Many of you have asked if I’m at the AME Conference this week in Chicago. I am not, as I had a previous invitation to speak at the Swiss Lean Conference today. My theme was Kaizen — engaging everybody, everywhere,…
A Toyota team applied the Toyota Production System in a Brazilian hospital to improve emergency care, reduce wasted motion, shorten waits, and make work easier for staff–showing TPS can improve healthcare systems, not just factories. When I was in Brazil…
As I’ve shared before, one of my goals with my book Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More was to reach audiences that haven’t heard of “Process Behavior Charts” (aka Control Charts or Statistical Process Control). In December,…
tl;dr: I recently returned from my first visit to Brazil, where I spoke at a Lean Six Sigma conference, led a workshop on Process Behavior Charts, and visited two organizations applying Lean principles. From churrascarias to Gemba walks, this trip…
tl;dr: Red/green metrics and single-point comparisons hide important signals in your data. Time-series charts and Process Behavior Charts reveal when systems actually change–and when leaders should learn instead of overreact. In many organizations, leaders rely on red/green color-coding to evaluate…
TL;DR: The wedge metaphor, often used to represent standardized work in Lean, can send the wrong message. Instead of assuming people will backslide without enforcement, we should focus on engaging them in meaningful improvements they want to sustain. Maybe it’s…
Healthcare – Creating Value for Patients The last place I want to receive care is the hospital. There are innumerable advantages to being treated in home for the patient, family, and healthcare system. Treating acute care patients in the home…
My guest for Episode #345 is Edward Niedermeyer, author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors. The book offers a deeply reported look at Tesla’s history, strategy, and culture–and why manufacturing and leadership still matter. Ed is Senior Editor…
Healthcare – Creating Value for Patients In 2008, I worked at a hospital when, during an Executive meeting, an Executive suggested that patients are sometimes harmed during their care. There was much discourse on whether this was true, or if true,…
Regular readers will realize I’ve been away from the blog a lot this month. I was fortunate to get away for two weeks of vacation in Spain and France with family and friends. Blog readership is always low in July,…
TL;DR: A non-standard calendar layout caused me to book the wrong tour date. When the same mistake happens repeatedly to different people, it’s not a personal failure–it’s a system design problem. Standardizing calendars and using mistake-proofing (poka-yoke) reduces errors far…
Chick-fil-A is widely known for fast service, high quality, and a strong culture–but behind that reputation is a deliberate approach to Lean and Kaizen that engages every employee in continuous improvement. In this podcast episode, I’m joined by David B.…