Not to rehash the whole discussion, but I wanted to point out Tuesday’s blog post about lean certifications… and the fascinating string of comments that dragged on all week. Over 40 reader comments, I’m pretty sure that’s a record. The topic sure struck a nerve.

If you’re not normally a comments reader, I’d encourage you to check it out. Click on the link and scroll down below my post and the question I posed. A lean thinking friend said the comments area was some of the best stuff he’s read about Lean anywhere in a long time.

Among the discussion points:

• Are all certifications created equally?
• What’s the difference between “certificate” and “certification”?
• What’s the proper role in using certifications to screen job applicants?
• What’s the role of certifications outside of the U.S.?

As a follow up, I’m going to do a podcast with somebody from the AME/SME/Shingo certification committee so they can give an extended view of their perspective on this.

Any particular questions you would want me to ask in that Podcast? Post them here in comments. If you have comments about the original topic, please add them to my post from Tuesday.

About LeanBlog.org: Mark Graban is a consultant, author, and speaker in the “lean healthcare” methodology, focused on improving quality and patient safety, improving access, reducing costs, and fully engaging healthcare professionals. He is also the Chief Improvement Officer for KaiNexus.