Lean Thoughts

We're already LEAN !! After twenty years, 221 clients, and more than $100 million in documented savings, I've heard that phrase more times than I can count.

If implemented carefully, digital solutions can certainly help increase the effectiveness of long-standing Lean Methodologies. But the key word is “carefully.”

The technological singularity did not arrive as a fact. It arrived as a story, one we have been telling ourselves about machines, progress, and what it means to be human.

I have something that you don't have, but would definitely appreciate and even perhaps enjoy. I have an almost unrestricted access to Nikola Danaylov my go to Subject Matter Expert (SME) regarding anything AI.

Better, Faster = Cheaper or more appropriate higher customer value and improved margin.

When a company tells me they have gone LEAN, it actually means they have most likely simply given up or stalled. I snicker at programs offering some sort of martial belt of accomplishment or an outright offering of LEAN Certification.

My father always loved to tell me just easy running a business is/was. He would state that if you wanted to make more money al you had to do was either A) increase your revenue or B) reduce your costs ... well that seems simple enough Dad,

Walk into almost any operations meeting today and you’ll hear it: “We should use AI for this.”“Can we plug in an LLM?”“Let’s add a copilot.” “This might be a stupid question… what is an LLM?”

Each Technology Island or Report-Out area has their own unique attributes, challenges and opportunities. The reality is that each Report-Out area is a Center of Gravity.

It takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to fully refocus on a task after a typical interruption,

How do we instill lean into our culture and make it part of our company DNA, engaging the whole workforce

Luck IS a Strategy? Of course it can be. Most likely not the best decision. Unfortunately a strategy more companies are taking than considering other options.

You know the "D" word I am talking about. The aspirational word uttered by about every leader I work with. That super-attractive, theoretical, ever-elusive, I-know-I-need-to-do-it-but-can-never-figure-out-how word. That word that will unlock the key to success or, at a minimum, sanity:

Looking at you, and your productivity style will be able to slot you into a specific Productivity category. None are either good or bad it just is you.

Alarm Bells were sounded, highlighting a critical concern that Standardized Work was eliminating Innovation within the workplace.

Going to See with a purpose. In lean management, we call this "going to gemba"—the actual place where value is created. Not to inspect, but to understand, support, and coach.

The infection rate of Emotional Stress dramatically increases when your processes are unpredictable..

Creator of your strategic Plan you are not only a forecaster. you are also a Futurist.

another AI Guru in a seminar who quickly advised me that even a mathematical formula is AI.

Chatbots such as ChatGPT can provide direct answers to your questions. But, compared to a regular Google search, the amount of knowledge gained is less.