2008 | Page 23 of 27 | Gemba Academy

101 Kaizen Templates: Motion Economy Chart

By Jon Miller - February 16th, 2008

One of the toughest things that a kaizen consultant has to do is to tear down the results of past kaizens. This is hard because people develop a sense of ownership of the status quo they helped to build. Even if the status is not good,

The Seven Steps to Zero Thinking

By Jon Miller - February 13th, 2008

There are many misguided ways to explain or to think of lean management. We’ve discussed some of these in the 10 common misconceptions of lean manufacturing previously. It may not be complete but it is correct to think of lean as

Kudos to American Airlines and DFW International Airport

By Ron Pereira - February 13th, 2008

I just had the best experience here at the DFW International airport. I pulled up to the drop-off zone, kissed my wife and kids good-bye, grabbed my bags, headed to the Executive Platinum check in line (one of the benefits of frequen

101 Kaizen Templates: Spaghetti Diagram

By Jon Miller - February 12th, 2008

The spaghetti diagram needs very little introduction. It’s so named because the lines movement drawn on this diagram resemble a pile of tangled noodles. It’s a movement path diagram by a more appetizing name. Seeing Wasted

How to Create a Product Quantity / Product Routing Matrix

By Ron Pereira - February 12th, 2008

In part 1 of our series on value stream mapping (VSM) we were introduced to what a value stream is. We also discussed the roadmap I personally use when working with this powerful tool. In this installment, we’ll take a deeper dive in

Kaizen Your Life with the Ten Lessons for Good Health

By Jon Miller - February 11th, 2008

These ten lessons for good health (健康十訓) are glazed onto my teacup. Reading these while sipping green tea has helped me survive over the years. Lean healthcare professionals take particular note: prevention trumps correction ev

Value Stream Mapping Overview

By Ron Pereira - February 8th, 2008

One of, if not the single most powerful lean tool available to us is value stream mapping (VSM). The reason it’s so powerful is because of its relevancy. You see, it doesn’t matter if you are an accountant who sits behind a

101 Kaizen Templates: Changeover Analysis

By Jon Miller - February 7th, 2008

There are many common non-lean behaviors such as local optimization, batch work, and building up inventory. Creating WIP lengthens cycle time, worsens quality, builds up barriers between processes and people contributes to late deliver

Long Live the King (Cash)

By Ron Pereira - February 7th, 2008

If you are involved with a for-profit business in any way please remember one thing – cash is king. Of course respecting people is absolutely critical. But cash pays the bills. It buys things. It pays salaries. So without money in

Management by Kaizen Events

By Jon Miller - February 6th, 2008

Mark Graban made the point today in the Lean Blog that kaizen events are not enough. He agrees with another lean healthcare article that by themselves, the rapid improvement events of 3 to 5 days in duration are not sufficient to achie

Year: 2008