Lean was born out of manufacturing practices, but in recent times, has transformed the world of knowledge work and management. It encourages the practice of continuous improvement and is based on the fundamental idea of respect for people. Womack and Jones defined the five principles of Lean manufacturing in their book The Machine That Changed […]
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Principles of Lean Thinking
During the 1980’s the principles of lean thinking took hold in US manufacturing. The existing techniques of manufacturing were questioned as the Japanese manufacturing principles of ‘just in time’ were becoming a better paradigm. Subsequently, those techniques became better known as lean production. Soon, the principles of lean thinking spread across numerous industries and became […]
Marketing Professionals Adopt Lean Agile Techniques
> Marketing professionals are starting to take their cues from the manufacturing industry and adopt lean agile principles to improve performance and value. A common tool in lean agile practices used in manufacturing are sprints. The two practices are complementary, and achieve significant results when applied appropriately. Recently, a marketing director with a Fortune 100 […]
Heijunka Leveling Production Over Time
After value streams have been solidified and embedded, Heijunka is a crucial process implementation in every successful lean organization. Heijunka quickly and elegantly helps organizations meet demands while reducing waste. By definition, it means ‘leveling’ and enables production to efficiently meet customer demands while avoiding batching and results in minimum inventories, capital costs, manpower, and […]
Voice of the Customer (VOC): Get Strategic and Get Results
“The single most important thing is to make people happy. If you are making people happy, as a side effect, they will be happy to open up their wallets and pay you.” ~Derek Sivers, Founder of CD Baby When you are dealing with customer issues, do you ever feel you are just putting out fires? Running […]
Jidoka Is About Quality at the Source
The Toyota Production System (TPS) organizes manufacturing and logistics for manufacturing, which includes interaction with suppliers and customers. A forgotten pillar of TPS and Lean manufacturing is the concept of Jidoka. This principle is one of the most important tenets, which will help achieve true excellence. It is about quality at the source or built-in […]
Lean Manufacturing Should Focus on the People, Not the Tools
Lean manufacturing and principles have been around for years, so the ideas are not really new. However, the scope of lean and lean manufacturing principles have significantly shifted. Now, it is widely accepted beyond the factory floor and is expanding into hospitals, government agencies and service sectors. These trends are expected to continue as lean […]
Healthcare: Improving Quality and Innovation With Lean Principles
No other industry places such a high a premium on quality of service as healthcare. Given the essential requirement of quality in the healthcare industry, consumers expect providers to lead the way in innovation and quality efforts in the services they provide. As a percentage of its gross domestic product (GDP), we spend more on […]
Lean Healthcare – Spend Some Time with Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally recognized leader in Lean healthcare and continuous improvement. His motivation is to apply Lean and Toyota Production System principles to improve quality of care and patient safety, to improve the customer-patient experience, to help the development of medical professionals and employees, and to help build strong organizations for the long […]
Capability Analysis: The Power in Variables
The capability analysis is a valuable tool for Lean Six Sigma professionals. Every process has performance limits and variables. There is power in understanding those variables and variances that customers will tolerate. It offers a method of understanding these variables or limitations, and aligns them with customer expectations. Understanding the Value of Capability Analysis Understanding […]