One of the most common (and frustrating) problems for the staff lean practitioner is being asked to “measure the savings” resulting from specific improvements. (This problem is related to, but different from, trying to measure “lean progress” or the status of implementation.) There are two issues in play here. First is the level of understanding [...]
So many of us were wringing our hands a year ago. Our idealized vision of Toyota as the source of all perfection and example was tarnished and crumbling before our eyes. Prominent “names” in our field were talking about the need to go beyond Toyota. The vaunted TPS was clearly failing. Or was it? Like [...]
In this TED video, Simon Sinek summarizes a key thing that differentiates an idea that catches on vs. one that plops. This is relevant to us at a couple of levels. First, as Sinek points out, truly great companies succeed because they stand for something higher. They have a “why” that drives what they do [...]
What is the role of your lean facilitator? This question comes up now and again, was recently posed on the LEI forums by someone looking for help with a job description. I extrapolated from his question that he was looking to the job description as a line of defense against dilution of the facilitator’s focus [...]
There are a lot of variations on a theme where someone asks an Internet forum how to quantify or justify the benefits of implementing a continuous improvement program. If you think about it, though, this is really interesting question. What are the benefits of NOT having continuous improvement? Why would managers deliberately decide not to [...]
I have probably written around this question in the past, but it comes up often enough that I wanted to address is specifically. One of the challenges facing the lean practitioner is the “What can you do for me?” boss (or client). This manager wants to know the expected ROI and outcome of your proposal [...]
5S has become an (almost) unchallenged starting point for converting to lean production. Although the basics are quite simple, it is often a difficult and challenging process. After the initial push to sort stuff out and organize what remains, sustaining often usually almost always becomes an issue. Again, because of early legacy, the most common [...]
“Are we trying to force compliance or develop leaders?” The answer to this question is going to set your direction, and (in my opinion) ultimately your success. It comes down to your strategy for “change.” When people talk about “change” they are usually talking about “changing the culture.” Digging down another level, “changing the culture” [...]
I have posted a few times about the “management by measurement” culture and how destructive it can be. This TED video by Daniel Pink adds some color to the conversation. Simply put, while traditional “incentives” tend to work well when the task is rote and the solution is well understood, applying those same incentives to [...]
Yesterday, Kris left great comment with a compelling link to a TED presentation by Tom Wujec, a fellow at Autodesk. Back in June, I commented on Steve Spear’s article “ Why C-Level Executives Don’t Engage in Lean Initiatives.” In that commentary, Spear contends that business leaders are simply not taught the skills and mindset [...]