Demand Stream Mapping?
Getting lean right is more than just ideas. Here’s an article on demand stream mapping that I was actually interviewed for. Don’t know what that is? Well, here’s the crux of the article that I believe gets it wrong: But…
Tag Flinchbaugh
Lean is dead?
I know that you can say whatever you want in the press, particularly if you’re trying to sell this, but I couldn’t believe I read this: I had a feeling as I went into this that people had reached their…
Great Books You Didn’t Know Were About Lean
There are many books that are not at all about lean, but the lessons they contain are very helpful to a lean journey. Here’s one such example: Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni While the creativity and storytelling in most…
The Unwritten Laws of Engineering
A couple months ago, Mark commented on the unraveling of the mystery of Raytheon’s Swanson’s The Unwritten Rules of Management. This book got incredible press on how many people liked it, including Warren Buffett. As I liked to do, the…
Lean: The New Buzz Concept
By Jamie Flinchbaugh < The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean > I’ve read my share of articles on lean, and its no wonder people are confused about what’s up and what’s down. Here’s the latest bit of confusion, from Australia: Lean:…
The Chinese Auto Industry
I won’t comment on this much, because I’m not an expert on the Chinese auto industry (I still buy U.S.-built cars). But The Great Race: China offers big challenges but huge opportunities offers a primer on the ins and outs…
Is Shigeo Shingo Overrated in the History of TPS and Lean?
Unless you subscribe to Superfactory, you probably haven’t noticed a nearly raging debate on the true contributions to “lean” and the Toyota Production System by one Dr. Shigeo Shingo. Here’s a little of the storyline. It basically comes down to…
Innovation or Improvement?
In this Business Week column, the title is The Myth of Creativity. This takes a bold stance AGAINST creativity. Here is the central premise: The sobering truth is that the dramatic artistic creations or intellectual insights we most admire for…
The Evolution of Lean in Healthcare
Today’s Detroit News wrote about lean in healthcare, this time in their own beloved University of Michigan system. Titled “U-M Hospital Takes Page from Toyota,” it starts out with a flaw, stating: “U-M is one of the first medical centers…
2006 Commencement Leadership Lessons
Lean is about a journey, and it requires leadership. If you can not teach, you can not lead. On Father’s Day I mentioned the spirit of learning from our fathers important lessons on leadership. Although a little late, I thought…
A Lean Budget?
From the June 26th edition of Business Week, The Welch Way by Jack and Suzy Welch was called Stop the B.S. Budget (need subscription to read). I probably will not get much argument from people on this: budgeting as it…
The Five Whys – Insights from Jamie Flinchbaugh
This article appeared in the May 31st issue of APICS extra. It featured yours truly and covers the topic of the five whys. You can learn more about APICS by visiting www.apics.org. Why Do You Ask? By Douglas R. Kelly…
