Articles
Learn more about your selected topics.

Respect for People: Making the Job Easier for Workers
How a lean mindset and practices are reining in workplace disruptions, minimizing workers’ physical aches and pains, and improving flow…
View case study
The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection
"I began to notice that there was a sharp contrast between well-made, crafted products and poorly made ones, and an…
Read article
Becoming Horizontal in a Vertical World
One of my favorite value-stream walks is with the senior managers of several organizations who share and jointly manage a…
Read article
The History of the Term “Lean”: a Conversation with Jim Womack and John Krafcik
Jim Womack and John Krafcik look back at the history of the term "lean" and look ahead to the future…
Listen to podcast
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…
Read article
Lead from the Front, Lead from Behind
In my last letter I alluded to a common view in the Lean Community – shared by the broader business…
Read article
AI’s Impact on Healthcare: A Conversation with Dr. Jackie Gerhart and Dr. Christopher Longhurst
In this episode of the WLEI podcast, we speak with two doctors pioneering AI applications in healthcare.
Listen to podcast
Front-Loading Cost Analysis: A Key Practice in Lean Product Development
Reduce development costs, minimize surprises, and deliver the products customers love with a front-loading approach.
Read article
The Lean Community and the Second “P”
The second “P” in lean product and process development or LPPD is as important as the first “P.” At least…
Read article
Understanding Lean Transformation
Learn the critical dimensions of transformation with the Lean Transformation Framework, a proven, systematic approach toward achieving a lean transformation…
Read article
2024 Lean Summit Keynote — Scaling Agile Through Lean Principles
Watch a keynote from the 2024 Lean Summit examining how lean thinking can scale agile in rapidly growing, complex enterprises.
Watch video
More Crisis Control at Boeing and the FAA – Some Lessons on Building in Quality from NUMMI
As Boeing grapples with recurring quality issues, this Design Brief article from John Shook explores how the NUMMI joint venture…
Read article