Ode to the 3X3 Inch Post-it® Note
Often, people jokingly accuse me of owning stock in 3M. Why? Because I tend to use and coach others to use lots of Post-it® notes.
Kaizen
Time Observations - without Rigor, It's Just Industrial Tourism
It happens way too often. Folks who are ostensibly conducting time observations frequently:
Of Team Size, Social Loafing and Lack of Direction
Maximilian Ringelmann was a 19th century French agricultural engineer. I'm guessing there's not too many of those around right now - both from the engineering discipline and country of origin perspective.
Kaizen in the Laundry Room...and My Domestic Shortcomings
Kaizen opportunities are often best identified (and done) by those who do the work.
Kaizen Principle: Bias for Action
Several days ago, during a health care value stream analysis, I was impressed with the team's bias for action.
Standard Work Is a Verb
Standard work is not a once and done proposition. That would be lean anathema.
Mark Hamel Interviewed by Business901's Joe Dager
Joe Dager, an expert in lean marketing and founder of the Business901 blog
CSI Kaizen - When Forensics Supplement Direct Observation
Taiichi Ohno preferred facts over data, meaning, among other things, that direct observation trumps second hand stuff. How else can you truly grasp the current situation and identify the waste?
Kaizen Event Supplies - Basic Stuff for Effective Events
The kaizen pre-event planning phase is critical to event effectiveness. It includes the obvious - event definition from the perspective of scope and targets, team selection, communication and certain acceptable pre-work, but sometimes the simple stuff gets missed.
Kaizen Event Team Selection - No Yo-Yos Needed
Kaizen event team selection is a critical driver of event effectiveness. Selection criteria includes team representation (to promote diversity, perspective, ownership, and development opportunities), size, chemistry, kaizen experience, and behavioral and technical skills.
