A Lean Journey

Lean Quote: The Gift of A Good Book

2012-01-27T05:00:00.001-05:00

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve. "A book is a gift you can open again and again." — Garrison Keillor It can be extremely easy to fall into the trap of letting life get in...

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Book Review: A Factory of One

2012-01-25T05:00:00.001-05:00

Most people who seek to improve their personal productivity are left with a bunch of anecdotes and tools. They fail to understand how to make it all work. What they don’t realize is they lack a system of improvement to make their process better. Now there is a new book that does just that. Daniel Markovitz authored A Factory of One: Applying Lean Principles to Banish Waste and Improve Your Personal Performance which describes how you can foster a new mindset and improve your...

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The Very Best of 5S - Benchmarking Report

2012-01-24T05:00:00.001-05:00

Last summer A Lean Journey Blog co-sponsored with 5S Supply a 5S benchmarking survey. Now I am happy to share with you the 5S benchmarking report - "The Very Best of 5S." This free 30 page eBook is the full summary of a detailed benchmarking survey that 5S Supply sponsored in 2011. See what others are doing, good or bad, when it comes to setting up, implementing and sustaining a world-class 5S system. Some results will confer what you already know and others will surprise you. This...

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10 Low Cost Ways to Learn Lean

2012-01-23T05:00:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I am asked how I learned Lean either from those who want to do the same or by those who want to clarify my experience. I was fortunate to have studied with a Toyota Sensei for a number of years. For anyone who has experienced this kind of teaching it truly is a unique opportunity for learning. I also have a number of Lean certifications for those who like that sort of thing. I don’t want to get into that debate in this article but there is place for certification as part of overall...

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Lean Quote: Leaders Learn From Their Mistakes

2012-01-20T05:00:00.001-05:00

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve. "Mistakes are the usual bridge between inexperience and wisdom." — Phyllis Therous Mistakes are unavoidable in life and leaders certainly...

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Guest Post: The Management Lessons of Angry Birds

2012-01-19T05:00:00.001-05:00

Angry Birds, that time-draining app that has spawned a cult phenomenon and a slew of stuffed toys at Walmart, might seem like an odd place to look for wisdom on accomplishing tasks. Nonetheless, the game offers several highly useful examples of how to manage yourself and others in order to get things accomplished: You can only use what you have - Some levels, you wish you had a wood-smashing yellow bird, but all the game gives you are some fat, white birds. How on earth will you ever kill...

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STOP SOPA

2012-01-18T05:00:00.001-05:00

On Jan 24th, Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed. We need to kill the bill - PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House - to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and prosperity. We need internet companies to follow Reddit's lead and stand up for the web, as we internet users are doing every day. Today, on January 18th, dozens, if not hundreds, of websites will join in a blackout strike to protest this...

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Sharpen Your Focus by Selecting the Vital Few Breakthrough Objectives with Hoshin Kanri

2012-01-17T05:00:00.002-05:00

In any given year, there are many opportunities to advance toward the vision. While all contributions are welcome, the purpose of Hoshin Kanri is to select those annual objectives that will give the organization the greatest possible advantage. To this end Hoshin Kanri recognizes and distinguishes two kinds of annual contributions: 1. Incremental improvements to existing processes or methods (“kaizen”), and 2. Activities aimed at making dramatic improvements in strategically vital...

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Daily Lean Tips Edition #25

2012-01-16T05:00:00.001-05:00

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips. It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey. Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook. Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.Here is the next addition of tips from the...

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Lean Quote: Dogged Persistence Will Ensure Lean Actually Happen

2012-01-13T05:00:00.001-05:00

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve. "Little drops of water wear down big stones." — Russian Proverb It is truly miraculous to think that tiny droplets of H2O can team up and...

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The Cost of Poor Quality

2012-01-12T05:00:00.002-05:00

This 6 minute video clip was presented at the 20th Annual Audit Division Conference. It preceeded the Key Note Address by Sipho Tjabadi, General Manager of the Quality Management Group-Capital. It highlights the importance of a quality based customer focused mindset. ‎"Quality can make the difference between excellence and disaster." Dramatic video from ASQ Audit Division. Don't break the cardinal rule of quality. Understand the internal and external customer needs and strive to...

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4 Steps to Ensure Your Resolution Success

2012-01-11T05:00:00.002-05:00

This is the time of year when people are trying to turn over a new leaf. The beginning of the year marks a point where people make New Year’s Resolutions. Unfortunately, many fail to keep those resolutions. In fact, 81 percent of resolution's fail within two years. The top New Year's resolutions rarely change year to year. The most popular typically revolve around losing weight, managing stress, getting out of debt, quitting smoking, and learning a new skill. Setting the right type of New...

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Annual Management Improvement Carnival: 2011 - Lean Pathways

2012-01-10T05:00:00.002-05:00

In my final review for the 2011 Annual Management Improvement Carnival I have chosen one of my newest favorites, Lean Pathways. This blog came on to the scene about a year and half ago but the authors aren't new to writing. Four time Shingo Prize winning author Pascal Dennis and his colleague Al Norval are the primary contributors to the blog of the same name as their company. Perhaps the most notable element of the Lean Pathways blog is the custom artwork that illustrates each post. I would...

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Annual Management Improvement Carnival: 2011 - Lean Leadership

2012-01-09T05:00:00.001-05:00

In my third review for the Annual Management Improvement Carnival I am going to highlight the blog Lean Leadership. Christian Paulsen, a lean consultant, is the author of Lean Leadership. He started blogging a couple years ago and I have been following him since the beginning. Christian has been a frequent guest blogger this year on A Lean Journey. Christian covers a wide range of topics from 5S and six sigma to leadership and change management. He even does a weekly series...

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Lean Quote: Expectations are Leftover Praise

2012-01-06T05:00:00.001-05:00

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve. "Expectations are just leftover praise. They are a blessing. If you didn't have the capability to meet them, they wouldn't exist." — ~ Chris...

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Annual Management Improvement Carnival: 2011 - Gemba Tales

2012-01-04T05:00:00.001-05:00

In my second review for the Annual Management Improvement Carnival I have chosen one of my favorite bloggers, Mark Hamel. Mark won the Shingo prize for his book Kaizen Event Fieldbook and writes on Gemba Tales. I also highlighted Mark's blog on last year annual carnival. Mark and I have known each other for a few years as we live about 20 miles apart. Mark is quite creative and his writing style is easy to interpret. With Mark I always feel like I can apply what I learn from him right...

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Annual Management Improvement Carnival: 2011 - Beyond Lean

2012-01-03T05:00:00.001-05:00

In my first review on John Hunter's Annual Management Improvement Carnival I have chosen to review Matt Wrye's blog Beyond Lean. Matt is a lean practitioner by day and blogger by night like myself. I find his posts so relate-able since many of his writings are based on his experiences which seem similar to mine. Matt and I met obviously online through blogging but our dialogue picked up on the subject of personal kanban. We had a number of exchanges this...

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The 4th Annual Management Roundup

2012-01-02T05:00:00.001-05:00

This is the time of year when my friend John Hunter, blogger at Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog coordinates the annual management carnival.The Curious Cat Management blog carnival highlights recent management blog posts 3 times each month. This is the 4th year that the normal rhythm is being broken to review the past year in management blogging. From now until January 12th some excellent management blogs will be hosting reviews of what has transpired on great management blogs over the...

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Lean Quote: Forget About Resolutions Concentrate on Goal Setting

2011-12-30T05:00:00.001-05:00

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve. "Many people look forward to the New Year for a new start on old habits." — Anonymous With the hustle of the holidays over we turn to the...

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Lean Roundup #31 – December, 2011

2011-12-29T05:00:00.001-05:00

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of December, 2011. You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here. A House Divided Cannot Stand – Bill Waddell talks about the divide between sales and manufacturing that creates a top line or cost reduction and not a bottom line improvement. Kaizen and the Moisture Content of Fabrics – Jon Miller brings fabric and moisture together to talk about kaizen and approach you should take. 4 Myths About The...

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My Gift to You

2011-12-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

http://free-christian-wallpapers.blogspot.com/2010/12/merry-christmas-greeting-cards.html Merry Christmas to all A Lean Journey Fans! Lean is a gift to us individually and to organizations empowering and inspiring improvement all around us. This holiday season I want to take the opportunity to thank all those who share the passion for continuous improvement and share in the learning on this blog. As a way of saying "Thank You" I want to share a gift you, a free copy of Henry Ford's "My...

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Lean Quote: Give the Gift of Inspiration

2011-12-23T05:00:00.001-05:00

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve. "A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves." —...

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That's Kaizen - FastCap Style

2011-12-22T05:00:00.001-05:00

Many think Kaizen is about some sort of 5 day event where you shut down and make improvement. Maybe this idea is fed by consultants in some manner but Kaizen in fact is not this. It is about small incremental change. The type of change that makes it easier to do your job. Change in which the people doing the task are intimately involved in. In a new video from the team at FastCap they demonstrate what real Kaizen is all about. There are so many great lessons in this...

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Learn to Achieve Flow in Your Workplace From Angry Birds

2011-12-21T05:00:00.001-05:00

Angry Birds, found on so many smart phones is so compulsive because the game applies the rules for achieving flow in your workplace. First, having a clear objective and a goal which is difficult but not impossible. It allows control over the action and gives immediate and comprehensive feedback on the attempts. Finally. it celebrates success. Time passes without being noticed. Management lessons from angry birds- goal setting, targets. View more presentations from Zealworks...

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