Lean Smarts Podcast: Lean Manufacturing | Leadership

10 Best Practices for Going to the Gemba (Part 2)

It's too easy to "go to the gemba" and only go through the motions without gaining deep insight into the real production conditions. So in this episode Daniel shares the

10 Best Practices for Going to the Gemba (Part 1)

It's too easy to "go to the gemba" and only go through the motions without gaining deep insight into the real production conditions. So in this episode Daniel shares the

Why Going To The Gemba Isn't Enough (And How Going To The Gemba Is More Like Meditation)

Your ability to make informed decisions and effectively problem-solve and improve depends largely on your knowledge of the gemba. But here's the thing: just "going to the

Foundation Problem: When Your Production Teams Lack Real Teamwork

It is unfortunately pandemic: many organizations struggle to "go lean" because of a handful of common foundation problems. One we see often when working with clients is a

Why You Need More Leaders At Your Organization

Leaders are invaluable to the health and effectiveness of your lean organization. You MUST have enough of them for your management system to function AND for you to effec

Developing an Appreciation for the System

Many lean implementation efforts have failed for either of two reasons. 1. Individual tools are cherry-picked and implemented individually without understanding that lean

10 Questions to Consider Before Starting Lean

The quick recommendations people make (like "start with 5S") assume too much about an organization. Even though 5S can be a good first tool to apply, many organizations w

How to Make Sense of 5S vs. 3S vs. 6S and 2 Second Lean

Despite the fact that 5S methodology has been around a long time, there remains much confusion over what 5S is and how it differs from variations like 3S and 6S. In this

5 Reasons Why You Should Start With 5S

People, consultants, and books often say to start lean with 5S... but why? In this episode you'll discover five reasons why starting your lean journey with 5S is a smart

The Greatest Waste of All

While lean manufacturing unquestionably concerns itself with the elimination of waste, this waste is the greatest of all! You will find that it originates from one of the