Organizations can be considered as systems of processes whose aim is to achieve customer satisfaction by meeting and filling the needs of customers. The famous flow diagram of W. Edwards Deming, ... [Read More]
The latest Toyota recall, announced just last week, has sent analysts and pundits alike scurrying for explanations about what is wrong with one of the world’s largest automakers. The recall, ... [Read More]
The 5 Whys is a well-known root cause analysis technique that originated at Toyota and has been adopted by many other organizations that have implemented lean manufacturing principles. Unlike more ... [Read More]
Last week I had occasion to view once again, in the company of a client, the excellent little video, “Toast Kaizen,” produced by the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership (GBMP)1, and ... [Read More]
Story update 10/22/2009: We added a reference to Toyota Kata in the first paragraph.
The tools and techniques of what is commonly called “lean manufacturing” have their origin ... [Read More]
Is the theory of constraints compatible with lean thinking and can the two approaches be used together? This article looks at some of the similarities and differences between the two approaches and ... [Read More]
Today, more than ever, the quest for productivity, quality, and speed has spawned a significant number of techniques and tools: lean manufacturing or service, business process improvement; Six ... [Read More]
Just the other week, I had the privilege of visiting with three or four companies that were doing lean process improvement. In every visit, each company invited me into their “war room” where ... [Read More]
