Improve something today: lean thinking

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Brief notes on practicing and sharing lean in a world that's just one thing after another.

Brian Kerr


    • May 3, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 5m AVG DURATION
    • 31 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Improve something today: lean thinking

    0031: Change management, with Devon Persing

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2021 24:09


    Change management, readiness and adoption, otherwise pulling nerds across the chasm. Whatever you call it, it's important work that my guest and I are accidentally getting better at. A conversation with Devon Persing. Discussed: remote work, organizational and individual change, Muppets. • Episode transcripts • Support the show by giving to the planet's most effective nonprofits

    0030: The mountain, the muddle, and the morning after the earthquake

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2021 11:19


    A year of working and living in crisis. So what? Now what? Discussed: the mountain (certainty), the muddle (ambiguity), and the morning after the earthquake (we're all geologists now, friends); Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Experience" and "The Conduct of Life"; Leonard Cohen. • Episode transcripts • Support the show by giving to the planet's most effective nonprofits

    0029: Respect for people, with Fabian Jimenez

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2021 21:40


    Respect for people is a pillar of lean. It's also the first thing to go out the window in many botched implementations. A conversation with Fabian Jimenez. Discussed: stepping stones on the path to respect for people. Engaging head

    0028: Consensus and agreement, with Andre Helmstetter

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2021 17:04


    When working with groups, agreement is fine—but consensus is better. A conversation with Andre Helmstetter. Discussed: the Institute of Cultural Affairs’ consensus workshop method, taught as part of their ToP Facilitation Training.

    0027: The People, Yes

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2020 3:04


    Checking in with Carl Sandburg's "The People, Yes" before Election Day. "The people have come far and can look back and say, 'We will go farther yet.'"

    0026: The Tables Turned

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2020 5:33


    We're still here, and we're still feeling stuck. Or at least I am. I bet you are too. Reading: William Wordsworth's "The Tables Turned"

    0025: Shelter in place with Shantideva

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2020 8:33


    The world has gone off format and so has this podcast. Discussed: it's time to change and/or die; the weird story of Shantideva, the failed 8th century prince, public servant, and monk; and comforting words from Shantideva's "A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life."

    0024: Options

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2020 4:32


    The cost and joys of options. Why are options so important to us anyways? Discussed: set-based design and the book Lean Product Design and Process Development by Allen Ward and Durward Sobek.

    0023: Bottlenecks

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2019 6:41


    You can't make an hourglass flow faster by yelling at the sand. Discussed: queuing, constraints, Little's Law.

    discussed little's law
    0022: A field guide to learning from failure

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2019 6:07


    Introducing my free field guide to finding waste in knowledge work and service work—and using the waste you find as an opportunity to start a practice of continuous improvement. Download the field guide here: improvesomething.today/field-guide.

    0021: Not knowing

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2019 6:08


    The places where we don't know all the answers are where real improvements can happen. Discussed: Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor; T. H. Huxley's agnosticism.

    0020: Bought and sold and bought again

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2019 3:11


    Stories and what they do for us whether we like it or not. Discussed: No Thanks, a poem by Nven Mrgan; Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty; War Talk by Arundhati Roy.

    0019: Begin again

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2019 3:12


    What to do when you're clinging to piano tops and concepts. Stephen Mitchell's version of Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching.

    0018: Respect for people

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2019 4:17


    Why respect for people is an important part of lean, and four starting points for determining how to do something with this idea. Slightly more detailed notes on the four starting points. More about motivation-hygiene theory.

    0017: Throughput

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2019 4:17


    Welcome back! Throughput, goodput, and making the most of it.

    0016: Housekeeping

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2018 1:31


    You gotta take care of yourself, so I'm taking a week to do just that. Also, 2 easy ways you can support this podcast after it returns from a 1 week break.

    0015: Countermeasures

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2018 3:31


    Looking for countermeasures instead of solutions.

    0014: Movement and transportation

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2018 2:37


    Revisiting the wastes of lean, and two particular types of waste.

    0013: What is continuous improvement, anyways?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2018 2:26


    It's about getting good at small, reversible improvements. Over time folks will learn they no longer need to be scared of change, or even of failure.

    0012: See one, do one, teach one

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2018 2:21


    Learning and training when things are complicated.

    0011: Book: Measures of Success, by Mark Graban

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2018 2:15


    Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Measures-Success-React-Better-Improve-ebook/dp/B07DV8ZC4P/ A free sample chapter is also available at LeanPub: https://leanpub.com/measuresofsuccess

    0010: In which I split my pants

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2018 2:21


    The job of facilitation and the value of facilitating with a partner.

    0009: Finding what's bad

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2018 3:29


    Waste! Defects • Overproduction • Waiting • Not using what people to give • Transportation • Inventory • Movement • Extra processing.

    0008: Knowing what's good

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2018 2:43


    If people can agree on what's good, the rest is details.

    0007: Liberating structures

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2018 4:04


    Nobody can make anything better alone. When you're working with other people, the time is ticking away according to one structure or another. Liberating structures online: http://www.liberatingstructures.com

    0006: A weird story about fax machines (updated)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2018 2:30


    Lay information and knowledge out as simply and concisely as possible, so you can get it out of your brain and into the world.

    0005: Guessing

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2018 2:54


    Guesses work best when it's OK for a guess to be wrong. Delany's tweet: https://twitter.com/DelanyBisbee/status/1020427472209432576

    0004: Variation

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2018 3:28


    How can you distinguish between typical variation in a process and an indication that something has changed? Book recommendation: "Understanding Variation" by Donald J. Wheeler. https://amazon.com/dp/0945320531

    0003: Standards

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2018 2:23


    Setting standards and trying to perform to standard is a method. Better service, better outcomes, better relationships—that's the goal.

    0002: What did you notice?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2018 3:12


    You matter and your ideas matter. Taking time to notice what's going on around you is where those ideas come from.

    0001: Problems

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2018 2:46


    Problems, solutions, and the problem with solutions.

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