Month: September 2016

13 Articles

GA 130 | How to Succeed at Every Stage of Your Lean Journey with Greg Williams

By Jessica Bush - September 29th, 2016

Today’s guest is Greg Williams, Chair Elect of AME and Director of Enterprise Excellence at Aera Energy LLC. Greg shared some of the stories and valuable wisdom he’s accumulated from his impressive lean background. There i

Better Decisions through Headspace Mapping

By Jon Miller - September 26th, 2016

When I was just getting started in business twenty years ago, one of my mentors had the habit of asking me, “Are you making an emotional decision or are you making a business decision?” A business decision, of course, I wou

GA 129 | How to Apply Lean to Agriculture with Jeff Duarte

By Jessica Bush - September 22nd, 2016

Today’s guest is Jeff Duarte, of Duarte Nursery. Located in Hughson, California, Ron and Jeff discussed Duarte Nursery’s lean journey and what they’ve learned so far. An MP3 version of this episode is available for do

Why We Don’t Correct Mistakes Right Away

By Jon Miller - September 19th, 2016

The 10 commandments of continuous improvement are a set of precepts that guide lean behavior. One of the commandments is “if it’s a problem, stop and fix it”.  This is also phrased “correct mistakes right aw

Protect the Process

By Steve Kane - September 16th, 2016

This article is a continuation of the series based on best practices from the Gemba Academy community. Part 1: Don’t Let Perfect Get in the Way of Good Part 2: Create a Learning Path   It’s easy to get consumed with KP

GA 128 | How to Implement Lean Efforts That Last with Amanda Culver

By Jessica Bush - September 15th, 2016

Today’s guest is Amanda Culver. Amanda has over 10 years of experience with Lean and Six Sigma, especially as it applies to Pharmaceuticals. She shared a lot of valuable insight with us, including her take on why organizations

School of Lean - Español

New Gemba Academy Videos: Seven Wastes in Spanish

By Kevin Meyer - September 13th, 2016

We recently announced the launch of Gemba Academy Español. We began with 5S and now we are very excited to announce the release of the next course, The Seven Deadly Wastes (Los 7 Desperdicios de la Producción)! As a reminder, anyo

What Are Your Lean Precepts?

By Jon Miller - September 12th, 2016

At Gemba Academy, we are not shy about using Japanese words when it helps to keep the lesson clear and concise. For others, less is more when it comes to using Japanese terminology as part of lean practice. Whatever words are used, th

The Value of Depth and Detail

By Kevin Meyer - September 9th, 2016

Nearly three decades ago one of my first bosses pulled me aside – I forget the underlying incident except that I had somehow screwed up – and bluntly told me to “sweat the details.” I clearly remember it to this day, and it bec

GA 127 | How to Apply Lean to Different Industries with Gary Beaudette

By Jessica Bush - September 8th, 2016

Today’s guest is Gary Beaudette, a consultant with an impressive lean background. Gary and Ron discussed Gary’s career thus far, the different industries he’s applied lean to, and more. An MP3 version of this episode

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