Lean Roundup #37 – June, 2012

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of June, 2012.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.

The Importance of Proper Definition – Glenn Whitfield advocates properly defining a project is essential to the success of the project.

The Single Most Important Attribute – Pascal Dennis explains that initiative is the single most important attribute for leaders of all levels.

Organize, Standardize, Stabilize, Optimize – Mark Rosenthal shares 4 steps for implementing a daily improvement culture.

Standardized Confusion – Art Smalley explains standardized work in an attempt to alleviate confusion so you can get out the most possible from standardized work.

How to Clear the Hurdle to Implemented Improvement – Jack Datz shares some advice on overcoming the challenges of Lean implementation.

Begging for Lean Thinking – Bill Waddell shares some examples of hidden wastes in processes in terms of inventory and cycle times.

Learning To See Waste Over Time – Lee Fried teaches that waste is often cleverly disguised as useful work which is what makes work so fun.

Boy Scouts Explore Welding As Well As The Wilderness – Karen Wilhelm talks about how Boy Scouts expose young men to manufacturing skills and leadership.

 

PDCA Cycle: Lego Style – Pete Abilla shares lesson on PDCA using Lego people to model the process from Håkan Forss.

5S with Purpose – Mark Rosenthal talks about the reasons behind 5S with a real case example.

Harness the Contrarians and Facilitate their Emergence – David Kasprzak explains the importance of never dismissing ideas of those who may be contrary to you.

Placing a Popular Taiichi Ohno Quote in Context – Jon Miller explains the popular quote about reducing the time to paying to getting paid and why it came about.

Changing The Structure Doesn't Change The Work - Don't Reorganize, Teach Teamwork – Jeffery Liker says you shouldn't reorganize your silos rather rely on teamwork to close the gaps.

Without Work Standards There Can Be No Kaizens – Tracey Richardson gives 5 reasons why work standards are the infrastructure for improvement.

Don't Reorganize! Learn to Pull Instead – Michael Balle says that you can transform your organization by learning to use a pull system.

Leading Improvement and Enjoying the Rewards – John Hunter explains the role of leaders in improvement and the necessity of coaching people.

 3 Tips for Leading With Clarity – Liz Guthridge says when striving for clarity, keep in mind these three C's—call to action, context and consistency.

Mapping Your Work With Personal Kanban – Jim Benson illustrates the importance of mapping you work and how the kanban is multidimensional compared to the To Do list.

Time for Mindset Change? – Mike Rother talks about breaking down silos by changing people's mind.

How Standard is Standard Work? – Al Norval explains that standard work is the base of improvement but they are meant to be changed.

The Difference Between Learning and Understanding – David Kasprzak teaches us there is a difference between learning and understanding the learning.

The Use and Abuse of Parking Lots – Dan Markovitz answers a readers question on how best to use parking lots so they don't become parking garages for ideas.