Lean 911

So many leaders have a gross misunderstanding as to how to get true, sustainable results using Lean principles and methodologies. When times get tough, many revert to headcount reductions, and many times, these reductions are in their Lean organization. Learn how to focus on the right things and avoid the well-deserved, however unfortunate, moniker that L.E.A.N. = Less Employees Are Needed.

Learn why measuring on-time delivery to REQUEST date is essential if a company truly believes in customer excellence. Mark DeLuzio dispels all of the excuses when companies refuse to measure OTD to request date.

Learn what it takes to be able to call your process a “process.” These 10 Rules of a Process outline the basic framework of a process and, when followed, greatly increase the probability of sustaining and subsequently improving your results. If you focus on the process, the results will follow!

A lean mindset is more than just common sense. In many ways, it is counterintuitive. Lean challenges the traditional way of doing business that many executives have grown accustomed to. In this episode, you’ll learn how to rethink those traditional ways so that your lean transformation can be a success.

One of the most misunderstood parts of lean, Standard Work is often misunderstood and dismissed as unneeded. So many companies contend that they are “doing” Lean, but leave Standard Work by the wayside. In this episode, you’ll learn the answers to the most perplexing questions, notions and beliefs regarding Standard Work, which is a key component of the Toyota Production System.

You need to do more changeovers!!! Sounds crazy? You will find out why in this episode. Changeovers are something that many companies try to avoid at all costs. This creates an environment where just-in-time principles get violated. Many misunderstandings exist when it comes to SMED. Find out how a reduction of changeover time has a dramatic impact on your lead-times, inventory, and growth.

Kanban is a method of communicating within a factory. It’s how you ask for inventory when it’s needed. Think about Kanban like a supermarket – when the shelves are empty, it is an indication that the product needs to be restocked. In this episode, we’ll discuss how the concept of Kanban came about and how to implement it. Also, learn why Kanban is an admission of failure to do one-piece flow.

While the Danaher Business System (DBS) started off as a copy of the Toyota Production System, it quickly became augmented to address Danaher’s enterprise transformation, where all stakeholders win. In this episode, you’ll learn some of the history behind the Danaher Business System and its differences and similarities with the Toyota Production System.

The lean community has been talking a lot about trust and how it ties to the concept of Respect for People. In this episode, you’ll discover the benefits and the role of trust in your lean transformation and why your success depends on it.

TAKT time is a key element of Standard Work. Every business has some semblance of a TAKT time, and it is important to understand what it is and how it applies to your business. In this episode, we’ll clear up many of the misconceptions of TAKT Time, and why it is a key element of your lean transformation.

Mark DeLuzio takes a look at the world’s greatest “Speed Cuber,” Max Park, and analyzes the qualities that Max displays, which makes him the world’s greatest. Companies that wish to achieve world-class status would do themselves a favor if they simply observed Max Park, as there are many parallels worth noting.

Capital Equipment Expenditures need to be vetted through more than a financial lens. In this podcast, Mark DeLuzio looks at CapEx from a Lean perspective and tells you how to avoid the pitfalls in making the wrong purchase decisions.

I am old enough to remember when McDonald’s restaurants were scarce. Where I grew up in Central Connecticut, I could recall only one McDonald’s franchise located just 10 miles away from our home. My Father took us there about twice a year, and when he did, I felt as if I had died and gone to heaven. McDonald’s hamburgers were the finest thing I have ever tasted. Eating one today brings back those memories of the spiritual bliss I experienced in the back seat of my Father’s turquoise, wood-paneled Mercury station wagon. And those fries and shakes? I digress… I am still a fan of McDonald’s. However, after over three decades of a career in Lean management, I view them, like many things, differently. Looking at a McDonald’s operation through a Lean lens is quite different than through the eyes of a child. This podcast is not intended to disparage McDonald’s in any way. They are still one of the most successful franchises in American history, and I am still a loyal customer. One can apply this message I am about to convey to many other fast-food restaurants or perhaps your own business. I am using McDonald’s as my guinea pig, so to speak, because of my familiarity and affection for the Golden Arches.

Mark DeLuzio discusses his encounter with Dr. Joseph M. Juran.

Joe Rutz, Managing Director of Lean Horizons Consulting, was instrumental in the development of the Danaher Business System (DBS). Joe brought his experience in information technologies and administration to bring DBS to the next level. Learn from Joe his principles and guidelines as to when to apply information technology to an administrative process and when to not! Better yet, learn that IT solutions need to work for you, rather than the other way around!

The Production Preparation Process (3P) was invented by Chihiro Nakao, who is known as the Father of Moonshine (FOM). Nakao, one of the original disciples of Taiichi Ohno, (Father of the Toyota Production System) taught us at Danaher and GE how to develop processes that will drive your company to industry-wide competitive advantage. Learn from Jon Boucher, a star pupil and disciple of Nakao, how 3P and Moonshine are that part of Lean that few will ever learn, and why your company should adopt this practice.

This episode discusses the concept of accounting for lean, which is the modification of accounting processes and internal management reporting to better promote lean behaviors. Lean accounting is designed to take waste out of the accounting process, provide more timely and quality information, and help the accounting group become navigators rather than historians. Accounting for lean is important as it sets the foundation for other lean behaviors.

More and more companies today are on the Lean bandwagon. There are plenty of Gemba Boards, fancy posters, Lean polo shirts, and don’t forget the yellow tape. But when asked about their Kaizen activity, the response is lethargic, at best. Learn how a rigorous and disciplined Kaizen approach is essential to any Lean transformation.

How many times have you attempted to solve a problem and were told you “CAN’T” do something because of customer requirements, specifications, government regulations, supplier guidelines, industry standards, etc.? The list goes on and on. In this episode, learn that these so-called regulations need to be challenged and, many times, are no longer in effect. Your problem-solving efforts will be substandard if you do not challenge the status quo. As Ronald Reagan once said, “Trust but verify!”

Learn why chairs in a cell are detrimental to a good Lean cell design. Mark DeLuzio discusses the negative consequences of chairs from an SQDC perspective. (Safety-Quality-Delivery-Cost)

Learn why problem escalation processes send signals to frontline associates that they are not qualified to solve problems over work that they are best suited to solve. This elitist approach demoralizes and demotivates employees when their engagement opportunities are stripped away from leaders who do not walk the talk when they preach that problems need to be solved at the lowest possible level in the organization.

All good humor has some truth to it. Please see Mark’s parody on how to get rid of GAN (Japanese for Cancer) from your organization with our new product GAN-AWAY! Just one spray and GAN is removed forever! GAN comes in many forms, including new consulting inventions that pull your attention away from the basics of Lean. Therefore, the title, “Basic” Lean Humor. Enjoy!

An industry has been created where self-anointed, higher-power “Lean” organizations have convinced companies that their mark of approval is a necessary credential for Lean success. In our opinion, these organizations are shams whose real intent is to generate profits from consulting services, conferences, and publications. Learn why we feel the only mark of approval that matters is from your key stakeholders: Employees, Customers, and Shareholders.

Problems can be categorized into three main types. It is helpful to understand whether you have a Type 0, Type 1, or Type 2 problem, since different courses of action may be required for each. Learn the three types of problems and why it is useful to understand the nature of the problem you are trying to solve, before embarking on your problem-solving journey.

Most businesses today focus on lagging indicators, while important, are not conducive to proper problem-solving. Learn the difference between leading and lagging indicators and why it is essential to identify and improve the leading indicators if true improvement is to occur.