Waste Doesn’t Happen by Accident
In some situations, waste (activity that DOESN'T add value) is the result of something going wrong. For example, when a defect occurs, it starts a chain of waste activities: wait…
“Crush” Waste!
"Unless all sources of waste are detected and crushed, success will always be just a dream." Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production by Taiichi Ohno (Productivity Press, 1978) p. 59.…
The Only Thing That Adds Value
"[Lean] starts with the customer. Always ask, 'What value are we adding from the customer's perspective?' Because the only thing that adds value in any type of process—be it a…
A Lean Leader’s Most Important Step
"Important: Learning to 'SEE WASTE' is, in my view, the single most important step for any leader to take on a Lean journey, and the one you can't do from…
What is Waste?
"Simply put, any activity that takes time and money but does not add value from the customer's perspective is waste." The Toyota Product Development System by James M. Morgan and…
The Kind of People who Don’t Fit
"People that are primarily motivated by money may not represent the best team fit." The Lean Management System by Joe Murli (The Murli Group, 2015) p. 101.
Confronting Problems Together
"The breakthrough thinking that Lean offers is that of better individual competence and better teamwork. This means taking responsibility when things go wrong (as they do daily) and not explaining…
Working and Improving as a Team
"At Toyota, it was important to perform as individuals, but the key element was about working and improving together as a team. It was amazing to me at a young…
Toyota Hiring: Who They Look For
"The other big cornerstone (during the recruitment/hiring process) was the ability to survive in a team environment where ideas are shared openly. It was about being open-minded, and being able…
How an “Action Plan” Succeeds
"Critical to Toyota's success is single-point accountability. One person's name goes up next to each item in an action plan. But in order to succeed, the individual responsible must work…