Blogger, Author, Customer Experience Fanatic, and Lean Practitioner Pete Abilla interviews leaders in Lean, Six Sigma, and Customer Experience. He interviews leaders in their respective fields and through these informal discussions we learn insights that you can apply immediately to your work today.
Shmula.com Lean Leadership Podcast
While at the Lean Startup Conference, I was able to speak with Hugh Molotsi, VP at Intuit Labs. In this Lean Leadership Interview, we discuss the role of Lean Startup and Design Thinking at Intuit. Part of that discussion also centers around giving everyone a voice in the organization. But, giving everyone a voice is […] The post Giving Everyone a Voice Through Intuit Brainstorm: Design Thinking and Lean Startup in an Employees Suggestion Program appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
While at the Lean Startup Conference, I was able to speak with Hugh Molotsi, VP at Intuit Labs. In this Lean Leadership Interview, we discuss the role of Lean Startup and Design Thinking at Intuit. Part of that discussion also centers around giving everyone a voice in the organization. But, giving everyone a voice is […] The post Giving Everyone a Voice Through Intuit Brainstorm: Design Thinking and Lean Startup in an Employees Suggestion Program appeared first on Shmula.
What is Kiva?Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. On day 2 of the Lean Startup Conference, I didn't speak with attendees […] The post How Kiva.org Uses Lean Startup to Alleviate Poverty appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
What is Kiva?Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. On day 2 of the Lean Startup Conference, I didn’t speak with attendees […] The post How Kiva.org Uses Lean Startup to Alleviate Poverty appeared first on Shmula.
I was very fortunate to have attended the Lean Startup Conference a few weeks ago. While there, I thought it would be great to hear from the attendees themselves. I wanted to see what their thoughts were on the conference and what their feedback was. So, I took some to speak with several attendees over […] The post Day 1: Voices of Lean Startup Conference 2014 appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
I was very fortunate to have attended the Lean Startup Conference a few weeks ago. While there, I thought it would be great to hear from the attendees themselves. I wanted to see what their thoughts were on the conference and what their feedback was. So, I took some to speak with several attendees over […] The post Day 1: Voices of Lean Startup Conference 2014 appeared first on Shmula.
In today's podcast we are speaking with Daniel Debow, Senior Vice President of Emerging Technologies at SalesForce.com. He's responsible for Salesforce Wear, the wearables initiative, which I imagine will become part of the Salesforce App Exchange at some point. We're excited to be speaking with Daniel, as he'll show us how he's applied the Lean […] The post Salesforce App Exchange, Lean, Wear Initiative: Interview with Daniel Debow appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
In today’s podcast we are speaking with Daniel Debow, Senior Vice President of Emerging Technologies at SalesForce.com. He’s responsible for Salesforce Wear, the wearables initiative, which I imagine will become part of the Salesforce App Exchange at some point. We’re excited to be speaking with Daniel, as he’ll show us how he’s applied the Lean […] The post Salesforce App Exchange, Lean, Wear Initiative: Interview with Daniel Debow appeared first on Shmula.
I'm excited to present this interview I conducted with Eric Ries, the author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way. Eric's background is in startups – having started a few himself, he wanted to find a way to reduce the risk inherent in startups. For him, a startup is a state of affairs where […] The post Shmula Podcast: Eric Ries Lean Startup Interview appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
I’m excited to present this interview I conducted with Eric Ries, the author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way. Eric’s background is in startups – having started a few himself, he wanted to find a way to reduce the risk inherent in startups. For him, a startup is a state of affairs where […] The post Shmula Podcast: Eric Ries Lean Startup Interview appeared first on Shmula.
There's appears to be a massive proliferation of consumer centered companies interested in obtaining feedback from its customers. Almost where ever I purchase something and receive a receipt, there's an online or a mobile survey link in the receipt. For this article, I want to share my experience with a mobile survey from Kentucky Fried […] The post Online Survey Tools: KFC Net Promoter Score, Fried, Crispy, or Grilled appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
There’s appears to be a massive proliferation of consumer centered companies interested in obtaining feedback from its customers. Almost where ever I purchase something and receive a receipt, there’s an online or a mobile survey link in the receipt. For this article, I want to share my experience with a mobile survey from Kentucky Fried […] The post Online Survey Tools: KFC Net Promoter Score, Fried, Crispy, or Grilled appeared first on Shmula.
Floyd Mayweather is fighting Miguel Cotto on May 5, 2012. As public relations for that upcoming fight, there's been a series of features on each fighter – on Mayweather and Cotto – all over CNN while I watch the news. One I recently watched on CNN was an interview held by Michael Eric Dyson with […] The post Floyd Mayweather Becomes a Little Child and Reminds Us of the Little Things appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
Floyd Mayweather is fighting Miguel Cotto on May 5, 2012. As public relations for that upcoming fight, there’s been a series of features on each fighter – on Mayweather and Cotto – all over CNN while I watch the news. One I recently watched on CNN was an interview held by Michael Eric Dyson with […] The post Floyd Mayweather Becomes a Little Child and Reminds Us of the Little Things appeared first on Shmula.
Visual Management Systems includes menu item visibility and should be simple, obvious, efficient, and effective. Thus was the case at a recent visit to a Mexican Restaurant in Utah called Cafe Rio. At that Mexican Restaurant Franchise, my wife and I have grown a little too fond of the Cafe Rio Salad – we like […] The post Menu Item Visibility at a Mexican Restaurant Franchise appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
Visual Management Systems includes menu item visibility and should be simple, obvious, efficient, and effective. Thus was the case at a recent visit to a Mexican Restaurant in Utah called Cafe Rio. At that Mexican Restaurant Franchise, my wife and I have grown a little too fond of the Cafe Rio Salad – we like […] The post Menu Item Visibility at a Mexican Restaurant Franchise appeared first on Shmula.
We've provided two videos for you that shows you how to create a value stream map. The first video is 4:41 minutes long and the second is 4:27 minutes long. You can also download all 30 Value Stream Map Icons, which is part of the Lean Six Sigma templates. A Value Stream Map is an […] The post Value Stream Map Symbols and Video appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
For Premium Shmula.com members, we’ve provided two videos for you that shows you how to create a value stream map. The first video is 4:41 minutes long and the second is 4:27 minutes long. You can also download all 30 Value Stream Map Icons, which is part of your membership. A Value Stream Map is […] The post Value Stream Map Symbols [video] appeared first on Shmula.
Some of you are familiar with Clayton Christensen. He's a Harvard Business School professor and is well known for his research on disruptive innovation. He recently published a new book called The Innovator's DNA and in that book he quotes me. The book argues that there are five discovery skills that seperates ordinary managers from […] The post I'm In Clayton Christensen's New Book: The Innovator's DNA appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
Some of you are familiar with Clayton Christensen. He’s a Harvard Business School professor and is well known for his research on disruptive innovation. He recently published a new book called The Innovator’s DNA and in that book he quotes me. The book argues that there are five discovery skills that seperates ordinary managers from […] The post I’m In Clayton Christensen’s New Book: The Innovator’s DNA appeared first on Shmula.
Something that should be obvious to many is that the US Government (or probably any government local or federal) is full of waste: processes are bloated, many workarounds, a lot of waiting – you get the picture. A natural antidote to such a state of affairs is the application of lean manufacturing or six sigma. […] The post Lean Process Improvement in Government: Ron Paul appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
Something that should be obvious to many is that the US Government (or probably any government local or federal) is full of waste: processes are bloated, many workarounds, a lot of waiting – you get the picture. A natural antidote to such a state of affairs is the application of lean manufacturing or six sigma. […] The post Lean Process Improvement in Government: Ron Paul appeared first on Shmula.
An underestimated aspect of productivity is the reliability of the equipment we are using. Whether the equipment is heavy equipment used in manufacturing, supply chain, fulfillment and distribution, or whether our equipment is data center reliability. The reliability of the tools we rely on is critical. There are four critical factors to consider when addressing […] The post Equipment Reliability and Total Productivity Maintenance appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
An underestimated aspect of productivity is the reliability of the equipment we are using. Whether the equipment is heavy equipment used in manufacturing, supply chain, fulfillment and distribution, or whether our equipment is data center reliability. The reliability of the tools we rely on is critical. There are four critical factors to consider when addressing […] The post Equipment Reliability and Total Productivity Maintenance appeared first on Shmula.
The type of Bruce Lee training is known to be notorious and extremely difficult. At least that's the folklore. Bruce Lee is attributed to having said the following: I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. Let's explore both cases: […] The post Bruce Lee Training and Lessons for Lean Manufacturing appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
The type of Bruce Lee training is known to be notorious and extremely difficult. At least that’s the folklore. Bruce Lee is attributed to having said the following: I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. Let’s explore both cases: […] The post Bruce Lee Training and Lessons for Lean Manufacturing appeared first on Shmula.
A process map is helpful because it gives us a holistic overview of the customer experience or the specific process that we're interested in analyzing. But, it's just a fist step. While a process map can point to general areas of opportunity, it's sometimes not specific enough. A complement to a process map is what […] The post Business Process Analysis Template Download appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
A process map is helpful because it gives us a holistic overview of the customer experience or the specific process that we’re interested in analyzing. But, it’s just a fist step. While a process map can point to general areas of opportunity, it’s sometimes not specific enough. A complement to a process map is what […] The post Business Process Analysis Template Download appeared first on Shmula.
To usher in the Spring season in the United States, I thought I'd share a video of Callaway Golf, one of the largest manufacturers of Golf Clubs, Golf Balls, Golf Shoes, Golf Bags – name it, they are one of the biggest names in Golf. And, to keep in line with the focus of this […] The post Callaway Golf Lean Transformation appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
To usher in the Spring season in the United States, I thought I’d share a video of Callaway Golf, one of the largest manufacturers of Golf Clubs, Golf Balls, Golf Shoes, Golf Bags – name it, they are one of the biggest names in Golf. And, to keep in line with the focus of this […] The post Callaway Golf Lean Transformation appeared first on Shmula.
While the Shewhart Cycle of PDCA is helpful and is widely practiced by many companies that have adopted lean manufacturing and A3 Thinking and A3 Problem Solving, lean process management as it is practiced inside of Toyota is formally called the Toyota Business Practice, or TBP. On its face, the Toyota Business Practice seems to […] The post Toyota Business Practice is the Predecessor of the PDCA Cycle appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
While the Shewhart Cycle of PDCA is helpful and is widely practiced by many companies that have adopted lean manufacturing and A3 Thinking and A3 Problem Solving, lean process management as it is practiced inside of Toyota is formally called the Toyota Business Practice, or TBP. On its face, the Toyota Business Practice seems to […] The post Toyota Business Practice is the Predecessor of the PDCA Cycle appeared first on Shmula.
A lot has been written about Lean Manufacturing Tools, Concepts, Techniques. And, rightly so – they work: they are practical, simple, and are accessible to anybody willing to learn and apply it to their specific work. But, less is written about the principles behind the tools. This is unfortunate because what happens with zealous learners […] The post Lean Manufacturing Tools: Concepts and Principles appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
A lot has been written about Lean Manufacturing Tools, Concepts, Techniques. And, rightly so – they work: they are practical, simple, and are accessible to anybody willing to learn and apply it to their specific work. But, less is written about the principles behind the tools. This is unfortunate because what happens with zealous learners […] The post Lean Manufacturing Tools: Concepts and Principles appeared first on Shmula.
In this post, we discuss another key difference between service and manufacturing. Previously, we discussed how production and consumption is different in service versus manufacturing; we also covered the intangible differences between service and manufacturing, the topic of inventory and inventory in service versus inventory in manufacturing; then, we discussed the concept of variation in service versus variation in manufacturing. Most […] The post Substantive and Peripheral Benefits in Service versus Manufacturing appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
In this post, we discuss another key difference between service and manufacturing. Previously, we discussed how production and consumption is different in service versus manufacturing; we also covered the intangible differences between service and manufacturing, the topic of “inventory†and inventory in service versus inventory in manufacturing; then, we discussed the concept of variation in service versus variation in manufacturing. Most […] The post Substantive and Peripheral Benefits in Service versus Manufacturing appeared first on Shmula.
On Friday March 25, 2011, I had an opportunity to hear Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Facebook and Senator Orrin Hatch speak to a group at Brigham Young University. The event was held at the Marriott Center and was Mark Zuckerberg's first time speaking to a University audience that large. There were about 10,000 […] The post Mark Zuckerberg: I'd Rather Them Believe the Company Was Broken appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
On Friday March 25, 2011, I had an opportunity to hear Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Facebook and Senator Orrin Hatch speak to a group at Brigham Young University. The event was held at the Marriott Center and was Mark Zuckerberg’s first time speaking to a University audience that large. There were about 10,000 […] The post Mark Zuckerberg: I’d Rather Them Believe the Company Was Broken appeared first on Shmula.
John Wooden shares with us the spirit and approach of Kaizen – Kaizen Training. This way of doing things requires small improvements everyday and that type of training leads to lasting and sustained improvement. But don't let me tell, John Wooden words can do that: When you improve a little bit each day, eventually big […] The post Kaizen Training appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
John Wooden shares with us the spirit and approach of Kaizen – Kaizen Training. This way of doing things requires small improvements everyday and that type of training leads to lasting and sustained improvement. But don’t let me tell, John Wooden words can do that: When you improve a little bit each day, eventually big […] The post Kaizen Training appeared first on Shmula.
In a recent thread on the Toyota Alumni page on Linkedin (you must be an Alumni of Toyota to join and read the thread), there was a question on whether Toyota practices the principles of The Toyota Production System (Lean) in the Office. Below are some of the answers, many of which are quite interesting. […] The post Lean for Office Processes appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
In a recent thread on the Toyota Alumni page on Linkedin (you must be an Alumni of Toyota to join and read the thread), there was a question on whether Toyota practices the principles of The Toyota Production System (Lean) in the Office. Below are some of the answers, many of which are quite interesting. […] The post Lean for Office Processes appeared first on Shmula.
White Truffle Oil Supply Chain – How does this fancy mushroom get around? How stuff gets produced, transported, and consumed by the end-customer is fascinating to me. Supply Chain Management is a deceptively simple concept, but in practice it is quite complex. Every once in a while, tracing the supply chain of a product or […] The post White Truffle Oil Supply Chain: How Does This Fancy Mushroom Get Around? appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
White Truffle Oil Supply Chain – How does this fancy mushroom get around? How stuff gets produced, transported, and consumed by the end-customer is fascinating to me. Supply Chain Management is a deceptively simple concept, but in practice it is quite complex. Every once in a while, tracing the supply chain of a product or […] The post White Truffle Oil Supply Chain: How Does This Fancy Mushroom Get Around? appeared first on Shmula.
After Thanksgiving Sale creates Mobs and a perfect environment to learn about Queueing. In the United States, Thanksgiving Holiday is always on the last Thursday of November. The Friday immediately after Thanksgiving is traditionally called Black Friday (I have no idea why they call this day “Black Friday”). Black Friday is usually the biggest shopping […] The post Thanksgiving Day Sale and Mob Mentality and Queueing Environments appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
After Thanksgiving Sale creates Mobs and a perfect environment to learn about Queueing. In the United States, Thanksgiving Holiday is always on the last Thursday of November. The Friday immediately after Thanksgiving is traditionally called Black Friday (I have no idea why they call this day “Black Friday”). Black Friday is usually the biggest shopping […] The post Thanksgiving Day Sale and Mob Mentality and Queueing Environments appeared first on Shmula.
Many have asked how to Private Sale sites like Rue La La, Gilt Groupe, Hautelook, Lockerz, Ideeli, and others handle Distribution and Fulfillment. In general, most of the flash sale sites have contracted with third party logistic partners (3PL), but some handle their own fulfillment. Unlike Amazon Fulfillment Centers, Gilt doesn't own theirs, but outsources […] The post Gilt Groupe, Rue La La, Fulfillment Operations [video] appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
Many have asked how to Private Sale sites like Rue La La, Gilt Groupe, Hautelook, Lockerz, Ideeli, and others handle Distribution and Fulfillment. In general, most of the flash sale sites have contracted with third party logistic partners (3PL), but some handle their own fulfillment. Unlike Amazon Fulfillment Centers, Gilt doesn’t own theirs, but outsources […] The post Gilt Groupe, Rue La La, Fulfillment Operations [video] appeared first on Shmula.
For people or organizations just starting on their lean journey, there are concepts, jargon, and worldview that are new and are hard to remember. Thankfully, Pascal Dennis1, a respected thought-leader in Lean (Toyota Production System) developed easy reference cards. These cards are cute and a bit cheesy, but the intended audience are individuals and organizations […] The post Lean Manufacturing Guide Easy Reference appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.
For people or organizations just starting on their lean journey, there are concepts, jargon, and worldview that are new and are hard to remember. Thankfully, Pascal Dennis1, a respected thought-leader in Lean (Toyota Production System) developed easy reference cards. These cards are cute and a bit cheesy, but the intended audience are individuals and organizations […] The post Lean Manufacturing Guide Easy Reference appeared first on Shmula.
This article shows a timeline and video of the History of Lean Six Sigma. As with most things, The Toyota Production System (later to be called Lean in America) has been influenced by previous thought and influences current thinking. Below is a historical timeline of how Lean evolved over time, its roots, in both a […] The post Lean History and Timeline appeared first on OpEx Learning Resources.