Lean Smarts Podcast: Lean Manufacturing | Leadership

It's too easy to "go to the gemba" and only go through the motions without gaining deep insight into the real production conditions. So in this episode Daniel shares the second half of 10 best practices, tools, and tips to take your gemba game to the next level. To download all ten best practices as a one-page reference, go to leansmarts.com/gembatools.

It's too easy to "go to the gemba" and only go through the motions without gaining deep insight into the real production conditions. So in this episode Daniel shares the first five of 10 best practices, tools, and tips to take your gemba game to the next level. To download all ten best practices as a one-page reference, go to leansmarts.com/gembatools.

Your ability to make informed decisions and effectively problem-solve and improve depends largely on your knowledge of the gemba. But here's the thing: just "going to the gemba" and paying it a visit isn't enough! It is very easy to go through the motions without getting the intended results. So in this episode we explain what the gemba is, why visiting it isn't enough, and how the true practice of going to the gemba is more like meditation and "thinking with your whole body" vs. just your brain at a distance.

It is unfortunately pandemic: many organizations struggle to "go lean" because of a handful of common foundation problems. One we see often when working with clients is a lack of teamwork. Be careful with this! Even though your production teams may say they are "like family," that does not mean they are performing as a world-class team. In this episode Daniel shares six characteristics of high-performing production teams.

Leaders are invaluable to the health and effectiveness of your lean organization. You MUST have enough of them for your management system to function AND for you to effectively grow and develop people. In this episode we give five reasons why you may need more leaders at your organization. We also offer a simple recommendation for how to increase the quantity of leaders at your company in a way that is financially feasible and reasonable.

Many lean implementation efforts have failed for either of two reasons. 1. Individual tools are cherry-picked and implemented individually without understanding that lean tools function together as an integrated system. 2. Or, lean is viewed only as a technical set or tools and the role of people and their behavior is forgotten or neglected. In this episode we explain the complexity of lean systems in simple terms. We talk about biology, technology, and even cyborgs in establishing the systems-nature of lean manufacturing.

The quick recommendations people make (like "start with 5S") assume too much about an organization. Even though 5S can be a good first tool to apply, many organizations would do well to do some ground work prior to picking up lean methodologies. This includes things like developing true teamwork, demonstrating a commitment to employee training and development, or even establishing basic metrics and engineering functions. While a list of questions to evaluate your preparation for "starting lean" doesn't do justice, here are ten questions to ask yourself to help gauge your readiness.

Despite the fact that 5S methodology has been around a long time, there remains much confusion over what 5S is and how it differs from variations like 3S and 6S. In this episode we explain what each one is, what they share in common, and how they differ from each other. 

People, consultants, and books often say to start lean with 5S... but why? In this episode you'll discover five reasons why starting your lean journey with 5S is a smart and strategic move. "Becoming lean" is not so simple as the copy-and-paste of lean tools, but it is true that doing 5S well requires you to create a cultural dynamic in your organization that is invaluable as you move forward with lean thinking.

While lean manufacturing unquestionably concerns itself with the elimination of waste, this waste is the greatest of all! You will find that it originates from one of the primary founders and influencers of the Toyota Production System (TPS)—from which lean manufacturing was first discovered and canonized. Some people call it the waste of people's skills, potential, creativity, or even genius (the eighth waste). We like to think of it as the waste of a wasted life.