Using Gemba Boards to Improve Productivity
Gemba boards are an effective tool for improving productivity in manufacturing processes. Visualizing data supports better decision-making and helps teams track their performance against targets. While a simple whiteboard can be used for a Gemba board, there are more advanced options available, including software that helps automate the boards and integrate the information from ERP […]
How to Run a Successful Kaizen Event
Are you a business owner looking to streamline operations and maximize efficiency? Learning how to run a successful Kaizen event offers the perfect opportunity to do just that. By providing employees with a constructive forum, these events allow for open discussion about productive ways to continually improve processes and create practical solutions. However, running a […]
The Ultimate Guide to a Kaizen Blitz
Have you ever wished there was a magical way to get your team quickly up-to-speed with the necessary skills required for success? Kaizen Blitz, or rapid improvement events, may be the answer. Kaizen Blitz (a term that’s often used interchangeably with Kaizen events) allows you and your team to focus on specific objectives, processes, or […]
What are the Four Keys to an Effective Kaizen Event?
A Kaizen event is a key component of any Lean manufacturing process. They provide the opportunity for teams to come together and identify areas in which they can improve their practices and processes. Kaizen events involve a structured approach that includes four essential keys: focus, teamwork, improvement mindset, and follow-up. When these four elements are […]
5 Effective Kaizen Blitz Examples
The idea behind a Kaizen blitz is simple: if you can break down complex problems into smaller, more manageable parts, it becomes easier to identify potential solutions and take action in addressing them. As a result, companies are able to generate more ideas and develop innovative solutions faster than they might otherwise be able to […]
STAYING ADAPTABLE
Welcome to 2021! With a new year ahead of us it is important to reflect on what we have learned. About a year ago, I vividly remember listening to the news and hearing talk about the very damaging potential of Covid-19 and how long it might take to get a vaccine if our worst fears […]
PROCESS ADOPTION: DON’T GIVE UP!
Process improvement often fails at the working-level adoption of a new set of tasks. The adoption of improved processes is the result of good change management. Although, change management techniques often stop short of prescribing the day-to-day management activities needed to achieve process adoption. It is a challenge we have all faced and worth considering […]
INERTIA OF STATUS QUO
In continuous improvement consulting, apathy is often my toughest competition. Helping people overcome the inertia of the status quo is a significant challenge. Many leaders desire agility and recent events have only increased this desire, but the path often requires more persistence and patience than the organization possesses. In the last 4.5 years of consulting […]
FOUNDATION OF STANDARDS
Way back when I led Six Sigma projects and programs at Motorola I was given the opportunity to extend what I had learned to all sorts of non-traditional processes. For example, helping customers obtain grants, lobbying for legislation, and my favorite, the administrative processes in policing. Everything is a process and through that lens, I […]
TEAM GOVERNANCE
You asked for it! Here are the five steps for the perfect process. In five simple steps, you can attain perfection, outshine your peers, and reach new levels of excellence. This is the wonder recipe for superior results. And I am about to explain exactly how to get there… This is, of course, a joke! […]