QHSE Focus, an iPad magazine, asked me to contribute a piece on Lean healthcare. They published my piece titled, “Employee & Patient Safety: The Only Moral Place to Start with Lean in Healthcare.” You can read a PDF of the…
Listen My guest for Podcast #181 is a good friend, Ron Pereira of Gemba Academy, an outstanding provider of online Lean (and now Six Sigma) education. Ron’s blog posts can now be found at the Gemba Academy blog. I was…
I had a speaking engagement yesterday for a large system, with the audience consisting mainly of hospital CEOs and CFOs. I was able to be around for the entire morning, which included a really outstanding kickoff talk by the system…
I’d read before that Apple’s supplier (Foxconn) was having trouble assembling iPhone 5s to Apple’s standards… but this article contains some shocking stats: “Apple Returns Millions of Defective iPhone 5 Smartphones.” Millions… 5 to 8 million defective phones returned. Foxconn…
I’ve been fortunate to have the chance to visit an Autoliv factory in Utah – a great Lean company that makes air bags and protective devices for cars and passengers. I was really impressed with Autoliv, as were the healthcare…
Hat tip to Kevin Meyer for sending me a link to this ridiculous post from the website of Minitab, the maker of statistical software that’s used by Six Sigma belts: “Lean, Six Sigma, or Lean Six Sigma?“ I’m sure my…
TL;DR: Many “Lean Six Sigma” programs misrepresent Lean as a set of tools layered onto Six Sigma. Lean is not a toolbox–it’s a management system and culture rooted in flow, quality, and respect for people. When Lean is reduced to…
I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of politics. I try to be an engaged citizen… but both parties drive me nuts. The cable news networks are all beyond ridiculous. This presidential election cycle takes way too long. There…
What a great time on Thursday with Masaaki Imai! We were hosted by a non-profit organization, SightLife, that has used Lean to improve the way they collect, process, and ship corneas to transplant patients around the world. It’s a bit…
Here are links to some more articles I’ve read recently that might be of interest on a number of Lean related topics: THE MORE THE MERRIER (The New Yorker) – “But there’s a strong case to be made that corporate…
Thanks to Dean Bliss for sending an article to me about some of the great Lean healthcare work taking place in Iowa. I’ve visited Iowa a number of times to give talks and visit hospitals and I know many of…
Mark’s note: This is a guest post by Tim Noble of The Avery Point Group. Does this assessment match your view, from the hiring side or from the perspective of a job seeker? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.…
