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Gotta Go Lean Blog

What books should I read first when starting out in Lean?

What books should I read first when starting out in Lean? The first and best answer is, of course, Whaddaya Mean I Gotta be Lean? Building the Bridge from Job Satisfaction to Corporate Profit. It is a great place to start. It was written by Jeff Hajek. The first half of the book is a Lean overview, and the second half contains over hundred detailed strategies on how to make Lean work. The next decision is whether you Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Should I believe the hype about Lean?

Should I believe the hype about Lean? As you research what to expect from Lean in terms of specific performance increases, you will undoubtedly come across a glut of claims. The thing to keep in mind is that many of these claims come from sources that benefit from the improvement being as large as possible. Authors want Lean hyped so you will buy their books. Consultants want you to believe that massive gains are possible Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

How successful are companies at Lean?

How successful are companies at Lean? When researching Lean, it is easy to find examples of companies that are extremely successful at Lean, but it is harder to find information about what the chance of being one of those companies is. In all the years of researching about Lean, I have only seen one study that attempted to tally up how successful Lean is for the companies that try it. The research said—and this is Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

How long does it take to become Lean?

How long does it take to become Lean? First, let’s define “becoming Lean” as creating a culture and system that is generally recognizable to other companies as being “Lean.” It’s a vague description, but Lean will mean different things to different people. The second complicating factor is that the pace will depend upon the motivation and commitment of the company. If they hire a Lean staff and bring in consultants, and spend on the resources that Lean Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

How important is it to report cost savings for every improvement event?

How important is it to report cost savings for every individual improvement event? Let me start by telling you a little story. I once had a vice president of operations who, while talking to a group of leaders from the company, said something to the effect that if all of our kaizen activity over the previous several years had actually delivered on what project teams said they had, we would be a billion-dollar company operating out of Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

How do I determine cost savings in Lean?

How do I determine cost savings in Lean? Cost savings can be a tricky thing. It is especially challenging when we are talking about reporting cost savings after a kaizen event, or when consultants make claims in marketing information. It is easy to get an inflated system of reporting, where people get more and more aggressive in claiming gains. Nobody wants pedestrian gains when most other teams (or competing consultants) are reporting monumental increases. The truth Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Do financial incentives work in Lean?

Do financial incentives work in Lean? Yes, financial incentives work, when done right and for the correct things. When I have this discussion with people, I always start the conversation by asking what happens if you stop paying your employees. Obviously, the financial incentive of a paycheck makes the person show up to work. So the underlying principle—that people do things to get money—is sound. For a short time, financial incentives can make a person Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Can a single department implement Lean on its own?

Can a single department implement Lean on its own? The short answer is yes, but only to a degree. Many of the problem-solving tools and leadership activities work within a group’s own boundaries. You can do 5S and implement Standard Work. You can install poka yokes, and manage with KPIs, and daily management without a whole lot of external obstacles. Some tools, though need institutional support. For example, a team can install andon lights and create an andon process for its leadership team to respond. Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Lean Lego Training

One of the best ways to teach your team about Lean is to give them hands on training using Lego sets. This gives them the opportunity to try out concepts without the risk of making errors in actual work areas. We offer three different Lean Lego training packages, available in our online store. Lean Lego Visual Controls and 5S This is our most popular Lego training package. It comes with 4 models. 2 have written Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Sometimes People ARE the Problem

I see a lot of talk in Lean circles about blaming the process and not the person. The truth is, people fall on a spectrum for most skills and characteristics. I’m not sure if it is a bell curve or some other distribution, but with nearly all traits and skills, there is a pretty large cluster of people in the middle, and then some outliers on both the really good side, and the really bad Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago