All posts from Mark Graban’s LeanBlog.org, including podcasts, announcements, articles, and more.
In support of the book I’m currently writing, I have created a comprehensive survey for hospitals about Lean practices and implementation. Click Here to take survey The intended audience for the survey is healthcare only, whether you are already implementing…
Fanmaker hot on local production — chicagotribune.com Ok, sorry for the headline. I think mine’s worse than the Trib’s. The article gives credit to Lean for an Illinois company’s ability to compete against cheap imports: “Through sophisticated cost controls, Lakewood…
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – Comedy – IFILM I’m not sure where I heard the expression, but I generally love the sentiment of the phrase:“Just because it’s easy to measure doesn’t mean it’s important.” Many of our metrics…
Here’s a light hearted topic for Lean Thinkers. “Overprocessing” is one of the 8 Types of Waste that we talk about in a Lean context (it comes from Toyota and Taiichi Ohno). One way of describing overprocessing is that it…
I was completely stunned by the WSJ headline this morning that announced Bob Nardelli, formerly of GE and Home Depot, is going to be CEO at Chrysler. Many of the actual industry experts were stunned too, so don’t feel too…
Listen: LeanBlog Podcast #29 features a very special guest, Dr. Sami Bahri, “The World’s First Lean Dentist.” If you’re thinking, “What can I learn about lean from a Dentist?”, please listen in. I think you’ll be amazed and will learn…
Here are some updates on the “Bad Systems” I featured last week, Northwest Airlines and the NBA. I know I promised more positive posts, but let me follow up on these stories… First, the NBA. I don’t have a link…
This is from a blog reader, Mike, in response to an earlier question about the role of senior leadership in a Lean effort. A Real-World Gemba Walk Example from a Lean Facility I’m posting this with Mike’s permission to get…
I’m going to have some more positive posts in the coming days. Recently, Lee Fried, at the DailyKaizen blog, thought he was being negative, and I’m starting to think I’ve been the same way lately. I go through phases like…
Serious Security Questions at Sky Harbor Airport New interim security director named at Sky Harbor Here’s another story from last week about bad systems, and bad management to boot. This one hits close to home since I used to fly…
‘Surgery should be halted’ to clear hospital backlog Sub-optimizing decisions are a fairly universal human behavior, regardless of the industry (or continent). Lean teaches us to look at “value streams” that go across departments and to view operations from a…
I have an upcoming Podcast recording session Friday afternoon, August 3, on the topic of Lean and ergonomics. My guest will be Franz Schneider, the CEO of a firm, HumanTech, “a full-service human performance consulting firm specializing in workplace ergonomics.”…
