Lean Roundup #110 – July, 2018

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of July, 2018.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.

How Leaders Sabotage Lean – Bob Emiliani shares some ways that leaders can sabotage Lean to impede progress or subtly signal process improvement work has little or no value.

Excelize Me: 4 Myths & 4 Realities of Racing to Automate – Bruce Hamilton debunks a few IoT myths, Industry 4.0, our next industrial revolution from Lean implementers.

Thinking About Thinking – Kevin Meyer shares three books that have expanded my view of how the world around us can influence how we think, and they have made me wonder about the impact on observation, discovery, and problem solving.

Value in an Age of Endless Innovation – Pascal Dennis explains value is no longer a fixed star, but a constantly moving & evolving entity.

Problem: What Does Maintenance Cost? – Mark Rosenthal answers the question of maintenance costs and impact on production.

Shorter Feedback Loops Help Us Learn Faster – Johanna Rothman says the shorter the feedback loop, the faster and more often we can learn.

Automation Opportunities for Increased Production - Megan Ray Nichols explains the future of manufacturing lies in automating your facility, which will increase productivity while it benefits your employees.

Manufacturing Inventory and Technology – It’s About Time - Dave Turbide talks about how technology contributes to reducing inventory through increased visibility.

What is the science in Lean? | Jeffrey Liker | The Leadership Network - Michel Baudin says Lean is not as much about science as it is about technology and management.

Lean Retrospective – Bob Emiliani says after nearly 25 years of study, practice, and teaching the Toyota production system and Lean management, it is time for a quick look back.

Unlocking the Power of Continuous Improvement – Ron Pereira explains the power of continuous improvement comes when we aren’t obsessed about the long term challenge… instead, when we’re only focused on that single obstacle standing between us and our short term target condition. 

What do you do when people won’t follow the process? - Paul Akers discusses how to deal with people who don’t follow the process.

The Catch-22 of #Lean & Kaizen: You Get More ROI by NOT Focusing Only on High-ROI Projects – Mark Graban says executives want big returns and high ROI but, at the core of Lean, is "Kaizen," which means allowing everybody to do small improvements even if there isn't big ROI.

Ask Art: Why Should I Be Able to Make Every Product Every Day? – Art Byrne says use “every product every day” as a key objective and guiding principle and you will be amazed at what can happen.

Thinking About Waste Helps Build A Learning Culture Everywhere – Sammy Obara creating a culture where people think about continually removing waste, regardless of the current health or prosperity of a company, plays a key role in making lean succeed.