Lean Roundup #147 – August 2021

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of August 2021.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.

Piloting Continuous Improvement – Jon Miller discusses how a pilot can be an effective way to roll out continuous improvement.

Rather than Blaming Employees, Managers Must Take Responsibility for Problems – in a Taco Joint, a Hospital, or a Factory – Mark Graban shares some personal examples where individuals are blamed for system problems.

Why We Must Talk To People Not About People – Marci Reynolds shares a story in the news that is about respect for people principle.

Takt Time: How Slow Can You Go? – Mark Rosenthal discusses the challenges of managers focused on output versus takt time.

Leadership Tip 12: Focus on Effectiveness, Not Efficiency - Johanna Rothman talks about the importance of focusing on effectiveness first and efficiency second. 

Why Having More Meetings Is Not The Answer - Dan Markovitz says you can avoid the conclusion trap, by spending time understanding the problem before you rush to action, you can find more effective, less expensive, and more durable solutions.

A Culture of “Fessin’ Up” About Mistakes at Garrison Brothers Distillery – Mark Graban talks about a culture of “fessin' up about mistake.

Thinking About Introducing A3 Problem-Solving? Think Twice if Leadership Isn’t Engaged – David Verble cautions that it will be very, very hard to succeed for reasons he explains in this Q&A follow-up to a recent webinar on the A3 process.

Coach's Corner: Designing the Entire Value Stream From Concept to Product End Life - Katrina Appell explains how LPPD can help reduce both your cost and carbon footprint in the value stream.

How Designing Value Streams, Not Just Products, Creates Competitive Advantage – Jim Morgan describes how lean development practices helped them develop better products, create profitable value streams and strengthen development teams.

What is Lean Leadership and How Do You Get it? – Jeffrey Liker describes what organizations need to do to develop their leaders' lean leadership capabilities.

Five Practice Patterns for Succeeding as a New Manager – Jon Miller discusses what organizations do to set their new managers up for success.

Ask Art: What Targets Should We Set When Launching a Lean Turnaround? – Art Byrne discusses why setting results-oriented targets instead of process-oriented targets will doom your lean improvement efforts.

Why the Most Important Product Leaders Can Develop is Their Team – Jim Morgan says while new technology and innovative ideas may seem paramount to achieving development excellence, it's really the people within the teams who are preeminent.

Don’t Change the Culture, Change the Cultural Inputs - Steve Kane shares eight steps to counter undesirable cultural inputs.