Being a leader that is going through a transformation is hard. Certainly if it wasnt’ your idea, you never had any exposure to lean or continuous improvement before. There are so many things to think of, many moving parts, many…
One of the first things when trying to build a culture of continuous improvement, or Kaizen, should be about standards. A standard (reflected in Standard Work) is a way to specify for your teams and organization on what good looks…
Consultants are problem solvers. It’s also who I am, it’s how I position myself and it’s what I’m good at. It’s part of my why and why I went into consulting. A few things I’ve seen happening over the years.…
One of the occupational hazards of consulting is that you become very good at spotting problems. After a few minutes in a meeting room you start seeing things: processes that could probably be simpler, decisions that take longer than they…
As simple as walking a dog I’m a lean nerd, right? My brain never stops thinking about lean and I always try to do things better, faster and with less waste. It even goes automatically these days where I don’t…
For many people just starting with lean, nothing can be more intimidating than a full blown Value Stream Map with all those lines, numbers and different ways to measure time. This is a Lean Consultant’s rookie mistake – don’t blow…
Seth Godin, This is strategy, 2024 I’m a fan of Seth and his writing style. He has a strong eye, strong observation and a kind voice to say things that ought to be said. In his book about Strategy, he…
We all know a version of this quote form Aristotle: We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit. And then some may have heard about this quote, or read it in a book…
Last week I facilitated a workshop on Daily Management at a B2B client. A motivated group, eager to improve, but unfamiliar with Lean practices like A3 problem solving or daily stand-ups. They had KPIs in place – well-documented and even reviewed regularly.…
Got a problem that keeps coming back? You’re probably just treating the symptoms instead of the root cause. Enter the fishbone diagram—a simple but powerful tool that helps teams get to the heart of recurring issues. Here’s a breakdown of what…