Lean Archives | Page 18 of 67

GA 335 | Leveraging Creative Thinking with Erlin Kakkanad

By Jessica Bush - September 3rd, 2020

This week’s guest is Erlin Kakkanad. Erlin explained the differences between critical and creative thinking, stressing the specific powers of creative thinking. If you’re looking for new ways to solve problems, this episode

Akio Toyoda’s Take on TPS

By Jon Miller - August 31st, 2020

One might think that Toyota, after more than fifty years of developing, working within, and refining the Toyota Production System, wouldn’t need to run training courses on TPS for managers. And yet recently Toyota has started a s

Platforms for Online Lean and Six Sigma Training

By Kevin Meyer - August 28th, 2020

Over the last decade, Gemba Academy’s online library has grown to nearly 2,000 lean and six sigma training videos. These are organized into three general categories: the School of Lean, School of Six Sigma, and our unique Gemba

GA 334 | The Benefits of System Integration with Danny Bradford

By Jessica Bush - August 27th, 2020

This week’s guest is Danny Bradford. Danny described the power of system and B2B integration, what goes into a successful integration, and how these concepts apply to different industries. A MP3 audio version of this episode is a

GA 333 | The Five Skills for Effective Leadership with Hugh Alley

By Jessica Bush - August 20th, 2020

This week’s guest is Hugh Alley. Ron and Hugh discussed the five core skills to being a good leader and boss, how it all relates to TWI, Hugh’s book, and more. A MP3 audio version of this episode is available for download h

Repainting the Wood Steps of Lean Transformation

By Jon Miller - August 17th, 2020

Summer is a great time for home improvement projects. This week I crossed off another one off of my list. The paint on one of the back staircases was worn and peeling. It was in dire in need of repair. At five feet wide, three feet tal

Leveraging the Solitude of Leadership

By Kevin Meyer - August 14th, 2020

I’ve long relished intentional periods of solitude to reflect and renew. I’ll often take advantage of the six mile stretch of beach between Morro Bay’s [hopefully] extinct volcano a couple blocks from my house and t

GA 332 | Lean, Fashion Photography, and E-Commerce with Adam Murfin

By Jessica Bush - August 13th, 2020

This week’s guest is Adam Murfin. Adam described how he uses lean in fashion photography, including the pre and post-production stages. This episode is a great example of how versatile and universal lean really is. A MP3 audio ve

Better Business Processes through ECRSA

By Jon Miller - August 10th, 2020

I came across my old friend Ecrsa while working on some teaching videos for our Business Process Mapping. She’s actually an industrial engineering acronym, ECRS. It stands for Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange, Simplify, with the a

What Is a Lean Daily Management System?

By Ron Pereira - August 7th, 2020

If you’ve been practicing lean for any amount of time you’ve likely heard about gemba walks, leader standard work, and obeya. To be sure, as individual lean tools and concepts they’re powerful. But, when you combine

GA 331 | Leading and Learning at Toyota with Katie Anderson

By Jessica Bush - August 6th, 2020

This week’s guest is Katie Anderson. Ron and Katie discussed Katie’s new book, the roles of a leader, joy versus happiness, and much more. Katie also shared some special stories about esteemed Toyota leaders like Isao Yos

What’s in the Continuous Improvement Attic?

By Jon Miller - August 3rd, 2020

Whether we’re talking about houses, management systems, or vacation plans, it’s almost always a good idea to build from the foundation up. Even when we think we already have a firm foundation, it’s worth checking befo

GA 330 | The Power of 3P with Adam Lawrence

By Jessica Bush - July 30th, 2020

This week’s guest is Adam Lawrence. Ron and Adam talked all about 3P, including the steps involved and how it can be used for product innovation. Adam also shared a very interesting anecdote involving cat litter, corn flakes, and

Where to Start with the Daily Management System?

By Jon Miller - July 27th, 2020

Where do we start? This is one of the most common questions people ask throughout the continuous improvement journey. This is true not only at the very beginning but also at various stages. The word “continuous” is misleadi

Team Learning vs. Individual Learning

By Steve Kane - July 24th, 2020

Gemba Academy has been helping people gain proficiency in Lean and Six Sigma through Green Belt and Black Belt certification courses for several years. These certification courses have always included one-on-one coaching via phone or v

GA 329 | Gathering Lean Stories with Dewey Mauldin

By Jessica Bush - July 23rd, 2020

This week’s guest is Dewey Mauldin. Dewey, who works for Daimler Trucks, shared some of the experiences that have stuck with him over the years. Dewey specifically touches on takt time, purchase processes, and more. A MP3 audio v

How to Think about Zero

By Jon Miller - July 20th, 2020

For the past few months, businesses have grappled with the question of how to operate without its employees, customers and suppliers breathing the same air. As we enter the summer, professional sports leagues must figure out how it wil

Measurement System & Sampling Horror Stories

By Ron Pereira - July 17th, 2020

Yesterday, during our weekly Black Belt coaching call I was talking to my friend Joni (hope it’s ok to mention you, Joni!) about the importance of sampling and measurement systems. As some folks know – especially those I

Infographic: Lean Best Practices for the Remote Team

By Kevin Meyer - July 16th, 2020

Feel free to save and share this infographic we created on lean best practices for the remote team! Some tips for continuing to be effective during and after COVID while working from home.

GA 328 | Lean in Hospitality with Aaron Davidson

By Jessica Bush - July 16th, 2020

This week’s guest is Aaron Davidson. Aaron explained how he and his team use lean in the hospitality industry, including some unique examples involving cleaning hotel rooms, gambling, and more. A MP3 audio version of this episode

5S and Five More Working from Home Hacks

By Jon Miller - July 13th, 2020

For many knowledge workers it looks like working from home may be here to stay for a while. Some have found that working from home has improved productivity, due to time saved not commuting or other reasons. For others, the home enviro

GA 327 | Continuous Improvement and Humanitarianism with Andrew Parris

By Jessica Bush - July 9th, 2020

This week’s guest is Andrew Parris. Andrew, who works for an NGO called Medair, explained how continuous improvement can be used in a humanitarian context. The global component Andrew discusses proves how versatile these principl

When Customer-Supplier Partnerships… Aren’t

By Kevin Meyer - July 3rd, 2020

Many years ago I wrote about how many companies were trying to get a one-time boost in working capital by extending their purchasing terms from typical net-30 to net-90 and even net-120. In some cases they were even partnering with b

GA 326 | Lean and Law in the UK with Adam Marsland

By Jessica Bush - July 2nd, 2020

This week’s guest is Adam Marsland. Adam, a Continuous Improvement Expert at a law firm, explained how lean is being leveraged in the legal industry in the UK. Adam also gave an overall “state of the union address” on

Six-Month Reflection Questions, Adjusted

By Jon Miller - June 29th, 2020

I’m in the habit of looking back every six months, asking myself a few questions, and setting intentions for the future. In Lean terminology this is known as reflection, or hansei. January through June 2020 will go down in histor

Lean

Start your improvement training today.