A Lean Journey

Lean Quote: Everything is Possible with the Right Attitude

2012-02-24T05:00:00.001-05:00

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. "Life is 10% of What Happens to Me and 90% of How I React to It" — Charles R. Swindoll quotes (American Writer and Clergyman,...

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10 Characteristics of a Good Measure and 7 Pitfalls to Avoid

2012-02-22T05:00:00.001-05:00

It is not enough to simply create a numeric measure. The measure should accurately reflect the process. We use metrics to base decisions on and to focus our actions. It is not only important to measure the right indicators, it is important to measure them well. To be effective and reliable, the metrics we choose to use need to have ten key characteristics. The following table was adapted from Keebler (1999) which suggest the qualitites to look for in indicators. A good...

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The Need for STEM in Quality and Business

2012-02-21T05:00:00.001-05:00

A couple weeks ago I mentioned a new series that will focus on spreading the word of quality. Today's post is the first in this series. In Paul Borawski’s post this month on ASQ's blog he advocates the need for STEM careers in business. STEM represents the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM education encourages a curriculum that is driven by problem solving, discovery, exploratory learning, and student-centered development of ideas and solutions....

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Daily Lean Tips Edition #27

2012-02-20T05:00:00.001-05:00

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: Applying Active Listening to Engage Others

2012-02-17T05:00:00.001-05:00

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. "Seek to understand first, before being understood." — Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Habit 5 of 7 in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective...

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New Webapp - Pomodoro Daisuki is a Simple Kanban Board

2012-02-15T05:00:00.001-05:00

I recently reviewed a new webapp call Pomodoro Daisuki on a tip from Jim Benson at Personal Kanban. Pomodoro Daisuki is a chrome app that combines a simple digital personal kanban board along with the the basic functionality of the pomodoro technique. The Pomodoro Technique is a time management philosophy that aims to provide the user with maximum focus and creative freshness, thereby allowing them to complete projects faster with less mental fatigue. The process is simple. For...

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How Do You Define Quality?

2012-02-14T05:00:00.001-05:00

"Quality" means different things to different people. We use the term but the concept and vocabulary of quality is elusive. If you ask someone to define the word "quality", you may get a variety of answers. The definition of quality often depends on the stakeholders. Stakeholders are, as the name implies, people with some stake or concern in the process. In manufacturing, the definition of quality can be fairly straightforward. Products should work as intended with a minimum number of faults...

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Lean Rules to Live By

2012-02-13T05:00:00.001-05:00

Rules create structure in our systems. Without rules there would be in chaos. Lean rules provide the guidance needed to implement improvement, explaining the “why” behind lean tools and the Six Sigma methodology. Lean rules also help develop new solutions to problems. For everyone in an organization, these rules help structure activities, connect customers and suppliers, specify and simplify flow paths, and bring improvement through experimentation at the right level. In their paper...

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Lean Quote: Done is Better than Perfect

2012-02-10T05:00:00.001-05:00

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. "Done is better than perfect." — Scott Allen It's kind of like the old adage, "You can have it fast. You can have it cheap. Or you can have...

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Gemba-Based Education - Visual Workplace/Visual Thinking

2012-02-09T05:00:00.002-05:00

The Lean Enterprise Institute, Rhode Island-based VIBCO and instructor Gwen Galsworth will collaborate to offer the Visual Workplace/Visual Thinking seminar. The format is a combination of classroom and shop-floor learning. Participants will first attend a visual workplace workshop on March 27th in Warwick, RI, followed by a visit to VIBCO on March 28th to observe and evaluate its efforts at implementing a visual workplace. I have been fortunate to visit VIBCO and have gotten to know...

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Book Review: Blind Spots

2012-02-08T05:00:00.001-05:00

The corporate culture in American business has certainly changed in the last decade with factors like the recession. This can give you pause to all that supposed career advice. Alexandra Levit debunks those business myths we've heard repeatedly in her latest book Blind Spots: The 10 Business Myths You Can't Afford to Believe on Your New Path to Success. In her book, Levit documents how some of these long held beliefs have become myths. She explores why holding on to these myths can be...

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New Product: WeekDate Simplifies Planning

2012-02-07T05:00:00.002-05:00

WeekDate provides one dedicated area for monthly events and one for weekly events that never change. This clever calendar is split into 3 sections: Top - Monthlies Monthlies are activites that occur every month on the same day. For example, your book club is the fourth Thursday of every month. Bottom - Weeklies Weeklies are events that occur every week such as yoga class that is every Tuesday morning or your Weekly Status Meeting on Wednesday afternoons. Middle - Specifics Specifics are...

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New Blog Feature - ASQ's Influential Voices

2012-02-06T05:00:00.001-05:00

I was invited to participate in ASQ’s Influential Voices blogging community. ASQ, American Society of Quality, is a global community of experts and the leading authority on quality in all fields, organizations, and industries. As a professional association, ASQ advances the professional development, credentials, knowledge and information services, membership community, and advocacy on behalf of its more than 85,000 members worldwide. As champion of the quality movement, ASQ members are driven...

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Lean Quote: Our Process is Different

2012-02-03T05:00:00.001-05:00

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. This weeks Lean Quote is brought to you by my good friend and frequent collaborator, Jeff Hajek. Jeff is a Lean consultant, award-winning...

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Seeing the Whole Value Stream Expanded Second Edition

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

What a difference a decade makes. It has been nearly a decade since Daniel Jones and Jim Womack wrote Seeing the Whole in which they expand on Learning to See. They created a tool to allow change-agent managers to tackle higher, more extended value streams across multiple plants and across multiple companies. Now the two have combined to make a very necessary update to Seeing the Whole Value Stream. When the first edition of Seeing the Whole was published the world was in a mad rush to...

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Lean Roundup #32 – January, 2012

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of January, 2012. You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here. The Missing Link in Lean Deployment – Gregg Stocker says the missing link in Lean deployment is organization leadership DNA from Deming's profound system of knowledge. Standard Work is Like Food - Taste Before Seasoning – Mark Hamel talks about the need to improve and implement standard work but both need tried and improved. How To Trick...

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Daily Lean Tips Edition #26

2012-01-30T05:00:00.001-05:00

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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