I was watching the NBC web series (via iTunes podcasts) called “Ctrl” the other day (I’m a big fan of Tony Hale from the show Arrested Development). Anyway, I saw a scene that reminded me of “bad 5S” practices that…
Yesterday’s WSJ front page headline caught my eye, as a frequent Starbucks customer and obvious Lean zealot: Latest Starbucks Buzzword: ‘Lean’ Japanese Techniques The headline is full bodied and complex brew that gives us a lot to chew on before…
I’ve complained about this before, it hardly fazes me any more when the media say that GM is going to be “leaner” in the future. Of course, Lean Thinkers realize they mean “smaller” not “more lean” in the sense of…
By Andy Wagner: This summer, I am supervising three interns. The first week one of them asked what “lean six sigma” was about. She had heard about it, and that our company was into it, but didn’t really know much…
Clarity Is Missing Link in Supply Chain – WSJ.com Ah, here we go, it’s time for the annual Just-In-Time-bashing article from the Wall Street Journal. Some past “the WSJ doesn’t get it” posts include: This WSJ Article (as do Many…
Hospitals See Benefits of Lean and Six Sigma Regular readers know I often write about what I termed “L.A.M.E.” — Lean as Misguidedly Executed. The ASQ (American Society for Quality) survey that I linked to at the top probably just…
“L.A.M.E.” is a term I created here on the Lean Blog meaning “Lean As Misguidedly Executed” (it’s a forced acronym, I know… but it has stuck). I found this on the NWLean list, thanks to Jim, in a post entitled…
More misuse of the word “lean” (hat tip to Michael for forwarding the press release) titled, “Economy Drives Manufacturers To Go Lean; Outsource More Non-Core Functions.“ Blerg… probably not “lean” as in “lean manufacturing” or “lean thinking.” This probably means…
In my travels, I see a lot of what you might call “superficial Lean,” where an organization has tried to implement a Lean tool. I won’t go as far as to call it “L.A.M.E.” (Lean as Misguidedly Executed) because the…
Neatness Counts at Kyocera and at Others in the 5S Club – WSJ.com I’m going to violate a rule I have to try not to blog when I’m frustrated or angry. Here goes… Today’s front page (argh, front page) article…
“Just in Time” so often gets a bad rap. People blame “JIT” for all sorts of problems, when it’s often a problem with how JIT is implemented instead of being a problem with the core principle of Lean in and…
By Andrew Wagner: My wife, the resident space geek, turned me in the direction of this Boeing Press Release on their new lean “pulse line” for building GPS satellites, and presumably other satellites. Most of the post is your standard…
