September 2011 | Gemba Academy

Ambiguous Visual Controls: Airport Hotel Edition

By Jon Miller - September 30th, 2011

Airports are full of signs. Standing in queue gives ample time to reflect on their meaning and appreciate their ambiguity. This visual control at the check-in counter made me wonder why it was necessary to abandon the better part of va

The Last Step to 5 Whys Process – The “So What?” Test

By Ron Pereira - September 28th, 2011

The 5 Whys Process is an extremely powerful root cause analysis technique when applied properly. As we explained in our recent Gemba Glossary video focused on the 5 Why there are situations where asking why a few times will suffice whi

Gemba Glossary: The 5 Why

By Ron Pereira - September 20th, 2011

Here is the next video in our Gemba Glossary video series. This one focuses on the 5 Why. If you missed any of our earlier Gemba Glossary videos please follow the links below. Gemba Glossary: 5S Gemba Glossary: The 7 Wastes Gemba Gloss

Snowflakes, Structural Collapse and the Simplification of Lean

By Jon Miller - September 19th, 2011

A snowflake is a delightfully complex object when rotated in the three spatial dimensions. Collapsed into two dimensions, it is a pattern of jagged lines. Reduced to a single dimension a snowflake becomes merely a connected series of p

With New Technology, Where Should We Go?

By Jon Miller - September 15th, 2011

According to a Wall Street Journal article from September 15, 2011, With New Technology, Start-Ups Go Lean start-ups are purportedly adopting a lean approach with the aid of new technology. However, this claim can be deceptive if we in

The Importance of Thinking About the Box

By Jon Miller - September 12th, 2011

Leaders interested in innovation or breakthrough improvement often speak of the importance of “thinking outside the box”. By this we mean discarding existing limitations on our thinking (the box) to generate new ideas, prod

Designing Better Hospitals with 3P: Video

By Jon Miller - September 11th, 2011

The Production Preparation Process (3P) is a method for bringing together a team to evaluate the requirements of a design, apply lean principles and use low-cost rapid prototyping (a.k.a. cardboard engineering) to achieve breakthrough

Applying 3P to Healthcare & Beyond

By Ron Pereira - September 7th, 2011

Gemba Academy’s 3P course (which stands for Production Preparation Process) demonstrates the application of this lean tool within the healthcare world. Although the course has a healthcare focus, the 3P principles taught apply to

Junaid’s Learning from a TPM Workshop

By Jon Miller - September 6th, 2011

Our friend S.M. Junaid sends us occasional dispatches from his experiences with applying lean and kaizen at his company in Pakistan. Recently he shared his learning from a TPM workshop. An Operator’s Relationship to a Machine is

Lean Government Example: Defect Display Board

By Jon Miller - September 3rd, 2011

Here is a photo I took while on a hike through a state park with some family members one summer. Whether through an individual initiative by a park ranger or as part of a lean government initiative by Washington State, it is a great ex

Month: September 2011