I recall my first encounter with my sensei, many, many years ago. I expressed amazement that he could so quickly observe processes and discern waste and opportunities. He assured me that, with practice, I would be able to do the same. At the time, it seemed like he was being nice or at least extremely overoptimistic. Fortunately, he was right.
The Traditional Ohno Circle
OK, we are not talking about the distinctive Japanese horseradish - you know, that green pasty stuff that, when taken in overaggressive quantities, will set your nasal cavity on fire.
Instead, we’re covering one of the simplest, yet most powerful critical thinking devices available to all rational animals…ever. And it’s not just a lean thing.
With all due respect to Johnny Cash and his song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” most of the time, you SHOULD walk alone…at least when executing your gemba walk leader standard work.
I know that sounds anti-social and in direct contradiction to the sentiments of teamwork and coaching, but it’s not. Let me explain.
Mention the term “gemba walk” among a group of lean practitioners and there will likely be immediate acknowledgement. We’ve all heard of gemba walks, right?
All leaders should do them.
Many do not.
Many do…but certainly not in the same way and not necessarily for the same reason.
Situation. A multi-national manufacturer was implementing a lean management system (LMS) in a phased manner within one o
What do bus schedules have to do with a lean management system?
Quite a bit…even though, obviously, the notion of a bus schedule i
OK, I know that what I’m about to say may sound cynical, but 20 years of personal, hard knock lean experience tells me that this is reality. And most folks I think would, or at least should (I hope), agree with me. The majority of companies pursuing a lean implementation do so superficially. (Did I just hear you yawn?!) Many fail to understand the transformational lean principles, much less have the will to rigorously live them.
Lean oriented questions tend to be straightforward, but not necessarily easy.
For some time, I have searched for a metaphor to convey the meaning and delivery of a tiered meeting (a
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