I just got back from a vacation that included some time in Greece. On the way to the airport, we stopped for a slow, delicious breakfast at a seaside cafe. Excellent food, better view. Check out the menu and some…
TL;DR: Chick-fil-A improves drive-thru flow by using Lean thinking and “game film” to study the work, remove bottlenecks, and design better systems–while showing deep respect for frontline employees. If you’ve ever waited in a long Chick-fil-A drive-through line, chances are…
tl;dr: A visit to Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo offers a vivid Lean lesson: extraordinary quality and efficiency, but at a pace that raises questions about flow, pull, and the customer experience. Before Katie Anderson’s Japan Study Trip in November, I…
TL;DR: A simple lunch at Kura Revolving Sushi reveals how good design quietly prevents mistakes without blaming customers or staff. It’s a reminder that the best mistake-proofing doesn’t aim for perfection–it makes the right action easy and the wrong one…
At the recent Healthcare Systems Process Improvement conference, David B. Reid, P.E. from Chick-fil-A Restaurants brought up a very interesting point about the batch size for their pressure cookers. They don’t cook one piece of chicken at a time that…
I loved a recent New York Times article about Chef Gordon Ramsay, including this part: “Ramsay said that when he makes a mistake, he owns up to it. He has been candid about the misjudgments that led to the closure…
Wolfgang Puck practices Lean and Kaizen without calling it that–by developing people, learning from mistakes, focusing on customers, and improving every day. This post shows why continuous improvement is a leadership mindset, not a manufacturing technique. The GE Lean Mindset…
TL;DR: The Negroni shows how clear standards make variation visible–and how unnamed variation shuts down learning. The Negroni Sbagliato proves that when mistakes aren’t blamed or hidden, they can become sources of insight, improvement, and even new standards. The Negroni…
Any process should make defects visible when it can’t prevent them outright. A Krispy Kreme donut line shows the principle better than most factory floors. Here’s a photo I took a few years ago. What jumps out at you? For…
As somebody who moved to Texas in 1999 (“I wasn’t born here, but I got here as quick as I could”), I love Texas barbecue. That means, in particular, the “Texas Trinity” of brisket, sausage, and ribs — although ribs…
Eight years ago today, I published a piece originally on LinkedIn as part of their “Influencers” series: Rather than Blaming Employees, Managers Must Take Responsibility for Problems – in a Taco Joint, a Hospital, or a Factory Here is the…
A few years ago, my wife and I went to a highly-regarded (and oft-recommended) restaurant in the Orlando area (our now former home). I ordered a brined, bone-in pork chop. When it came out, looking somewhat like the photo below,…
