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Gotta Go Lean Blog

Weekly Update (May 13, 2013)

Notable News

  • I am dabbling with the idea of doing a brief weekly podcast, possibly with our frequent partner Tim McMahon, of ALeanJourney.com. We are still trying to work out the scheduling details and what the show would actually look like, so this is your chance to have some input. One of the ideas is a quick rundown of all the content we post combined some current events, but I am open to suggestions. The number one objective is to give you something that can help you keep Lean efforts front and center in your operation. Send your ideas and suggestions to info@velaction.com. Thanks.
  • I’ve also shuffled the posting calendar up a bit. I wanted to move the updates to Monday and cover the previous week. That means a cascade of changes for the rest of the calendar.
By Jeff Hajek, ago

PDCA: Predict-Do-Check-Act?

Let me start out by saying that, contrary to the title, I am not really advocating changing the name of the PDCA cycle to “Predict-Do-Check-Act”. What I am really pushing for is that part of the planning cycle includes a prediction of what will happen when you make a change. If you recall back to high school, one of the steps of the scientific method is to form a hypothesis. And what is PDCA if Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Weekly Update (May 3, 2013)

Notable News

I had a glimmer of hope for common sense in the government this week. It turns out that a bill to get the FAA operating at pre-sequester levels had a typo in it. Apparently it was missing an ‘s’ to make ‘accounts’ plural, which would have limited funding. While this bill was needed in the first place due to an inability to effectively solve problems, it was a welcomed surprise that common sense dictated in this case. The actions the bill called for were taken before the bill had to weave its way back through the approval process.

By Jeff Hajek, ago

The Art of Saying “No”

It is a simple word. Just two little letters. Yet, it can be very challenging to say.

Why? Because we’ve trained each other to believe that saying ‘No’ is wrong. Say it to a peer, and you are not a team player. Say it to a boss and you are not willing to go the extra mile. Say it to your subordinate, and you might be thought of by any number of less than flattering names.

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Weekly Update (April 26, 2013)

Notable News

I just finished recording a new DVD: Managing with Metrics. It still needs to be processed and edited, but it is a step closer. It should be done this weekend or early next week. This isn’t just a product announcement, though. The notable part is that the development process reinforced my belief that learning and improvement never ends. This is my 19th DVD, and every time I go through the process, I find new ways to improve it. Even with all my experience developing processes, I still find new ways to make things better. Just goes to show …

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Poll: What Are the Most Important Lean Leadership Traits?

POLL QUESTION: What Are the Most Important Lean Leadership Traits?

Leadership makes or breaks a Lean effort. Much of the gain comes from frontline effort, but that only happens when leaders set the right conditions for success.

This week’s question focuses on Lean leadership. We’d like to know what you see as the most important leadership traits for individuals guiding a team in a continuous improvement environment. This list comes from our 11 “C’s” of Lean Leadership.

By Jeff Hajek, ago

A Better Way to Save Lives

As budget constraints and sequestration put the squeeze on fire departments, there is a substantial risk that response times will creep up. In many cases, that can lead to more serious injuries, complications, or even death.

So how do you go about getting the response time down when there are some very real constraints? Well, in Israel, a group called United Hatzalah (meaning ‘rescue’ in Hebrew) cut the time for a first responder to arrive on scene from 12-15 minutes down to about 3. That’s a 75-80% reduction.

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Weekly Update (April 19, 2013)

I recently had a nice visit with a company that is on the verge of embracing continuous improvement. It has progressed along one of the common paths. A manager with some Lean experience applied it in his area, and got noticed for the gains. One thing led to another, and I ended up sitting in a conference room talking about how to capitalize on that progress.

Those are the meetings that charge me up. Producing new content is important, but it is not as fun as actually interacting with people. I can’t wait to see how things go for them. They are big enough to have some great upside in their processes. 

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Do You Suffer From SCS (Squirrel Chasing Syndrome)?

One of the challenges modern businesses face is the flood of information that is streaming at them on a daily basis. That wave of data contains a wealth of good ideas. And some of those ideas are things that the competition is doing.

The problem is that many people, predominantly managers, suffer from SCS, better known as “squirrel chasing syndrome”. When they are in the middle of something, the moment an interesting alternative flashes by, they drop what they are doing, and chase after that elusive idea. For dogs, the “can’t resist” alternative is often a furry little creature. For business people, the irresistible item is commonly something that a competitor is doing.

By Jeff Hajek, ago