This curated archive highlights some of the most-read, most-cited, and most-discussed articles from LeanBlog.org. These posts reflect real-world lessons on Lean thinking, leadership, psychological safety, metrics, and continuous improvement—drawn from healthcare, manufacturing, startups, and service organizations.
Rather than promoting tools for their own sake, these articles focus on systems thinking, respect for people, and learning from mistakes. Topics include Lean leadership, problem solving, metrics that drive the wrong behavior, psychological safety at work, healthcare improvement, Toyota Production System principles, and common myths that hold organizations back.
If you’re new to Lean, this collection offers a grounded starting point. If you’re experienced, these articles revisit core ideas with nuance, evidence, and practical examples that still matter today.
Running a hospital: Our Joint Commission Report The headline is my modification of a Deming expression, that management’s job is prediction. Statistical process control was one way of predicting future outcomes of a process (if you have a statistically stable…
Elegant Solutions: Mind of the Innovator Matthew May is the author of the book The Elegant Solution, a friend of this blog, and a blogger in his own right. He has a new “ChangeThis” manifesto called Mind of the Innovator:…
Starbucks Gossip: I know Starbucks would never allow a sign like this to be posted… One blog I follow sometimes is one run primarily for the purposes of allowing Starbucks “baristas,” to bitch about customers. They are coming dangerously close…
TL;DR: Many so-called “Lean failures” aren’t really Lean at all. They’re examples of L.A.M.E.–Lean As Misguidedly Executed, where organizations misuse Lean to justify understaffing, layoffs, bureaucracy, or demeaning management practices. Real Lean, rooted in the Toyota Production System, focuses on…
In the news: Charges against nurse igniting a debate This case — involving Wisconsin nurse Julie Thao — is still referenced in debates about whether medical professionals should face criminal charges for unintentional errors. A Fatal Medication Error — and…
I give many lean overview presentations to healthcare audiences. While I mostly talk about the application of lean concepts to healthcare (problem-solving, improving flow, leveling workloads, reducing waste… pretty universal concepts), I do acknowledge that Lean originated in manufacturing. It…
A popular search term for people coming to the blog is “lean manufacturing quotes.” I’m not real big on using quotes and don’t have a ready collection handy, but I thought I would reach out to you, the blog readers.…
