Did GM Forget that the Customer Should Come First? And Who Forgot Exactly? Mark Graban Mar 19, 2014 9 Blog I wrote an article for LinkedIn yesterday about the recent GM ignition problem controversy and recall. I commented…
Guest Post: Book Chapter on VIBCO and “Captain Karl” Mark Graban Dec 16, 2013 0 Blog Mark's note: Today's guest post is an excerpt from the book Remarkable by Toby LaVigne. Toby's bio can be found at…
Like Lean: Hotels Involve Customers ala “Lean Design” Mark Graban Dec 3, 2013 2 Blog A few weeks back, USA Today published an article that made me think of some of the approaches being used by…
Gemba Wine: Variation in Wine Seals and Variation in Customer Needs Mark Graban Aug 21, 2013 7 Blog My wife and I just got back from four days in Napa and Sonoma counties doing, ahem, "gemba walks" at a number of…
“The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen” Coming Soon – Preview… Mark Graban Jul 12, 2013 0 Blog Joe Swartz and I are building upon our well-received (and Shingo Research Award winning) book Healthcare…
Iterating or Improving vs. Doing It Right the First Time Mark Graban May 28, 2013 1 Blog I've added to a new post to my LinkedIn Influencers series: "The Ability to Iterate is Not an Excuse to Do It…
Podcast #170 – Stephen Parry, “Sense and Respond” Mark Graban Apr 2, 2013 2 Blog MP3 File (run time 32:07) My guest for episode #170 is Stephen Parry (@LeanVoices on Twitter),!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->…
Lean or “Customer Development” – Get Out of the Office Mark Graban May 16, 2011 9 Blog Thanks to Patrick Vlaskovits, a guest in my Podcast episode #99, for posting a photo of a Southwest Airlines…
It’s Harder to Tolerate Waste “When You Know What Good Looks… Mark Graban Apr 20, 2011 31 Blog I recently "fired" my primary care physician. I'm lucky to not have to go to the doctor very often, but the last…
Lean, Value & Waste: Better to be Creative than to Cheat Your Customers Mark Graban Apr 6, 2011 12 Blog I saw this article last week in the USA Today while traveling, with the online headline "Products nipped, tucked to…
Living in Your Customers’ Shoes – Airport Car Rentals & Lessons… Mark Graban Feb 18, 2011 5 Blog This might seem like a random topic, but what the heck, it's a Friday. I arrived in Orlando yesterday for the …
Presenting Lab Test Results in a More Visual Way – Lessons and Inspirations? Mark Graban Feb 17, 2011 2 Blog Today's post isn't strictly about Lean, but I was reminded by a reader to mention something really cool that I saw…
10 Key Lean Mindsets for Healthcare Mark Graban Feb 9, 2011 18 Blog I really enjoyed having the chance to be in Cincinnati yesterday to participate in a Lean Healthcare workshop put…
Sorry I Can’t Help You, Mr. Customer – It’s Against the Rules! Mark Graban Jan 14, 2011 18 Blog It's sort of cliche' to complain about long lines at the U.S. Post Office , along with generally surly or…
Error Proofing a Voice Prompt System Mark Graban Aug 11, 2010 9 Blog The other day, I had a DirecTV service tech coming to the house to make a repair (their customer service has been…
How to Design Poor Service – Expect 100% Utilization of People or Resources Mark Graban Aug 2, 2010 30 Blog I have as many bad customer service experiences as the next guy, both in healthcare and other businesses. As I've…
Porsche Drives Hospital Down Lean Road Mark Graban Dec 21, 2009 2 Blog Article Link: "Shorter hospital stays through better coordination" Is Lean a global phenomenon, or what?…
‘Takt Time’ for Apple’s App Store and for Healthcare Mark Graban Aug 25, 2009 3 Blog Sunday, I read this New York Times article about Apple's "App Store" for the iPhone and iPod Touch (I've been a…