Lean Smarts Podcast: Lean Manufacturing | Leadership

It's too easy to "go to the gemba" and only go through the motions without gaining deep insight into the real production conditions. So in this episode Daniel shares the second half of 10 best practices, tools, and tips to take your gemba game to the next level. To download all ten best practices as a one-page reference, go to leansmarts.com/gembatools.

It's too easy to "go to the gemba" and only go through the motions without gaining deep insight into the real production conditions. So in this episode Daniel shares the first five of 10 best practices, tools, and tips to take your gemba game to the next level. To download all ten best practices as a one-page reference, go to leansmarts.com/gembatools.

Your ability to make informed decisions and effectively problem-solve and improve depends largely on your knowledge of the gemba. But here's the thing: just "going to the gemba" and paying it a visit isn't enough! It is very easy to go through the motions without getting the intended results. So in this episode we explain what the gemba is, why visiting it isn't enough, and how the true practice of going to the gemba is more like meditation and "thinking with your whole body" vs. just your brain at a distance.

It is unfortunately pandemic: many organizations struggle to "go lean" because of a handful of common foundation problems. One we see often when working with clients is a lack of teamwork. Be careful with this! Even though your production teams may say they are "like family," that does not mean they are performing as a world-class team. In this episode Daniel shares six characteristics of high-performing production teams.

Leaders are invaluable to the health and effectiveness of your lean organization. You MUST have enough of them for your management system to function AND for you to effectively grow and develop people. In this episode we give five reasons why you may need more leaders at your organization. We also offer a simple recommendation for how to increase the quantity of leaders at your company in a way that is financially feasible and reasonable.

Many lean implementation efforts have failed for either of two reasons. 1. Individual tools are cherry-picked and implemented individually without understanding that lean tools function together as an integrated system. 2. Or, lean is viewed only as a technical set or tools and the role of people and their behavior is forgotten or neglected. In this episode we explain the complexity of lean systems in simple terms. We talk about biology, technology, and even cyborgs in establishing the systems-nature of lean manufacturing.

The quick recommendations people make (like "start with 5S") assume too much about an organization. Even though 5S can be a good first tool to apply, many organizations would do well to do some ground work prior to picking up lean methodologies. This includes things like developing true teamwork, demonstrating a commitment to employee training and development, or even establishing basic metrics and engineering functions. While a list of questions to evaluate your preparation for "starting lean" doesn't do justice, here are ten questions to ask yourself to help gauge your readiness.

Despite the fact that 5S methodology has been around a long time, there remains much confusion over what 5S is and how it differs from variations like 3S and 6S. In this episode we explain what each one is, what they share in common, and how they differ from each other. 

People, consultants, and books often say to start lean with 5S... but why? In this episode you'll discover five reasons why starting your lean journey with 5S is a smart and strategic move. "Becoming lean" is not so simple as the copy-and-paste of lean tools, but it is true that doing 5S well requires you to create a cultural dynamic in your organization that is invaluable as you move forward with lean thinking.

While lean manufacturing unquestionably concerns itself with the elimination of waste, this waste is the greatest of all! You will find that it originates from one of the primary founders and influencers of the Toyota Production System (TPS)—from which lean manufacturing was first discovered and canonized. Some people call it the waste of people's skills, potential, creativity, or even genius (the eighth waste). We like to think of it as the waste of a wasted life.

Transcript Today I want to talk about a neglected and underappreciated individual in organizations today, and that is the team leader. But the first challenge we have when discussing this topic is confusion over what a team leader is. You see, you probably have something at your organization you think is a team leader. You […] The post 011 – The Underappreciated Role of the Lean Team Leader appeared first on Lean Smarts.

Transcript Today, we’re going to be learning about lean 5S methodology. You can get to the show notes, including a transcript and additional resources at leansmarts.com/010 for episode 10. 5S is a very popular lean tool that gets a lot of attention. So today I’m going to give it an overview. Today I’m going to […] The post 010 – What Lean 5S Methodology is All About appeared first on Lean Smarts.

Transcript What I have to share with you today is not a lean tool but a profound truth. I learned it from a friend and mentor of mine who spent some time working at the historic NUMMI plant with Toyota in California. Sometimes he listens to this show, so let me tell you—if you are […] The post 009 – No Need, No Kaizen appeared first on Lean Smarts.

Transcript Today I am talking about the concept of lean standard work and why it is crucial to your success with lean. I’m actually especially excited to talk to you about standard work because it is a very very undervalued lean tool. Most people don’t care much about it. They would rather be learning how […] The post 008 – The Crucial Role of Lean Standard Work appeared first on Lean Smarts.

Transcript So far in this podcast series I’ve introduced essential lean concepts like the idea of value and the seven wastes of lean. I’ve also discussed the concept of flow and the evils of over production. The thing is, though, that all of these ideas are the outcome of scientific thinking and how scientific thinking […] The post 007 – Lean Thinking is Scientific Thinking appeared first on Lean Smarts.

Transcript Alright, now back to today’s episode. Today I’m I’m going to introduce you to the concept of kaizen and share four things: What kaizen means The secret to creating a lean life Paul Aker’s compelling example of 2 Second Lean Why small improvements are strategically more important than big improvements The Meaning of Kaizen […] The post 006 – Introducing Kaizen: A Way Of Life appeared first on Lean Smarts.

Transcript In this episode I’m going to explain one of the goal of lean manufacturing, which is something we call “flow.” Historically, this has also been called “Just In Time” manufacturing, but we’ll treat these as synonyms. As always, I will be naming resources and making references throughout the cast, but you can always check […] The post 005 – The Goal of Lean Manufacturing: Flow appeared first on Lean Smarts.

Transcript Thank you again for joining me once more for the Lean Smarts Podcast. I’m you’re host, Daniel Crawford, and this is the show where I talk about lean in simple terms and try to keep it fun. In the past few episodes I have given an overview on each of the seven wastes of […] The post 004 – Over Production: The Worst of All Wastes appeared first on Lean Smarts.

Transcript In the last episode I explained that the heart of lean manufacturing is in eliminating waste, and I also introduced the seven wastes of lean. In this episode I want to take some time to illustrate these wastes in a few examples. If you’re already well-versed with the seven wastes, this will be a […] The post 003 – Three Examples of the Seven Wastes of Lean Manufacturing appeared first on Lean Smarts.

Transcript Welcome to episode two of the Lean Smarts Podcast! I’m your host Daniel Crawford and this is the show where I share simple and actionable lean tips and advice for starting, expanding, and leading a lean life, and a lean organization. In this episode I’m going to explain what is regarded as the heart of […] The post 002 – The Heart of Lean Manufacturing: Eliminating Waste appeared first on Lean Smarts.

Transcript Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Lean Smarts Podcast! I’m your host Daniel Crawford and this is the show where I share simple and actionable lean tips and advice for starting, expanding, and leading a lean life, and a lean organization. In this first episode I’m going to introduce you to lean manufacturing […] The post 001 – What is Lean Manufacturing? appeared first on Lean Smarts.