Gemba Academy

Unlocking the Secret to Success: Managing for Daily Improvement (MDI)

By Alen Ganic - December 9th, 2024

Successful companies often have a simple yet powerful secret to their success—a daily meeting involving all employees. This practice is known as the Managing for Daily Improvement (MDI) meeting. MDI meetings are a structured approach

Consolation and Desolation: Lessons from St. Ignatius for Business Leaders

By Ron Pereira - November 15th, 2024

Life is full of highs and lows, peaks and valleys, victories and struggles. St. Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century saint and founder of the Jesuits, deeply understood this rhythm of life. His teachings on consolation and desolation—t

Building Loyalty and Empowering Growth: How Lean Principles and Genuine Mentorship Drive Employee Retention

By Alen Ganic - November 7th, 2024

To help others enhance their skills and improve their knowledge, we can build on the practices of successful organizations while recognizing the importance of Lean principles in creating a productive, satisfying work environment. Lean

Creating Future Leaders: Essential Tools for Youth Organization and Growth

By Alen Ganic - October 12th, 2024

Working with youth who have been volunteers for a non-profit organization for several years, I’ve observed the challenges they face in their personal and professional development. Many struggle with organization, staying focused,

New ways of working text on yellow notepad

Agile Process Improvement Efforts

By John Knotts - September 20th, 2024

In today’s leaner times, businesses are often forced to scrutinize their investments, and unfortunately, process improvement programs like quality initiatives are frequently among the first to be cut. These programs are often per

Understanding the Difference Between 5S Workplace Organization and Housekeeping

By Alen Ganic - September 13th, 2024

A common misconception is equating 5S workplace organization with simple housekeeping, but the two serve distinct purposes. 5S is a structured system designed to enhance operational efficiency by focusing on organization, standardizati

How Micro-Goals Helped Me Conquer a Hill (And Can Help You Too)

By Ron Pereira - September 3rd, 2024

I went for a 2-mile run with my 13-year-old son yesterday. I do quite a bit of cardio work several times a week, but I rarely run, so I was curious about how I’d do. I’m happy to report it went quite well. Both of us made it throug

Man on a boat fishing for tuna fish in the North Atlantic ocean.

Are You Keeping The Line Wet?

By John Knotts - August 23rd, 2024

Last week, during a Gemba Academy Lean Bootcamp, Ron Pereira talked about “keeping the line wet” when teaching. This was a new term to me, but I found it to be an important term. “Keep the line wet” is a phrase

How to Shift from Resource Focus to Customer Focus

By Alen Ganic - August 9th, 2024

In the business world, it’s easy to get caught up in maximizing the use of resources, especially after significant financial investments. Often, we might acquire the latest tools simply because they are highly recommended or because

Why Sigma?

By John Knotts - August 2nd, 2024

I was asked a question that I had never been asked before: “Why Sigma: Why is only Sigma in Lean Six Sigma Yellow and Green & Black belt? Why not use Alpha, etc…?” Honestly, no one had ever asked me that question befo

A Company’s Continuous Improvement Journey

By John Knotts - July 19th, 2024

Embarking on your company’s continuous improvement journey can often be frustrating. This leads to the disheartening realization that your efforts seem ineffective. In the pursuit of excellence, many companies embark on a journey

Unlock Your Potential with Gemba Academy’s Master Black Belt Program

By John Knotts - June 21st, 2024

Are you ready to elevate your career and become a strategic leader in Lean and Six Sigma methodologies? Gemba Academy’s Master Black Belt (MBB) program is your pathway to mastering continuous improvement and driving significant b

Aligning 5S and DMAIC for Process Improvement

By John Knotts - May 17th, 2024

All too often, process improvement coaching candidates struggle to find practical and effective process improvement ideas to use for their certification projects. I often recommend integrating two well-established methodologies: 5S and

Enhancing Organizational Efficiency through Supplier Process Improvement

By John Knotts - April 19th, 2024

In an increasingly interconnected business ecosystem, the performance of an organization is not solely determined by its internal processes but also by the efficiency and reliability of its suppliers. The concept of working closely wit

Process Improvement Across Industries

By John Knotts - March 15th, 2024

In the realm of business and organizational efficiency, understanding the nuances of process improvement across various industries is not merely an exercise in intellectual curiosity but a necessity. With 34 years of experience in this

Understanding the Customer Experience is a Keystone in Process Improvement

By John Knotts - February 16th, 2024

In the realm of business, the adage “the customer is always right” has evolved into a more nuanced understanding that “the customer’s experience is paramount.” As we dive deeper into the intricacies of cus

The Power of Perception: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities

By Ron Pereira - January 30th, 2024

We’ve all been there – facing those challenging, frustrating, or just plain uncertain moments in our personal and professional lives. Whether it’s a project or kaizen event going awry, a difficult conversation with your a

Embracing System-Level Problem Solving over Firefighting

By John Knotts - January 19th, 2024

In the dynamic landscape of business and organizational management, problem-solving is often equated with ad hoc firefighting – a reactive approach where individuals scramble to douse the flames of immediate issues. While this method

Thinking in Bets: Embracing Uncertainty and Probabilistic Thinking

By Ron Pereira - January 17th, 2024

I just finished an interesting book titled “Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions when you Don’t have all the Facts” by Annie Duke, a world champion poker player. There are lots of parallels to Scientific Thinkin

Harmonizing Organizational Excellence: A Fusion of Agile, Deming, and Toyota Principles

By Steve Kane - November 24th, 2023

In the quest for organizational excellence, many companies turn to established frameworks and philosophies to guide their journey. Among the prominent ones are the Agile Manifesto, Deming’s 14 Principles, and the Toyota Productio

Is Process Improvement Certification Right For Me?

By John Knotts - November 17th, 2023

Embarking on a journey of process improvement often leads to the crossroads of certification. Is obtaining a process improvement certification the correct path for you? This question resonates with many professionals who are eager to e

Improving Coaching Skills in the Workplace

By Steve Kane - October 27th, 2023

Coaching skills are critical for managers and leaders in today’s business environment. Effective coaching drives team performance, improves employee satisfaction, and contributes to a company’s success. If you’re look

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Harnessing AI Large Language Models for Process Improvement

By John Knotts - October 20th, 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on everyone’s lips these days. In the realm of AI, Large Language Models (LLMs) are emerging as pivotal tools capable of understanding and generating human-like text. However, the capability extends fa

Are You Seeing Green?

By John Knotts - September 22nd, 2023

A “Green Process,” in the context of business and manufacturing, refers to a method or strategy that is designed to have a minimal negative impact on the environment. This can encompass a wide range of efforts aimed at redu

Completing A Kaizen Event is the Beginning, Not the End of an Improvement

By Steve Kane - September 22nd, 2023

In the world of business, the term “Kaizen” has garnered attention for its transformative power. Originating from Japan, Kaizen means “change for better,” emphasizing continuous improvement. Many organizations a

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