All posts from Mark Graban’s LeanBlog.org, including podcasts, announcements, articles, and more.
If you’ve ever drawn or reviewed a Value Stream Map, you’ve probably used the familiar “factory” icon to represent a customer or supplier. It’s a curious symbol — especially in healthcare or service settings — and many Lean practitioners eventually…
TL;DR: Kaizen isn’t automatic in Japan. Even there, a culture of continuous improvement only takes hold when leaders deliberately choose it, model it, and engage employees every day. Geography doesn’t create Kaizen–leadership does. While in Japan recently, I shared a…
TL;DR:Single webinar numbers and year-over-year averages often distort reality. By using run charts and Process Behavior Charts, you can separate signal from noise, avoid overreaction, and make better decisions about growth, capacity, and investment. I manage KaiNexus’s webinar program, which…
Kim Hollon is CEO and President at Signature Healthcare. I don’t know him well, but I’ve heard a lot of great things about him and his leadership from a friend who used to do Lean work at Signature. I did…
Healthcare – Creating Value for Patients Does Lean “work” in hospitals in the US? Sort of, according to the Journal of Healthcare Management. There is evidence that Lean improves efficiency and financial performance, but little evidence to support improvements in patient…
Hi, you’re invited to view the recording of a webinar that I presented next week — Wednesday, December 11 at 1 pm ET, as part of the ongoing KaiNexus webinar series: “The Power of Alignment and Intrinsic Motivation in Continuous…
During my fifth Lean study trip to Japan, I once again visited a Toyota plant — and was reminded of a simple but profound idea that Toyota emphasizes repeatedly: making things means making people. It’s a principle that connects Lean…
My guest for Episode #353 of the podcast is somebody whose work I’ve appreciated for a long time — Quint Studer. I was first introduced to his book Hardwiring Excellence back in 2005 and I’ve been following his work (and…
TL;DR: A single-season drop in NFL field goal accuracy does not automatically mean kickers are “regressing.” Using Process Behavior Charts shows whether the change is meaningful or just normal variation–and why year-to-year overreaction often misses the real story. The Claim:…
I don’t have any “Black Friday” or “Cyber Monday” sales for you, but I can offer a giveaway that’s co-sponsored by my friends at StoreSMART. They have been sponsors of LeanBlog.org for a few years now. Click the image below…
Healthcare – Creating Value for Patients Healthcare improvement is often done through QI projects in an “artisan” fashion. To improve healthcare improvement, combat bias and us evidence according to Mary Dixon-Woods. Her article elicited a response in the same publication. One would think…
When productivity metrics are poorly designed, they can punish good people for system failures. Real improvement comes from redesigning the work–not pressuring individuals to work faster. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is the oldest children’s hospital in the United States.…
