Why are Factories in Value Stream Maps Drawn That Way? What’s That Shape? Mark Graban Dec 17, 2019 0 Blog Typically, the customer (or supplier) icon in classic Lean "Value Stream Mapping" looks like a factory. Well,!-->!-->!-->…
#Lean Healthcare Trip to China, Day 1, Part 1: Familiar Themes at the Beijing… Mark Graban Jul 21, 2016 4 Blog After arriving at the hotel in Beijing at about 8 pm the night before, I participated in a day-long Lean!-->!-->!-->…
Donald Trump’s Red Hat (and Other Politicians’ Hats) Brought to You by… Mark Graban Oct 4, 2015 2 Blog These Donald Trump hats (and hats for other candidates including Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush) are made by a Newark…
Rhode Island’s Governor Announces Lean Initiative, Declares… Mark Graban Apr 13, 2015 2 Audio You might know my friend Karl Wadensten, the president of VIBCO, a small manufacturer in Rhode Island. I've…
This Date in Lean Blog History: August 6 Mark Graban Aug 6, 2014 4 Blog My blog will turn 10 years old in February 2015. You're probably either thinking, "Wow, that's awesome!" or "Get a!-->…
Podcast #190 – Karen Martin, Author of “Value Stream Mapping” Mark Graban Jan 6, 2014 0 Blog My guest for episode #190 is a returning guest (from episode #151) is my friend Karen Martin, talking!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->…
‘Lean and Green’ is Free Mark Graban Oct 11, 2013 12 Blog Mark's note: What follows is a guest post by Keivan Zokaei about the necessary and unsurprisingly overlap between…
Podcast #179 – Judy Worth & Tom Shuker, “Perfecting Patient… Mark Graban Jul 9, 2013 0 Blog My guests for Podcast #179 are my friends Judy Worth and Tom Shuker, two of the co-authors of the book!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->…
Reader Questions: Lean and Process Improvement in Healthcare Mark Graban Feb 27, 2012 0 Blog I received some really good questions from a reader, Nick, who has recently crossed industries to bring his Lean…
Webinar Recording from a University of Michigan Health System Lean Leader Mark Graban Dec 13, 2011 2 Blog Yesterday, the MIT SDM program hosted a webinar by Dr. Jack Billi from University of Michigan. I had the good…
Problems like This Should be the Focus of “Lean Government” Mark Graban Oct 4, 2011 6 Blog The "Strong America Now" initiative has proposed there are opportunities to save $500 BILLION a year from our U.S.…
Lean Healthcare “Success” Without Benefits? What? Mark Graban Sep 1, 2011 15 Blog I saw the following in a submission for a session at the 2012 Society for Health Systems conference, where I'm the…
Warning: You Can’t Even Draw a Map with this “Value Stream… Mark Graban Jul 13, 2011 33 Blog If you are a Twitter user and follow the #Lean hashtag on Twitter, you might have seen a lot of noise from a…
Denver Health’s Lean Patient Safety Improvements on PBS’ NewsHour Mark Graban Jul 5, 2011 1 Blog On June 30, the PBS NewsHour program did a 7-minute story on healthcare improvement (featuring Lean and Toyota!-->…
“Kaizen” Mentioned in Dilbert Cartoon, but in a Warped Way Mark Graban Jun 23, 2011 10 Blog The word "kaizen" appeared in last Friday's Dilbert strip. It's a funny portrayal of how some might misinterpret…
Guest Post: The Chain of Improvement Mark Graban Jun 7, 2011 4 Blog Mark's note: Today's guest post is from Dr. Mark Jaben. I first met Mark in person at Cindy Jimmerson's Lean!-->…
Audio Story w Pictures: Lean at Virginia Mason Medical Center & Barnes-Jewish Mark Graban May 27, 2011 2 Blog Here is a video from the St. Louis Beacon (actually, an NPR-style audio story with pictures) about Lean healthcare…
From SHS: Ohio Health Reduces Surgical Site Infections Using Lean Mark Graban Mar 7, 2011 3 Blog A few weeks back, I attended the Society for Health Systems (SHS) Conference in Orlando, where I chaired the…