Monthly Archives: May 2006

Gemba Keiei by Taiichi Ohno

Posted on May 31, 2006 by John Hunter

Jon Miller has been posting thoughts on chapters of Gemba Keiei by Taiichi Ohno for quite some time. His latest post in on chapter 23 (of 37): Producing at the Lowest Possible Cost. The series of posts provide great doses of management wisdom. As he said in the first post: “As I re-read this book in the original Japanese, I will summarize the nuggets of wisdom from each chapter in Mr. Ohno’s book.”Some great examples, If You Are Wrong, Admit … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Manufacturing, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

TRIZ – Managing Creativity

Posted on May 31, 2006 by John Hunter

The World According to TRIZ by Reena Jana: TRIZ is the brainchild of late Russian inventor Genrich Altshuller (1926-98), who worked as a patent inspector. In the process of observing invention after invention, Altshuller sought to identify a consistent formula for innovation. In 1946, he published an article laying out his theory of structured innovation, which he titled “Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadatch.” That translates roughly into “Theory of Inventive Problem Solving,” or TRIZ, for short. Creativity related: The Art of … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Management

Lean Software Development

Posted on May 30, 2006 by John Hunter

I have posted on the topic of Lean Software Development previously. Lean Software Development: A Field Guide – the first 3 chapters of this new book are available online [the broken link was removed]. Excellent book that I recommended for anyone interested in lean thinking ideas. Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit for Software Development Managers by Mary Poppendieck and Tom Poppendieck, 2003. Articles on lean programming by the Mary Poppendieck David Carlton has an interesting post on this topic: … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Management Articles, Software Development | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Six Sigma Spells Success in India

Posted on May 28, 2006 by John Hunter

Six Sigma spells success for BPOs by Pradeep Kapur: However, while Six Sigma’s pedigree can indeed be traced to TQM, it is differentiated from these earlier approaches by the bottom-line focus and intensity of its application. Experience has shown that Six Sigma works and if applied appropriately, it can be the key to enhance customer experience by adding to the bottom line. This can provide you a winning edge. Related: Six Sigma Won’t Fix Bad Management? Curious Cat Six Sigma … Continue reading →

Posted in India, Management, Management Articles, Six sigma

Lessons From Visit to Toyota’s Kentucky Plant

Posted on May 27, 2006 by John Hunter

Construction Executive Lessons from the Toyota Visit [the broken link was removed] by Hal Macomber including: Stopping to fix the problem – jidoka – could lead to far fewer quality problems. … Establish standard work – the currently understood best way – for key project operations. … As leaders, involve yourself to ease the work of the project team members rather than operating in the illusion that you can control. via: Construction Executives Visit Toyota, Learn Kaizen [the broken link … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Articles, Manufacturing, Quality tools | Tagged ,

New York City Photos

Posted on May 27, 2006 by John Hunter

These photos are from my New York City trip in 2005, see more photos of: Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met). The Met is an incredible museum with a huge amount of amazing art.

Posted in curiouscat.com, Travel photos

Improving Engineering Education

Posted on May 25, 2006 by John Hunter

On our Science and Engineering blog I just posted on the Olin Engineering Education Experiment. It is a great story of doing things differently. The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering was founded with a donation of over $400 million and opened to students in 2002. All students get a full tuition scholarship. Interesting article: The Olin Experiment by Erico Guizzo gives an excellent overview of the different focus of the school: Olin’s aim is to flip over the traditional … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Management, Science | 5 Comments

Lean Transformation Tips

Posted on May 24, 2006 by John Hunter

The 12 Half Truths of a Lean Transformation [the broken link was removed] by Charles Hagood. A one page article reinforcing what adopting lean methods will require. The process of improving never ends. A Lean transformation has no end date! The process is ongoing and is never a closed out action item. There is no such thing as the perfect company or process, therefore the closest to perfect you can become is to recognize that it is a continuous process … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles

Better and Different

Posted on May 24, 2006 by John Hunter

Reaction to Toyota: Better or Different? and Seth Godin’s post. The answer, as I see it, is to be better and different (when necessary). In Seth’s post he talks about challenging people to find not just better solutions but different solutions. That is fine, as long as people don’t lose focus on being better. Neither one alone is adequate (at least not always). To achieve great success you must be both better and different. That is what Toyota does. Frankly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Innovation, Management, quote | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Financial Education

Posted on May 23, 2006 by John Hunter

Federal Reserve System: economic and personal financial education [the broken link was removed] “Financial education is a critical component of a robust and effective financial marketplace but it is not a panacea. Clear disclosures, wise regulation and vigorous enforcement are also essential to ensuring that financial service providers do not engage in unfair or deceptive practices,” Bernanke said. … Outlining the various initiatives that the Fed already sponsors to boost public understanding of financial matters, Bernanke pledged to keep up … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Investing | Tagged

Lean forward

Posted on May 22, 2006 by John Hunter

The most substantial success requires building upon the initial efforts. Truly becoming a lean organization is not something that can be done easily or quickly. And it can’t happen unless management stays focused and continues to learn about lean concepts. Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Management Articles | Tagged

Forget Targets

Posted on May 22, 2006 by John Hunter

Forget about targets – and decide what really matters by Simon Caulkin: The attraction of targets is their simplicity. But it’s a fatal one. As part of the misguided managerial obsession with quantification, they misapply partial, linear measures to a complex, shifting world. While targets and goals can distract from improvement some guidance is useful. Systems thinking is important when using targets. As is an understanding of psychology (given the tendency to manage to what is measured the system can … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Deming, Management, Management Articles

UK Lean Electronics Manufacturing

Posted on May 18, 2006 by John Hunter

CEO viewpoint: Lean and keen manufacturing [the broken link was removed] by Eamonn Walsh, chairman and technical director of Brainboxes: At Brainboxes we have been manufacturing for 22 years so far and we believe that the way we work will keep us there. If we adopt the best practice of lean manufacturing methods and apply them to all manufacturing in the UK, electronics or otherwise, then the industry will be transformed for the good. Unreformed manufacturing will fall by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles, Manufacturing

Problems Caused by Performance Appraisal

Posted on May 17, 2006 by John Hunter

People are increasingly challenging the notion that we just have to live with performance appraisal systems. As usually, I will make my suggestion that chapter 9 of the Leader’s Handbook offers great material on performing without appraisal (and the rest of the book is great too). Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Management Articles, Performance Appraisal | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Lean Construction

Posted on May 17, 2006 by John Hunter

Lean Manufacturing in the Construction Industry [the broken link was removed] by Eric Sander: In a radical departure from construction on site, Bensonwood Homes of Walpole, New Hampshire, has begun assembling major wall and floor components of their custom homes in their shop. These sections are delivered and assembled on site to reduce the construction time and improve quality. This approach is common in Japan. Toyota Homes and Misawa Home prefabricate custom homes in their factory for onsite assembly. Tedd … Continue reading →

Posted in Innovation, Management Articles, Manufacturing | Tagged

The Customer Knows Best?

Posted on May 16, 2006 by John Hunter

The Customer Knows Best? Better Think Again by Anthony W. Ulwick It’s important to listen to customers – but not follow their words without skepticism. Ask them to design your next product and you’re likely to miss the mark, suggests this Harvard Business Review excerpt. Excellent point. Some management ideas are pretty easy and straight forward. But many management practices require knowledge and judgment to apply them successfully. Easy solutions may be desired, but, often you must choose between easy … Continue reading →

Posted in Customer focus, Deming, Innovation, Management, Management Articles | Tagged , , , , ,