Lean Blog Aggregator
Check out what other blogs about Lean have to say.
Ankit Patel writes …
Wiki Wednesday – What To Standardize?
Wiki Wednesday is where we have 1 topic and several thoughts on the topic from Lean practitioners.
“What do you standardize and how to you figure out what to standardize; how much is too much?"
Please leave your thoughts on the comments section. Here are some thoughts to get you started:
The simple answer is standardize what makes sense. You have to balance … [Link]
Training Within Industry writes …
New Online Lean Resource – The Lean Edge
This looks like a fairly new online resource for Leansters. Archives go back to November 2009 so a lot of the content here is fresh. A nice aspect about this site is that you get a lot of the popular Lean authors all in one place: Liker, Smalley, Balle, Spear and many others. Check out The Lean Edge.org.
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TimeBack Management writes …
Why do we spend so much time putting out fires?
What does your typical day look like? It’s probably not very predictable, except insofar as the first thing you do is check email to see what crises broke out between the time you went home for dinner and the time you finished your morning blueberry Pop-Tart. As for the rest of it, it’s probably a series of fire-fighting exercises, studded with …
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Gotta Go Lean by Jeff Hajek writes …
A Lean Prognostication
Because I have a bit of an uncommon working situation, it can be interesting when people ask what I do for a living. I can say I own a business, that I’m a consultant, that I’m an author, that I do corporate training, or that I run an online store. Inevitably, though, there is a follow-up question, and I mention Lean. …
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Jamie Flinchbaugh writes …
Dream Big, Act Small
Yesterday I was working with a team who was working on a very long-term kind of change. They were really stuck, spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to achieve the end state. That is a mistake. Abraham Lincoln said:
“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” …
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Gemba Panta Rei writes …
Gemba Academy Anniversary Promotion: DVDs at No Extra Cost
We're celebrating the one year anniversary of Gemba Academy! I would first like to thank joint venture partners Factory Strategies Group and Lean Six Sigma Academy for all of the dedication and effort. Together we have created over 30 hours of online learning courses in 12 months.
Anniversary Promotion: DVDs at No Extra Cost
As a way of extending …
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Lean Blog writes …
A Pharmacist’s Jail Cell Interview – What Good Does Blame Do?
Here’s one to ponder and comment on – does putting a pharmacist in jail for six months and ruining his career and life do anything to bring back a two year-old girl? Does it do anything to make future patients any safer? Watch this video from CNN about Eric Cropp, an Ohio pharmacist who was convicted and put in jail …
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The Lean Thinker writes …
The TPS vs. Toyota’s Production System
Up to this point I have resisted weighing in on the Toyota quality story largely because:
I don’t have anymore insight than anyone else. The signal-to-noise ratio in the story seems really low, and I didn’t feel I would contribute much.
But there is another story in the back channels of the “lean” community.
Many of us (myself included) have been …
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Evolving Excellence writes …
Better Call the Waaaahmulance!
By Kevin Meyer
Over the past several weeks we've penned many posts about manufacturers that have woken up to the hidden costs of offshore manufacturing or outsourcing and have decided to return to America. By focusing on improving internal efficiencies and recognizing the extra tangible and intangible costs of global supply chains, cash floating on the high seas, communication problems, and …
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Gemba Tales writes …
Kaizen Event Team Selection – No Yo-Yos Needed
Kaizen event team selection is a critical driver of event effectiveness. Selection criteria includes team representation (to promote diversity, perspective, ownership, and development opportunities), size, chemistry, kaizen experience, and behavioral and technical skills. In short, the team, typically six to eight members, should be picked around the event, not vice versa.
So, every member counts. The expectation is that team …
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A Lean Journey writes …
Organizing for Dummies
I recently came across an interesting book called Organizing for Dummies 
Lean Blog writes …
A Lean and Green Survey from the UK
One of my colleagues from across the Pond, James Marsh at Sheffield Hallam University, is currently researching his PhD exploring Lean Six Sigma and its environmental benefits and/or tradeoffs. For his thesis, James is analyzing the key differences among different industry sectors and departmental functions, and he would like to connect with the widest cross-section of global companies possible – …
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John Shook's Lean Management Column writes …
Toyota Troubles: Fighting the Demons of Complexity
An Interview with Professor Takahiro Fujimoto, Manufacturing Management Research Center, University of Tokyo
As Toyota's crisis has unfolded the past few weeks I have been in regular touch with the most knowledgeable "Toyota watcher" of all, University of Tokyo Professor Takahiro Fujimoto. Taka first became famous for the important research he conducted at Harvard Business School with Kim Clark on Toyota’s product …
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Ankit Patel writes …
My Take Tuesday – (Not So) Lean Medical Practice
I few weeks ago I wrote an article on why being the best still isn't good enough talking about how a medical practice that is in the top 2% of the country still had room for improvement. The issue is that there is no motivation to change but as a patient it takes me an hour to visit the … [Link]
Training Within Industry writes …
Toyota Pedal Problems Not Solved
More Toyota drama…a Prius reached speeds of over 90mph on a California Highway. The driver tried to pull the floor mat away from the pedal. The floor mat he received a recall on, but claims he was turned away from the dealer. The driver's account of passing a car just before the pedal stuck in this AP story gives us … [Link]
Gemba Panta Rei writes …
Peter Drucker's Impact on Lean Thinking
The spring cleaning continues. My research library is an embarrassment of riches. Old notes and unfinished files hide in the shame of abundance. More the worse, no matter how much knowledge is shared its abundance only increases. Luckily our capacity to learn appears to be infinite within our lifetime. Today's find is some scribbling on the lean legacy of writer, management …
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Lean Blog writes …
Another CEO Talk: “Can I Say That?”
The final keynote talk at the recent Society for Health Systems / ASQ Healthcare conference was given by Dr. Barry Silbaugh, a former hospital executive and the current CEO of the ACPE – The American College of Physician Executives. Silbaugh is a big proponent of Lean in healthcare, listing Lean as one of the major trends for 21st Century healthcare …
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Kaizen Notebook writes …
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean
I haven’t written a book report since I was in school, but I picked up this book a while back and thought I’d share by impressions. I am of course in no way qualified to offer a critique, so these are just my general thoughts.
Oh No, Not Another Book About Lean!
Admittedly this was my first thought. But …
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Evolving Excellence writes …
The Allure and Danger of Best Practices
By Kevin Meyer
Today’s Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on how some companies are using meeting rooms at other companies for offsite meetings, instead of the traditional hotel or resort. The thought is that seeing other companies will foster increased creativity, especially when compared to the oft cold and sterile environment of the local Hilton.
I agree – my …
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Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog writes …
Improving Software Development with Automated Tests
Automated software testing is a mistake proofing (poka-yoke) solution for software development.
The way automated testing works is that software code is written that tests the software code of the application. This automated testing code test that business rules are correctly being followed by the code in the application.
So for example, a user should not be able to create a …
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Lean Insider writes …
Making the Invisible Visible
In a recent blog post titled Green Money, I requested that readers provide their "thoughts on the tactics used and difficulties faced when mapping electronic value streams." I received an insightful response from Carlos Venegas (author of the book Flow in the Office) explaining how he approaches that subject, so I am presenting it here:
“The key task in improving any … [Link]
Ankit Patel writes …
Motivating Employees Without Money
Only 1 in 5 employees go the extra distance to help a company succeed. There is a common myth money motivates people. The reality is that motivating employees without money is actually better and sometimes easier. So what are the factors that motivate employees? In 2008 Businessweek had an article that listed the factors that motivate employees:
-Empowerment to Make … [Link]
TimeBack Management writes …
The cost of communication waste.
Dwight Frindt over at 2130 Partners just published a white paper on “Lean Conversations” (download here). It’s an interesting look at how the way we communicate within an organization can create waste.
Dwight defines lean communication as a style that uses
less of everything: less intellectual effort, less time devoted to non-value adding conversations, less emotional energy expended, and less …
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Gotta Go Lean by Jeff Hajek writes …
When Bacon and Kaizen Collide…
Let me list three of my favorite things:
Bacon (and other assorted breakfast meats) Kaizen Rockets
So imagine my delight when a friend on Facebook posted one of the most brilliant minds of our time combining all three.
Now I will warn you. This man’s intellect is so advanced that he doesn’t waste his precious brainpower filtering his words. The language …
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Jamie Flinchbaugh writes …
Creating Employee Engagement, Part 4
This is the final part of a 4 part series on Creating Employee Engagement. You can first read Parts 1, 2, and 3.
Skills Required for Engagement
Skill gaps to create engagement exist both in employees and managers, although most transformation efforts tend to focus on only one or the other group.
Employees need to be …
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