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Gap analysis is the art of identifying where performance or capability falls short of needs, and of coming up with an effective way of addressing that gap. That gap is also occasionally referred to as the “delta”. That delta comes in one of two forms. The first is that there Read more…
A gauge is a measuring device. A gauge can be as simple as a piece of string cut to a specific dimension or a cutout of an animated character with an outstretched arm and the caption, “You must be this tall to ride this attraction.” On the other end of Read more…
Gauge Repeatability & Reproducibility (Gauge R&R) uses a mathematical method to analyze the variation in a measurement system. Gauge R&R uses a statistical tool called ANOVA, or analysis of variance. It allows the person conducting the testing to separate out the variation cause by the operator, the gauge itself, and Read more…
Literally translated, “gemba” means “the real place”. To experienced practitioners of Lean, this means the place where work is actually being done or value is being created. NOTE: You may also hear the term as genba, with an “N”. Those who focus more on the traditional manufacturing roots of Lean Read more…
A gemba walk is a leadership process in which a manager walks through his or her areas of responsibility in order to gain a better understanding of how the operation is running. The term “gemba” means “the real place” in Japanese. The level of structure of a gemba walk varies Read more…
Gembutsu is a Japanese word meaning “real thing”. It is one of the components of the ‘Three Reals‘ meaning go to the real place (gemba) to see the real thing (gembutsu) and collect the real facts (genjitsu). This term simply means that there is no substitute for seeing something with Read more…
“Genchi genbutsu” is a Japanese term that loosely translates to “go and see”. Essentially, it means to go to the actual spot where actual work is happening on the actual product to confirm your conclusions. Similar to the term “go to gemba“, the spirit of genchi genbutsu is to avoid Read more…
A strong culture of continuous improvement relies heavily on teamwork. When there is a problem, team members need to be able to rely on others to come to the rescue. Ghostism is the Lean affliction in which a person becomes invisible whenever it is their turn to provide help to Read more…
Frank (July 7, 1868 – June 14, 1924) and Lillian (May 24, 1878 – January 2, 1972) Gilbreth were each forward thinkers in manufacturing in the early 20th century. They were closely linked to time and motion studies and created a set of 17 motions they could uniquely identify during Read more…
Many parts and instruments have specifications that call for a tolerance. That just means that there is a given range within which the part has acceptable quality. One way to determine if the part is good is to measure and compare the results to the specification. This, however, is a Read more…
The refrain “Go to Gemba” simply means to go to the place where the work is being done for answers to process questions. Far too often, kaizen teams will discuss a process while sitting in a conference room. Instead, they should “go to gemba” and be where the action is. Read more…
A simple definition of goal setting is that it is the act of declaring something that you want to achieve and putting some specific parameters around the end result. It includes the who, what, when, where, and why. This goal setting definition, though, is overly simplistic. Goal setting has a Read more…
Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt (March 31, 1947 – June 11, 2011) was a thought leader during the early development of Lean thinking. His ideas were not actually presented as Lean, though. He focused more on his own ideas, primarily the “Theory of Constraints” and drum-buffer-rope. His basic premise was that you Read more…
The exact origin of the term ‘Good Idea Fairy’ is unknown, but it is generally thought to be in the US military. It is a derogatory term for leaders who come up with what is considered by the team to be crazy ideas that are seemingly plucked out of thin Read more…
Mark Graban was an early blogger in the Lean community, publishing Leanblog.org. He was a recipient of the Shingo Publication Award for his book, Lean Hospitals. Mark was one of the first people to create a specialty version of Lean, applicable to the healthcare industry. He is a consultant, speaker, Read more…
A Green Belt is a certification that indicates a person is qualified to lead a Six Sigma project or, less frequently, a kaizen team in Lean. The Belt System Ranks Yellow Belt: Team Participant Green Belt: Team Leader Black Belt: Trainer Master Black Belt: Trains black belts; leads improvement effort Read more…
Groupthink is the condition in which individuals set aside their beliefs and concerns to conform to group opinion. This is most commonly done because people value the cohesion of the group more than the risk of a poor outcome. While the term was first coined by William H. Whyte in Read more…
Growth is the driver of stock appreciation. The basic way investors determine what to pay for a stock is to look at the value of its assets, minus its liabilities, and then factor in expected future earnings. With growth, those expected earnings get bigger, and the company’s stock prices go Read more…
Guidance is the way that a leader or mentor provides assistance to another person to help her reach her goals. Guidance is more general in nature than specific directions. The goal is to help a person make a good decision on her own, not to tell her what to do. Read more…
Guidelines are general instructions on how to make decisions. Unlike specific policies and processes, guidelines are not rigid. Guidelines are loose blueprints for success, such as “Don’t swim for 30 minutes after eating”. Contrasting with policies and rules, there are generally no sanctions for disregarding guidelines. While there is a Read more…
Gut feel is the immediate response you come to about something, based on intuition. It is formed nearly instantly due to the sum of your experience and training, based upon the available information you have. The degree of accuracy varies from person to person, but the common aspect for everyone Read more…