People like closure, so the thought of taking on something with no end can be a major challenge. Continuous improvement can create a mental hurdle that people must clear in order to fully commit to the idea that the achievements of today won’t be good enough tomorrow.
The latest member of our Featured Lean Thinker group is Chris Paulsen. Chris and I have commented back and forth several times on various blog posts, and you’ll see his ideas frequently on blogs and forums throughout the Lean community. He’s got a sharp eye for picking up the nuances of an article and always adds some great insight. Of particular interest, take a look at his comments about his career progression. His experience is Read more…
Sometimes taking the scenic route is fun. But not when your livelihood and financial future are at stake. People feel much more comfortable when they know that their bosses have a plan, and employees know what that plan is.
A gerontologist (one who studies aging and the problems of aging people) named Aubrey de Grey has a theory about longevity that basically says in the future, medical and other technological advances will increase average life spans faster than people are aging. He calls the point when that happens ‘longevity escape velocity’. As you age, the actuarial tables, in effect, extend out of your reach. I find that theory hard to believe, at least in Read more…
Learning about Lean often takes a leap of faith. But faith only goes so far. On occasion, you will struggle with various aspects of your Lean job, especially when you don’t see the point in what you are beings asked to do.
I saw a blurb in Forbes magazine that I just had to check out. It referred to an instruction located on the US tax form 2106-EZ. The instruction says, “An expense does not have to be required to be considered necessary.” I have to confess, I don’t have the brainpower to figure out what expenses might not be required, but would still be necessary. It is easy to hear about things like this in the Read more…
I recently responded to a question about 5S on a forum. The gist was that the person wanted to know how long to expect 5S to take. Both myself and another responder quickly mentioned that 5S takes a long, long time. He said months; I said it is never done. The point we both made was that 5S is neither quick, nor easy, despite the simplicity of the concept. (Learn more about our 5S module. Read more…
A lot of people register on my site to get access to the wide range of free Lean information I offer. Some of the organizations they work for are easily recognizable as Fortune 500 companies. But many of the visitors to my site come from companies that are not as well known, and likely have only a few people. That tells me that there is a thirst for knowledge about Lean from small businesses all Read more…
As you may recall from previous articles, I am a rather big football fan. So I happened upon this video, and found myself repeatedly rewinding saying, “Did he really just do that?” The short of it is that we often limit ourselves by our expectations. Obviously, this guy spends a lot of time doing things that others would say can’t be done. So, let’s take a little test before you watch the clip. Which of Read more…
A few months back I posted an article questioning Toyota’s supremacy in quality and in Lean in general. Don’t misunderstand me—I still think Toyota is great at what they do. They have a lot to teach, but I think other companies have taken what Toyota does to heart and applied it to their own processes far more than most people believe. It appears that Toyota has lost ground not because of anything Toyota did (2010 Read more…
This A3 template can be used to create an A3 report, the communication medium for A3 problem solving. The A3 report takes its name from the “A3” size of paper that the report is generally written or printed on. (A3 paper is an international designation similar to the ledger size 11 x 17-inch paper in the US). The A3 report is most commonly used for problem solving, but may also be used to write concise Read more…
I have to say, I was amused by a recent article. Authorities seize catapult used to hurl pot into Arizona The headline pretty much sums up the story. Drug smugglers, looking for a new way to get their product to market, were thinking outside the box. I think the Plan and Do phases of the PDCA cycle are done. Obviously, getting caught probably indicates that they have some work to do in the Check phase. Read more…