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Teaching Lean Thinking to Kids: A Conversation with Alan Goodman

By Alan Goodman and Matthew Savas

April 23, 2024

Learn how Alan Goodman uses games and hands-on activities to teach lean concepts to middle schoolers and nurture critical thinkers for the future workforce.

In this episode of the WLEI podcast, LEI speaks with Alan Goodman, professor and department chair of quality engineering at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Alan spent his career in operations at GE before becoming a professor. The podcast explores his recent work to teach young students lean skills to prepare them for careers after school.

In the discussion, we explore:

Alan’s background in lean and how he’s transferring his skills to students through a program he’s grown from a one-week online course to a year-round initiative.
Getting students interested in lean concepts through interactive games and how to apply these lessons to adult learning.
Alan’s vision to partner with companies to create a pipeline for students to enter the workforce from school.
Methods Alan incorporates new technologies like AI and gamification into his teaching methods to foster creativity and critical thinking.

If you’d like to support Alan’s work, check out https://cityonahillmke.org.

Written by:

Alan Goodman|

Matthew Savas

About Matthew Savas

Matt serves as content director at the Lean Enterprise Institute responsible for the institute’s content strategy in all mediums. He previously served as Director of the Lean Global Network, where he supported the network’s 30+ institutes and partners to spread lean thinking around the globe. Matt has a BA in East…

Read more about Matthew Savas

About Alan Goodman

Alan Goodman is a multi-faceted entrepreneur and educator with a passion for pursuing dreams. As the founder of the award-winning A Goodman’s Desserts, he boasts clientele like the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette University. Simultaneously, Alan chairs the Quality Engineering program at Milwaukee Area Technical College, focusing on teaching operational excellence, and volunteers as a Sunday school instructor at his church.

Leveraging over two decades as a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Alan recently launched A Goodman’s Consulting. There, he coaches small and medium-sized businesses through Operational Excellence Bootcamps and high school students via his Lean: How to Do Everything Better camps. He’s also a Faculty Member at the SPARC small business accelerator program with Scale Up Milwaukee.

Throughout his career, Alan has led diverse ventures—from establishing a continuous improvement organization and consulting for over 40 companies nationwide, to managing commercial dental and Vision TPA businesses and a credit union. He has generated millions in savings through process improvements. Alan holds a BS and MBA in Finance from Hampton and Temple Universities, respectively, and is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. A Philadelphia native, he now resides in Milwaukee with his wife Lisa and three children.