Three Ways to Draw Future State Value Stream Maps
July 17, 2008
A value stream map is a diagram showing the flow of the material, goods or services and also the supporting information flow. It is typically drawn in a clockwise fashion beginning at the customer in the two... Read more...
We Do Not Make What We Do Not Sell: No More Trucks in Indiana
July 13, 2008
It is no mistake to say that the people at the top of Toyota, the President, CEO, Chairman and other executives all thoroughly understand production control. How many... Read more...
Kaizen Song: Mr. Pareto
July 10, 2008
This one was inspired by hearing Mr. Roboto on the radio shortly after helping a team make good use of Mr. Pareto’s chart and related 80-20 principle during a lean implementation... Read more...
Is it Kaizen or Just Good Management?
July 9, 2008
One of the risks, or should we say unintended consequences of a successful lean implementation is that people become unhappy... Read more...
The Leisure to do Kaizen
July 8, 2008
The most difficult thing about sustaining a lean implementation to the point where it becomes an indelible part of the way of working is not about understanding the techniques and methods of the Toyota Production System, not about bringing people along... Read more...
Kaizen: Do What You Can Do Today
July 1, 2008
Some of the best kaizen ideas can be truly very little things. It is the accumulation of small changes daily that give us the habit of coming up with creative ideas. If you don't have on in your mind already, within the next few minutes you will have... Read more...
Ambiguous Visual Controls: No Running in the Airplane
June 30, 2008
The more you look the more you see ambiguous visual controls. Some are well-intentioned, while others appear to be half-hearted attempts to comply with some bureaucratic requirements. Others hint at hidden efficiencies or inefficiencies resulting in questionable... Read more...
Jedi Kaizen: Is the Force with You?
June 28, 2008
The type of quick improvements or "just do it kaizen" is sometimes called JDI. Recently I heard it pronounced "jedi kaizen" in passing. The jedi are a group of monks in the Star Wars series. As monks, they live simple lives and work to do good. Perhaps... Read more...
Genjitsu: The Only Reality
June 24, 2008
There are those moments when the right words come together in an a way that resonates deeply and inspires one to write them down and repeat them to others. The words by themselves are not profound, and one suspects that even rearranged slightly they would... Read more...
Continuous Improvement vs. Continual Improvement
June 9, 2008
Most organizations implementing lean principles today do not in fact practice "continuous improvement". What they practice would be better termed "continual improvement". The distinction between continual improvement and continuous improvement is a fine... Read more...
