Proving Again That Input is Unrelated to Output
24 January 2010
One of my pet peeves is the pervasively popular perception that increased spending somehow must improve the quality of the product. Too many people be…
Remember the Perspective of Value
10 January 2010
Sometimes we forget that in the lean world value, and waste, is defined from the perspective of the customer. An article in a recent HPM Consortium ne…
Mandates vs. Kaizen
5 January 2010
A couple weeks ago I contrasted the process of kaizen (small incremental change) versus kaikaku (large step change), particularly in regards to our cu…
Flexibility: A License to Accept Waste
3 January 2010
By Kevin Meyer A couple weeks ago I re-read Michael Balle's excellent business novel, The Lean Manager. One concept that has been nagging at me…
"Lean Out" This, Boeing
16 November 2009
Several of us often comment, or lament, the term “lean and mean.” Real lean is definitely not mean, although we appreciate the desire of journalists a…
The Status Quo Degrades
1 November 2009
Stewart Anderson penned an article in the latest Quality Digest that took a look at several misconceptions about Toyota. I won't go into all of th…
Behavior Modification - Make it Fun
23 October 2009
A couple of interesting videos came my way recently showing how human behavior can easily be changed by making the new behavior more interesting and f…
Sunday News - Ford's Mulally and the US Postal Service
13 September 2009
The Sunday Parade Magazine newspaper insert, of all rags, had a couple tidbits to ponder this morning. Sandwiched between silly celebrity gossip and w…