Tags
blogs Books Career Carnival commentary continual improvement Creativity curiouscat Customer focus customer service Data Deming Economics engineering Google Health care Innovation internet Investing IT John Hunter leadership lean manufacturing Lean thinking management Management managing people Manufacturing organization as a system Popular Process improvement Psychology Public Sector Quality tools quote respect for people Six sigma Software Development Statistics Systems thinking tips Toyota Toyota Production System (TPS) webcast
Categories
- Books
- Career
- Carnival
- China
- Competition
- Creativity
- curiouscat.com
- Customer focus
- Data
- Deming
- Design of Experiments
- Economics
- Education
- Fun
- Health care
- India
- Innovation
- Investing
- IT
- Lean thinking
- Management
- Management Articles
- Manufacturing
- Performance Appraisal
- Popular
- Process improvement
- Psychology
- Public Sector
- Quality tools
- quote
- Respect
- Science
- Six sigma
- Software Development
- Statistics
- Systems thinking
- Tags
- Theory of Constraints
- Toyota Production System (TPS)
- Travel photos
- UK
- webcast
Archives
- July 2025
- September 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- October 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- September 2022
- July 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- October 2021
- June 2021
- March 2021
- January 2021
- September 2020
- June 2020
- January 2020
- September 2019
- August 2019
- June 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
Category Archives: Management Articles
Lean Continuous Improvement
Continuous Improvement — Taking A Big-Picture Approach To Lean [the broken link was removed] by Jonathan Katz, Industry Week: Northrop Grumman Newport News geared its lean value stream toward meeting customer commitments rather than strictly using it as a means to improve production. The company is constantly measuring its progress on customer contracts by using scorecards that help managers determine how close or how far they are to meeting customer agreements. Through this process, the company has saved on materials, … Continue reading
Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles
Organization, Systems and Culture
Organization, Systems and Culture [the broken link was removed] by S. M. Lane, G. J. Garrett, with contributions from R A. Long: Traditional methods of how companies are organized, staffed and managed have become obsolete. The purpose of this paper revolves around those things most companies can do to remain successful, in spite of changing times, changing economies, global competition and customer needs. The information contained within is not new and is not radical, but it is a different way … Continue reading
Posted in Management Articles
Tagged culture, management history, management system
Lean Thinking in Scotland
The man who would save Scottish industry [the broken link was removed] by Terry Murden Ross says: “Lean thinking can be applied to almost any process, but the key is the involvement of those who actually do the work. I passionately believe that companies, councils and the NHS can make major improvements across all their key measures once they learn how to involve their staff in the elimination of wasted time.” The article offers few details but is another example … Continue reading
Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles, Public Sector, UK
Tagged Lean thinking, Public Sector
Single Piece Flow
Single Piece Flow [the broken link was removed] by Rich Weissman: The transition from batch and queue to lean manufacturing involves converting to single piece flow… In traditional manufacturing, specific operations were done in batches by departments that specialized in individual manufacturing tasks like machining, welding, assembly, and test. Through the integration of lean induced cellular manufacturing processes, cross-trained employees produce just the amount of completed products that are required by other internal operations or the end customer. By eliminating … Continue reading
Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles, Manufacturing, Quality tools
Tagged kanban
Lean Accounting article from SME
Keeping score with lean accounting cost management [the broken link was removed] by Jerry Solomon: We changed the format of our income statements. We made them simple. For each value stream, all of the payroll expense is in one bucket called processing costs. There is another bucket for all of our variable costs. We exclude elements outside the value stream, like property taxes or insurance. Now the income statements allow the folks to clearly see and understand what was spent … Continue reading
Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles
1 Comment
ThedaCare: Lean Healthcare
Area health systems put customer service first [the broken link was removed] by MaryBeth Matzek In 2005, ThedaCare was able to save $10 million thanks to its lean programs and officials hope to save another $12 million this year, Toussaint said. ThedaCare’s march toward lean began when Toussaint started looking for a way to improve quality and service while cutting costs. He found what he was looking for in an unlikely place – a factory that produces lawnmowers and snow … Continue reading
Posted in Health care, Lean thinking, Management Articles
Tagged Health care, lean healthcare, Lean thinking, Wisconsin
1 Comment
Lean Software Development
Lean Software Development: A Field Guide [the broken link was removed] – the first 3 chapters of this new book are available online. Excellent, 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 Poppendieck’s
Engines of Democracy
Engines of Democracy [the broken link was removed] by Charles Fishman, Fast Company: The 170-plus people who work at this plant try to make perfect jet engines. And they come close. On average, one-quarter of the engines that GE/Durham sends to Boeing have just a single defect — something cosmetic, such as a cable not lined up right, or a scratch on a fan case. The other three-quarters are, in fact, perfect. … GE/Durham’s continuous-feedback culture — “We call this … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Management Articles
Tagged Economics, Manufacturing
Improving Communication
How to Communicate with Me [the broken link was removed] by David Anderson. A nice post, with practical advice on improving communication. He understood that service goes downward in management and he encouraged us to communicate to him, how he could be of service to us. I’ve used the template I developed for communicating with John as a way to train my staff to better up-manage. It’s important not to expect people to do this intuitively. Generally, their only up-management … Continue reading
Effective Innovation
Overcoming the barriers to effective innovation [the broken link was removed] by Pierre Loewe and Jennifer Dominiquini The top six obstacles to innovation identified by respondents were consistent across industries: Short-term focus. Lack of time, resources or staff. Leadership expects payoff sooner than is realistic. Management incentives are not structured to reward innovation. Lack of a systematic innovation process. Belief that innovation is inherently risky. Related posts: Managing Innovation Deming on Innovation
Posted in Management Articles
Tagged Innovation
What Should GM Do?
GM must take back concepts that Toyota has capitalized on [the broken link was removed] by W. Harrison Goodenow: It still doesn’t have to be this way. The solution lies in better manufacturing engineering and not in Machiavellian marketing. Concurrent engineering, hard prototyping, management by planning, real process control and Deming’s analytic-studies approach to design of experiments are proven approaches to designing and building a quality car competitively. Just ask Toyota. Toyota posts Manufacturing articles and links
Posted in Management Articles
Tagged Manufacturing
Lean Accounting
Lean Accounting (Lean Beans) [broken link was removed] by Sue Sondergelt We must get rid of Standard Cost and Absorption Accounting for managing the business. This is 1930’s thinking, when business was all labor, little material, and very little overhead. Today business is all material, very little labor, and moderate overhead. A nice short article introducing accounting issues which influence organizational behavior in the counter-productive ways. Accountants today need to change the way they think! We need to lose old … Continue reading
Posted in Management Articles
Tagged Lean thinking
Lean Manufacturing in the Middle East
Lean Manufacturing Interview of Mohammed Ajlouni, Managing Director of Jordan Specialized Vehicle: How should you work with your suppliers in a truly lean environment? In a truly lean environment, suppliers are partners. They will be expected to supply the required material, the right quality, the right quantity, at the right time, every time. To be able to do this, suppliers have to learn how to take the waste out of their processes. Indeed, many companies have to teach their suppliers … Continue reading
Posted in Lean thinking, Management Articles, Manufacturing
Lean Retailing
Lean Manufacturing Needs Lean Retailers [the broken link was removed] by Bill Waddell: Stuck in their outdated business model, with a simple minded economic model, they all scour the globe looking for a supplier they can wring a few cents out of on the purchase price, then send the product in staggering quantities through the most bloated and wasteful supply chains. … The hope for lean in retailing comes from the building products sector, where Home Depot and Lowes are … Continue reading
Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Management Articles, quote
Selecting Six Sigma Black Belts
A Question of Balance by Jim Bossert and Larry Krynski, Quality Digest. The articles explores attributes needed by black belts: personal, technical ability, training, experience, aptitude and culture. “This article examines “each attribute to see how it contributes to selecting the right candidate. Organizations can use the information when interviewing candidates, knowing that whomever they select will contribute to the success of their Six Sigma projects.”
Posted in Management Articles, Six sigma
Tagged hiring, Six sigma
Lean Health Care: ThedaCare
ThedaCare Shares Lean Secrets (link broken, so removed): ThedaCare adapted the lean business practice technique commonly referred to as Toyota Production System two years ago after a visit to the Ariens Co. in Brillion. There, ThedaCare officials saw firsthand how the process was implemented. “We were there and within 15 minutes, I knew this was the improvement system for us,” said Roger Gerard, ThedaCare’s chief learning officer. Each week, ThedaCare has several rapid improvement events or RIEs. During that process, … Continue reading
Posted in Health care, Lean thinking, Management Articles