Tag: lean
Going Back to the Blue Line
The COVID-19 crisis has upended business as usual, and it’s unclear what will happen when some or all of us return to work. Supply...
Staying Productive Through a Crisis
The world has changed dramatically since you heard from me last. It’s hard to remember what I planned to write about just three or...
4 Email Mistakes That Kill Productivity
Do you spend most of your day on email? You’re in good company. For most of us, the office environment has shrunk from a...
What Peas Can Teach You About Process
You know you have many miles to travel when it comes to improving your business processes, but you’re likely wondering where to start. If...
Get Wise and Synchronize!
Want to learn how to shave weeks off knowledge work—with valuable learning as an added return on your investment?
The first order of business is...
10 Great Summer Reads from LeanBP
July and December are slow months for training, so that’s when I take the time to dive deeper into my course materials and take...
Cut the Noise and Tame the Common Cause (Part Two of Two)
In my last post, I laid out the difference between special cause and common cause variation.
Why is it important to know the difference? Because...
Variation in Your Processes—A Game of Chance (Part One of Two)
As most of you know, variation is a very big deal in manufacturing, because even the smallest change in production processes can have big...
Optimizing Without Balance—A Vicious Cycle
It’s counterintuitive to think that maximizing your job or your department’s throughput can have a detrimental effect on your company. But that’s exactly the...
Putting 5S to Work in the Business Office
If you read this blog regularly, you’re aware that the same lean tools that make manufacturing more efficient can work wonders in the business...