Saving Money vs Making Money

Recently, I have had many discussions with colleagues about whether or not the primary purpose of Lean is to eliminate waste or to increase value.  I’m a proponent of the latter, where Lean is to increase value with respect for people.  Yes, in order to increase value, waste must be removed from the system, to which, my colleague says, “See, it comes down to eliminating waste.  Besides, that’s easier to understand.”

What Problem are You Trying to Solve?

The other day, I met a young entrepreneur who is just starting his company with a product that he has a great passion for and thinks will perform very well in the market (due to confidentiality, I won’t mention its name).  He was telling me all about how great it was, how he already had a sales channel set up through a friend, so on and so on….

Lean – Back to the Basics

A few weeks ago, I had the honor and privilege to speak to the founders of four manufacturing startup companies as part of the Vogt Awards program.  The topic was near and dear to my heart – Lean Manufacturing. 

Focusing on the Outputs Doesn’t Change Them

Too often in life, we have a problem.  So in order to solve the problem and improve the situation we focus on the output and apply our solution.  Take, for example, the Medicaid expansion outlined in the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. ObamaCare).

An Overly Simplistic View of PI

Process Identification -> Process Improvement -> Performance Improvement -> Performance Excellence -> Operational Excellence

The journey of Continuous Improvement is long, arduous, and best of all, never-ending.  One could say that is the whole nature of the word “continuous”.  This road does, however, have several checkpoints.  With that said, here we’ll provide an overview of the entire journey, but spend more time at the beginning – because that’s where it all starts!

Problem Solving or Thinking Process?

I’ve been spending some time lately working on improving our ability to solve problems, specifically developing a more structured problem solving method, including root cause analysis. Historically we have used problem solving and root cause analysis to, well, solve problems. But one thing we need to realize is that it can also be used to create opportunities. Here’s an example:

Still Missing the Point of Lean

Saw a headline for an article the other day in a local Medical News journal espousing the benefits of Lean Management.  Needless to say, I was excited to see Lean get some press in the local medical community which has been slow to implement the tenants of Lean Thinking.  That is, until I started reading the article…

The Importance of Proper Definition

The definition of definition is “a statement expressing the essential nature of something.” At least that’s one way Webster defines the word.  But why is a definition so important?  Because definitions enable us to have a common understanding of a word or subject; they allow us to all be on the same page when discussing or reading about an issue.  And while we tend to make sure we properly define our words and phrases so that all understand, how well do we do that with our projects, programs or initiatives?

Fundamental Assumptions

A rich man wants to build an elaborate house some new property he just purchased on the beach.  He contacts a builder, shows him the design, and wants it done post haste.  The builder agrees, collaborates with the owner over several meetings, and together they develop a timeline to get the job done and meet the owners time demands. 

Sit Down, Shut Up, and Listen

I was asked an interesting question the other day – “Why do new people say dumb things?”  I, of course, provided a litany of answers that I thought quite impressive for a non-psychologist.  And with that, I missed the point.