Why do people call Lean efforts a journey? One of the things you will learn about Lean as you get more experienced at it is that you are never done. There are always more improvements to be made, new tools to be learned or created, and new skills to develop. Read more…
Why are there so many Lean specialties? The main reason for the specialties is that Lean is primarily thought of as an improvement philosophy for manufacturing. In fact, it was originally called “Lean Manufacturing.” But those who got good at it quickly learned two things. The first is that the Read more…
Why are there so many Japanese terms in Lean? Should we use the English or the Japanese version of terms? As you may know, Lean traces its roots to post WWII Japan. Toyota was trying to find a way to compete in a fragmented market that was short on resources. Read more…
Do financial incentives work in Lean? Yes, financial incentives work, when done right and for the correct things. When I have this discussion with people, I always start the conversation by asking what happens if you stop paying your employees. Obviously, the financial incentive of a paycheck makes the person Read more…
How many KPI’s should your team have? There are a lot of variations on an old saying that goes something like this: “That which gets measured gets done.” This is especially true in Lean organizations. Making improvements requires a detailed understanding of how things are going. Many of these metrics that Read more…
Isn’t Lean just for manufacturing? One of the common misperceptions about Lean is that it is effective only in a manufacturing environment. While it is true that this is where it has its roots, the principles of continuous improvement that are primarily associated with Lean manufacturing were used throughout Toyota in its Read more…
What is the origin of Lean? Toyota is commonly credited with being the birthplace of modern Lean. One of the key proponents there, Taiichi Ohno, is commonly thought of as the father of modern Lean. While that is mostly true, there is more to the story. The Toyoda family owned the company that Read more…