When looking at an operation, if you are trying to help make it better, you will need a few tricks in your toolkit to be able to make quick judgements on where to spend your time digging deeper. I don’t advocate ever taking any significant action without a clear, data-based understanding of the situation. But there is the very real challenge of figuring out where to spend your limited time. Simply put, as a consultant Read more…
I am often asked about how I go about helping a company get started on its continuous improvement journey. When I am acting as a consultant, I generally view that as the wrong question. There’s one question I like to ask before the ‘how’ that has probably the highest correlation to success of any question I ask. I ask “Why?” I want to know about why the company is taking on the challenge of creating Read more…
Many Lean principles are used in everyday life. PDCA is no exception. Today’s podcast discusses how the process of coaching youth sports uses the Deming cycle. This 12-minute podcast also talks about committing to solving the problem. Just because you can make an improvement doesn’t mean that you are going to actually do so. Resources are finite, and improving one thing often means neglecting another. I also briefly talk about the role of leadership in Read more…
How Do I Start a Continuous Improvement Program? For this question, we have created a video response.
Lean faces a great deal of criticism, despite the numerous examples of its successful usage across a broad range of industries. This criticism is, in large part, justified. When I first began my writing career, I came across a disturbing figure in my research. There was limited hard data as to the effectiveness of Lean, but one of the few data points I did find said that 76% of attempts at continuous improvement failed to deliver on the initial promise…
As you research the decision to become Lean, you will undoubtedly consider the various benefits that you will get from implementing this philosophy. Knowing these positive aspects is important not only for your own decision making on whether to go down this path, but also for improving your odds of successfully getting your team on board. Once you decide to pull the trigger, you will have to sell the benefits of Lean to your team.
The decision to become Lean, or to embrace any continuous improvement philosophy for that matter, is not to be taken lightly. While the results can be incredible, about three out of every four companies do not achieve the results that they expected when they began their Lean journey.
In addition, it takes a tremendous amount of effort to change the DNA of a company. And make no mistake…
We have a complete Lean Overview module in Volume 2, but it is hard to make a decision to move forward without at least a cursory introduction to the specifics of Lean. This section is a summary of our Lean overview, and is intended to provide you with some information so you know what you are getting yourself into. We’ve put a lot of terms (with links) into the discussion below. Don’t spend too much Read more…
There is a bit of a misconception in the Lean community about the value that consultants bring to the table in terms of helping with specific projects. The consensus view is that consultants provide expertise and knowledge to their clients. This is true, but they provide a great deal more than that. The problem is that those extras that they are providing are generally things that people can, and should, be doing on their own. Read more…
The 3P Process Overview Form provides an at-a-glance view of the final process steps that will be implemented. It is a communication tool, as well as a review tool. By going through the process of filling out this form, the team will make sure they have considered each process step in detail, and will confirm that they have not missed anything. Get Our 3P Process Overview Form for Free The 3P Process Overview Form is Read more…
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