Monthly Archives: March 2017

Mark Graban & Joe Swartz on the “Gemba Academy Podcast”

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Thanks to my friends at Gemba Academy for having my Healthcare Kaizen co-author Joe Swartz and me on their podcast, in an episode that was released yesterday.

What Reduced this E.D.’s Waiting Times? Sexy Technology or Process Change?

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This article in The Wall Street Journal caught my eye the other day: "Can Tech Speed Up Emergency Room Care?" But, it seems like the real story is process redesign, which is barely mentioned in the story...

… But I Do Have Time for Fire Fighting

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This recent tweet of mine struck a nerve, apparently, based on the number of times it was liked and retweeted -- "Heard often: "We don't have time for improvement." Heard never: "We don't have time for fire fighting."

Dr. Deming on Why Improvement Stalls Out, Today’s Hospital Patient Safety Parallels

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Can leaders get some improvement just by asking for it? Does improvement stall out if we don't have a method for doing so? What can "process behavior" charts show us in our work today?

Sad Bloomberg BusinessWeek Article on Auto Supplier Safety, Thoughts for Healthcare

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A few of you sent me this article... and you were correct to think I would be interested: "Inside Alabama's Auto Jobs Boom: Cheap Wages, Little Training, Crushed Limbs." What are the parallels and lessons for hospitals?

Free Webinar Recording: How to Coach for Creativity & Service Excellence

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I'm happy to be playing the role of host for a free webinar being held next Tuesday, March 28... presented by Karyn Ross, co-author of the Shingo Award-winning book The Toyota Way to Service Excellence. Her webinar is titled: "How to Coach for Creativity & Service Excellence"

Podcast #277 – Kay Kendall, #Lean and Leading the Malcolm Baldrige Way

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Joining me for episode #277 of the podcast is Kay Kendall (@KayAKendall), co-author (with Glenn Bodinson) of the excellent book Leading the Malcolm Baldrige Way: How...

Learning Not to Blame: Spring Training Baseball Edition

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Lean thinkers do their best to avoid blaming individuals for systemic problems. This lesson comes also from W. Edwards Deming who was deeply influential...

10 Years of “L.A.M.E.”

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It's been 10 years since I first wrote about my awkward acronym L.A.M.E. Is it helpful to distinguish between true Lean principles and "Lean As Misguidedly Explained?" Will we see more L.A.M.E. talk and behaviors in the future?

Good Design of Products or Processes Makes Doing the Right Thing Obvious & Easy

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Good design, for products or processes, should be intuitive, if not obvious. In this post, I struggle with refueling my car, opening a trash can, and finding an auditorium seat writing surface. Hilarity ensues.

The Challenge of PDSA: Feeling Like You’ve Fallen Short

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Mark's note: Today's post is by Cristal Totterman, a pharmacist and Lean leader I have known for a couple of years now. She's written a post that made me think about and reflect on the never-ending journey of improvement, both as individuals and organizations.

Your “Lean Daily Management” Approach Would Be Even Better with Some Simple Statistical Methods

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Here is an article that I wrote and published on LinkedIn on Tuesday on the topic of managing metrics in a better, less wasteful, less frustrating, and more productive manner.