James P. Womack Dr. James P. Womack was born on July 27, 1948. His dreams are the reason behind his successful career. He decided to leave Arkansas, the place where his family was living from 1820, after completing his high school. Cars and speed were always a source of fascination for James, so he decided […]
3 Ways to Increase Efficiency in Healthcare with Kanban
At first, it may be hard to believe that it is possible for a process which was developed for efficiency in supermarkets could be adapted to the world of healthcare. During the 1940s, Toyota employees observed that supermarkets in the U.S. were able to easily and consistently offer customers food whenever they needed it, without […]
3 Reasons to Use the Yamazumi Chart in Lean Manufacturing
The Yamazumi chart can work amazingly well for any process-based company. By implementing this easiest of tools, it allows the company to better understand where time is being potentially wasted in each process, which alone provides a number of advantages. However, to better illustrate this point, we can look at just three reasons as to […]
What is the A3 Problem Solving Method?
The A3 problem solving method, like many other concepts related to Lean manufacturing, originated at Toyota and saw active use at the organization for a long time. The name is relatively simple to use and very intuitive for leaders who already have at least some experience in the area of lean, and it’s seen many […]
What are the Principles of Lean?
Lean principles are all around us nowadays, and it’s hard to miss all the talk about it. Yet at the same time, people often find it hard to pinpoint the exact ideas behind lean, and even some experts in the field may find themselves confused if you brought this up with them. So, in the end, what […]
A3 Problem Solving and Its Use in Healthcare
The A3 problem solving method originated at Toyota, but since then it’s spread all over the world and to many different industries. It’s flexible enough to be easily adapted to a variety of contexts, and it doesn’t take too long to get used to applying it to your own company. Healthcare in particular is a […]
Thinking One Step Ahead with SMED
Thinking One Step Ahead with SMED Proper optimization is not just about making the facility run well with the current parameters in mind, but also to allow it to run as efficiently as possible in the future, considering upcoming developments. You have to always be one step ahead of the current environment and make informed […]
Developing Others
Developing Others This is one one in a series of 4 articles about Toyota’s Stages of Leader Development For a good leader, developing others should be just as important as developing themselves, and this is a concept deeply rooted in kaizen. Coaching should be done on a regular basis within the organization, and there should ideally be a […]
[VIDEO] A Keynote On TPS Lean Leadership Featuring Jeffrey Liker
Dr. Jeffrey K. Liker is Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan, owner of Liker Lean Advisors, LLC, Partner in The Toyota Way Academy, and Partner in Lean Leadership Institute. Dr. Liker has authored or co-authored over 75 articles and book chapters and eleven books. He is author of the international […]
What Are the Differences between a Leader and a Lean Leader?
What Are the Differences between a Leader and a Lean Leader? While many company leaders nowadays are aware that lean practices are great for continuous improvement and stable growth, far from everyone in such a position is clear on the exact meaning of what it takes to be a “lean” leader. It’s not just about […]