Event Lean versus Genuine Lean
There is a topic that I have found myself talking about more and more lately. Perhaps the reason is that many of my speeches and seminars recently have focused on the lean STRATEGY. I don’t mean how lean affects your…
Category Blog
All Blog Posts
All posts from Mark Graban’s LeanBlog.org, including podcasts, announcements, articles, and more.
Welcome to the Blog, David Meier
As you may know, if you’re a regular Lean Blog reader, this isn’t a solo venture. I’m happy to have other bloggers on the site and I’m happy to add one more: David Meier, co-author of the outstanding book The…
Wiki for Standardized Work?
How to Fix a Broken Bicycle Chain – WikiHow Here is a WSJ article on WikiHow, printed today. Standardized Work is a core concept and a foundation of the Toyota Production System (scroll down) and Lean Manufacturing. The idea is…
Still Made in the USA – Viking
Home of the Range – WSJ.com Part 2 of the WSJ series (Part 1 here) focuses on Viking, the high-end cooktop and grill manufacturer, based in Greenwood Mississippi. I’m glad that the WSJ is focusing on U.S. manufacturing, but the…
Michael Irvin Channels W. Edwards Deming?
So I’m watching SportsCenter and analyst Michael Irvin, former Cowboys wide receiver, is talking about Cowboys coach Bill Parcells and Wide Receiver / Attention Hound Terrell Owens. I never expect any profound wisdom out of Irvin, so I was surprised…
Lean Couture?
Money News:- Louis Vuitton Tries Modern Methods on Factory Lines – AOL Money & Finance Catching up on articles from the past few weeks, this originally ran front page Wall St. Journal. A year ago, it took 20 to 30…
Exploring the Origins and Evolution of Lean Manufacturing at Toyota: A Conversation with Norman Bodek
Here is LeanBlog Podcast #7, a new discussion with our friend Norman Bodek, President of PCS Press and the author of many books, including Kaikaku: The Power and Magic of Lean. In this Podcast, we discuss Toyota’s response to recent…
A NC Lean Success Story
North Carolina plant finds $2M in productivity gains with lean Here’s another small company lean success story — a plant with just 160 people this time. A quote from an employee called “Captain Kaizen”: One enthusiastic employee, Mark Stogner, is…
We Need to Error Proof Voting
Voting glitches feared on Nov. 7 | Chicago Tribune Why is Lean such a powerful methodology? I think part of the reason is because it’s so rarely applied in the “real world” — the notions of good system design and…
Different Times, Different Roles
DailyKaizen » Role Playing From the excellent DailyKaizen lean healthcare blog: I think every Internal LEAN consultant struggles with when they need to consult, when they need to mentor and when the need to lead. Changing roles is necessary when…
Oops, I ruined a Masterpiece
reviewjournal.com — News – NORM: Wynn accidentally damages Picasso Note to self: If I ever purchase a $139 million Picasso painting (unlikely) and I talk with my hands and gesture clumsily (more likely), be sure to “error proof” my environment…
Overprocessing in Healthcare
Ark. Hospital, Surgeon Sued For Performing Unnecessary Heart Surgeries When I teach lean overview training in healthcare settings, it’s often tough to find examples of the Waste of “Overprocessing,” one of the types of waste that Toyota has defined and…
