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tl;dr: We often label small changes as “Just Do Its,” but that can skip over useful thinking. Even the simplest Kaizen can follow a quick PDSA cycle–Plan, Do, Study, Adjust–to ensure we’re learning and improving, not just acting. Maybe it’s…
I want to give credit to my friend and colleague Tony Milian for the idea that prompted this blog post. Tony and I used to work together in a Lean healthcare consulting group that was part of Johnson & Johnson…
Today, I hosted and moderated the latest in our KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Webinar series. I’m really excited that the presenter will be Mark Valenti — he’s been a bit of a mentor and coach for me on the topic of…
General Jim Mattis has been making the rounds to talk about his new book that is out today: Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead. “Learning to Lead” sounds like it could be the title of a book about Lean management.…
This past weekend, an old friend came down from Michigan to spend two days in the Dallas area. Amongst the activities and catching up, we went bowling — something I did a lot of as a kid and something my…
Here is an article that caught my eye recently, from HBR: “How One Health System Overcame Resistance to a Surgical Checklist“ Seeing the word “resistance” always makes me wonder if the health system in the article was blaming surgeons (or…
Registration is open for “Kaizen Live!” — the 2019 edition. Joe Swartz and I are excited to announce that we are hosting the fourth site visit to his organization, Franciscan St. Francis Health, in Indianapolis. It’s being held October 3…
Speaking of mistakes, the cover image I selected for today’s post reminds of traveling this past Monday. At DFW airport, a company was giving away samples of their new variety of gum. That might have been the gum (chewed by…
Hat tip to Stan Feingold from StoreSMART (a Lean Blog sponsor) for sending me this article: Bob Lutz Talks Panel Gaps, Tesla, and Why Every Detail Matters — Getting it right starts at the top. Bob Lutz is a legend…
tl;dr: Toyota’s Takaoka #2 line shows how flexibility and Kaizen go hand-in-hand. With rapid, low-cost changeovers, worker-driven improvements, and a focus on customer needs, the line adapts to demand without sacrificing quality–a reminder that agility is built into the culture,…
TL;DR: Lean improvement depends on asking both “why?” and “why not?” Leaders who challenge assumptions and refuse to accept “we’ve always done it this way” unlock innovation in patient safety, flow, and quality. Asking “why not?” turns barriers into design…
I guess I’m wired for improvement. Or, it’s just become a habit. Or, it’s both. I celebrate moments when I can identify an opportunity for improvement in my work. I tend to be pretty transparent about problems and even mistakes…
