participation of senior leadership. Art Byrne, former CEO of Wiremold, shares his advice to lean practitioners…
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Article
From Cradle-to-Gate to Cradle-to-Cradle: A Lean Approach to Sustainable Product Design
Lean Product and Process Development (LPPD) plays a pivotal role in contributing to a more sustainable, less resource-intensive society.
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Article
An Interview with Executive and Lean Practitioner Gary Berndt
Gary Berndt, who has led lean transformations in a variety of companies, answers questions about connecting lean efforts to strategy and financial objectives, executive behavior…
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How Lean Can Help You Go Green
How to use lean thinking and practices to create sustainable business practices.
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Article
Are You Having Problems with Your Problem-Solving?
Here are some useful questions to ask about how you approach problems. Following them may help you avoid some common mistakes and form better habits.
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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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Innovation in the Work
LEI's chairman explores the meaning of “innovation” and lean thinking’s relationship to it, bringing a fresh perspective to challenge traditional comparisons.
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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
Why Value-Stream Mapping is So Difficult in the Public Sector
Identifying value in an organization isn't the easiest task to accomplish. If you happen to work in the public sector, that fact goes double. Public-sector…
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Article
Combat Isolation with Productivity by Using HoRenSo – A Communication Structure that Engages People, part one of two
How to make your meetings more productive, the Toyota Way.
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Article
Beyond Lean: Towards Compression Thinking
"Lean thinkers make things better by framing issues as Problems," writes Doc Hall. "Yet today our great challenges transcend corporate Problems. The core Problems confronting…
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Article
Your Conversations on Lean Thinking and Practice in Healthcare
Check out the conversation topics (and report outs) from the Open Space learning session at the Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit last week in LA!
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Article
Small Batch: Hand-Picked Articles form the Global Lean Community (Vol. 2)
Our picks for the best high-impact learning stories and columns from Planet Lean.
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Article
We found your visit rather challenging ... does “real” lean have to be such a struggle?
Dear Gemba Coach: The question I’m facing internally is whether “real” lean needs to be that challenging or is there an easier way to do…
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Continuous Improvement is Good, But Is It Lean?
Take a look at your organization. Is Lean clearly directed and connected to strategy? Are senior leaders directly involved in specifying the process improvements needed?…
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Article
Value Stream Management
As we emerge from the recession and look ahead old ways of thinking and action will not be enough to meet two big challenges ahead.…
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