Tag: Gemba

Lean: The Toyota Production System is Mainly About the Philosophy

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There's a triangle diagram on the TSSC webpage that describes an "integrated system" that consists of: technical methods, managerial methods, philosophy. All of this is "focused on people development," Jamie told me for the book. The model starts with people and human development in the middle, as "people are the most valuable resource," says Bonini.

Lean Would Be a Solution for What These Nurses Complain About

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In my time working with hospitals, I've always been very sympathetic to front-line nurses (and other staff). They are far too often overburdened and...

Guest Post: Is Your Organization Practicing “Unlean Lean”?

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Mark's note: Today's post is something that Drew Locher originally published in his email newsletter (sign up here), but he's allowing me to post it...

Wise Words from Mark Twain on Continuous Improvement and Perfection

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A hat tip goes to Brian Buck for sharing this quote via email recently. Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, was a pithy and wise man. I didn't remember this quote, but it is attributed to him. It's very appropriate for the type of work we do...

More Notes on Dr. Deming & “If Japan Can, Why Can’t...

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Hopefully you've already seen the famed 1980 NBC documentary "If Japan Can, Why Can't We?" that featured Dr. W. Edwards Deming. I posted a link to the video and some notes on Part 1 of the broadcast. Today, I'd like to blog about Part 3 of the program...

Throwback Thursday: Flexing, Gemba Claus, Problems, Shook, Jail, and Holiday Gifts

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As we start easing into the holidays, I wanted to share a few throwback posts from this day or this week from previous years: From...

The Business, the Science, and the Continuous Improvement of “Bar Rescue”

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For the Lean minded individual, Spike’s “Bar Rescue” is so much more than just a television show. It is basically a weekly, or binge-watched, case study on process improvement in bars across the country. “Bar Rescue” is another example of how any industry can benefit from continuous improvement.

“We are not Toyota”

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Mark's note: Today's guest post is a return visit by Gert Linthout, from Belgium. Gert and I were part of the same Lean healthcare study trip to Japan back in 2012... Once upon a time... It was some years ago, when we guided a Lean transformation project in a regional hospital. The ambition was to drastically improve...

Like Lean: An NFL Head Coach Gets Out of His Office,...

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...this WSJ article caught my attention: "The Coach Who Won't Leave the Locker Room." The sub headline is "Why Carolina Panthers' Ron Rivera has become obsessed with integrating himself into his players' personal workspace." An NFL coach is at "the gemba" during a game, of course...

We’re Ready for #KaizenLive on Wednesday & Thursday – Join Us...

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Joe Swartz and I have been working for a while to put together our first onsite Kaizen workshop at his health system, Franciscan St....

Stuff I’m Reading March 2015: Womack, Sweatshops, Hospitals, and Surveys

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As often happens, I have too many open browser tabs full of articles that I was going to potentially blog about. Too much WIP...

New #Lean & #Lean Startup Candy Hearts for Valentine’s Day –...

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Ok, for those of you who maybe find "50 Shades of Lean" to be a bit too racy, here are some sweet "candy hearts"...