Lean Roundup #42 – November, 2012

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

When Did Manufacturing Become a Dirty Word? – Pamela Kan debunks 5 myths regarding the lack of excitement surrounding manufacturing.

Don’t Let Perfection Be a Barrier to Improvement – Jeff Hajek says while perfection is the goal; don’t let it stop you from making improvements continually.

Using Ideal Condition to Describe Perfection – Gregg Stocker advocates that the path forward comes from determining the gap between the ideal state and the current state.

Showing True Respect by Going to the Gemba – Brian Collyer looks at the important link of respect for people and the practice of going to the Gemba.

Managing Sandy's Aftermath: Emergency Response Personal Kanban – Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria Barry share a personal kanban system in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

You Must Teach a Man to Fish – Matt Wrye explains why it is important for Lean Leaders to teach others to think and behave with Lean principles than to do it for them.

Lean Leadership: A Lean Enterprise Starts With People - Tim Hall says the foundation of a Lean Enterprise has everything to do with people.

Eight Ways to Avoid the Kaizen Roach Motel – Mark Hamel shares 8 ways to ensure the ideas you have regarding continuous improvement gets heard and implemented.

Process Before Technology – Matt Wrye reminds us that technology should be designed to support the process not the other way round.

My Tried and True Lean Leadership Practices - Susie Sterling offers some tried and true, basic Lean Leadership best practices from experience.

Direction, Alignment, and Commitment – Dragan Bosnjak shares 3 elements that great leaders must follow in order to be successful.

The Greatest Waste – John Hunter talks about the waste of human knowledge and skill and why this is so critical to improve.

Leadership - Going to Gemba with a Purpose – Al Norval explains the purpose with which leaders should go to the Gemba.

From Dumb Luck to Deserved Success – Dave Krebs reminds us that leadership matters in a Lean organization to be successful.

Becoming a Transforming Leader - What does your Daily Standard Work Reflect? – Michael Kellner shares several transforming leader traits and how your standard work matters.

Challenging Challenge in the Toyota Way – Jon Miller explains the Toyota Production System and the importance challenge has in success.

Mitigating "Mura," or Unevenness – Michel Baudin explains Mura and talks about the impact of unevenness on processes.

The Lean System Comprises Three Loops in Fact: Design, Make, Sell – Pascal Dennis answers the question of lean adoption within the sales organization.

If the CEO sees Lean as Business Strategy, He/She will Involve Sales from Day One – Art Byrne explains the importance of adding sales into the Lean transformation from the start.

Learning to Make Hit Products – Michael Balle answers the question how can Lean boost sales by focusing on improving the sales process.