A Word Worth Remembering (But Hard to Say and Spell) You might recall when I first learned about the German word “verschlimmbesserung“–that wonderfully precise term for “an attempted improvement that only makes things worse”–and blogged about it. The concept still…
This edition of Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape examines the shifting balance between people, systems, and strategy in the pursuit of better performance. From Toyota’s hospital and vineyard-to-glass winemaking to the limits of automation at Starbucks, the selections highlight how…
TL;DR After devastating 2020 wildfires blanketed Oregon vineyards in smoke, Native Flora Winery resisted quick judgments or panic decisions. Instead, the owners tested, learned, and experimented–prioritizing quality standards and long-term reputation over short-term financial pressure. Their response mirrors Lean thinking:…
tl;dr: Wineries in Spain and France–many with centuries of history–continue to improve through experimentation. They run small tests, learn from both successes and failures, and adapt over time. It’s a clear real-world example of PDSA in action: long-term excellence comes…
Last month, my wife and I had a chance for a week's vacation in Europe. As I've blogged about before, we enjoy doing some form of "gemba walk," if you will, at wineries and distilleries. At one restaurant, I was surprised to find a "chart" of sorts in the form of champagne and wine corks...
I enjoy “gemba visits” (of sorts) to wineries and vacations often focus on this walking, tasting, and learning. I usually read the wine column that’s in the Wall St. Journal each Saturday, and this one stood out to me: “Do…
I was fortunate to take a nearly two-week vacation recently, a trip that included a week in France. My wife and I had a chance to, I guess, do a number of “gemba visits” at some wineries in the Burgundy,…
Thanks to Arena Simulation Software for asking me to write this article for their regular customer newsletter: “Testing Lean Changes, Small or Large“ The article is freely available to any reader: Two short excerpts from the article: “Lean is about teams…
Following up on my previous posts (here and here) on a recent visit to the Northern California Wine Country, I’m going to share a few more ideas and thoughts based on what I saw during the trip (when I wasn’t…
Growing grapes and making wine is certainly an art… but when you look into it there’s a lot of process involved. As I wrote about a bit last week, my wife and I recently spent two days in Sonoma County…
My wife and I just got back from four days in Napa and Sonoma counties doing, ahem, “gemba walks” at a number of wineries, both large and small. As tourists, we like doing winery visits where you get to walk…
Six Sigma – People I might not be able to blog much the next few days, so I’ll pose this fun question. Has anyone heard of the Six Sigma winery, founded by a former GE executive? What would a “Lean…
