One Reason Lean Implementations Fail
"Standards are, in my opinion, the most important foundation of Lean and one which is often underrated and given less attention by manufacturing professionals. This is one of the main…
Definition of “Standardized Work”
As I mentioned in the previous post, there are many things to "standardize" in business. In the Lean Business Culture, perhaps the most important thing to standardize is the work…
Standards: The Solid Foundation of Lean
If we visit a company that is serious about the Lean Business Culture and watch carefully, we would see this: They have STANDARDS for nearly everything! If we would watch…
What Happens When You Keep Improving?
When you keep improving the same process over and over, it keeps getting better. Leading the Lean Enterprise Transformation (2nd Ed.) by George Koenigsaecker (CRC Press, 2013) pp. 48-53
Everyone Has Two Responsibilities
"In a Lean environment, the expectation is that everyone has two responsibilities. The first is to run your part of the business--even if that is only a single workstation--on a…
What is “Continuous Improvement?”
"Continuous improvement means getting better every day and is the driver for building a sustainable enterprise. Only those at the gemba [where the work is done] can understand the problems…
An Atmosphere of Continuous Learning
"The Toyota Way can be briefly summarized through the two pillars that support it: 'Continuous Improvement' and 'Respect for People.' Continuous improvement, often called kaizen, defines Toyota's basic approach to…
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…
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