We are presently faced with yet another federal election here in Canada. According to recent polls voters have expressed a strong sense of frustration, overwhelming cynicism, and mistrust. While I can appreciate the well-intentioned platforms of each of the respective parties, I am reminded that these programs and promises must be funded by an ever-growing shortfall of our tax dollars. […]
Rebuilding our Economy: Fragile – Handle with Care
Managing Visually – A word from Daniel T. Jones
Visual Management is certainly one of the characteristic traits that sets lean organizations apart from all others. The success of Visual Management is predicated on relevant and current data. To be effective, Visual Management must be embraced and utilized by leadership, management, and employees throughout the organization. I also believe that “Knowledge is Power and Wisdom is Sharing it.” For […]
Game On – Playing it Safe with Lean
Communicating a concept or methodology in a manner that doesn’t offend the current status quo is likely the biggest challenge we face as lean practitioners and consultants. In all too many instances it seems that people are open to change as long as someone else is doing the changing. To diffuse opposition and resistance to change, it is essential that everyone understands […]
Are you Winning? A Hockey Lesson for Lean Metrics.
The world of sports is rife with statistics and hockey is no exception, especially here in Canada. Over the past few weeks, local Toronto hockey fans anxiously watched or listened for the results of every Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game – all the while hoping for a win and a shot at making into the playoffs. As has been the case for the past many […]
Toyota #1 for a Reason
Experience is often gained by making mistakes, however, we don’t have to repeat them for the sake of experience. This is one of the reasons I decided to read “Toyota Under Fire” by Jeffrey K. Liker and Timothy N. Ogden. Aside from the many positive reviews this book has already received, it claims to present “The definitive inside account of Toyota’s […]
Hanging from a thread – Lean Healthcare
Background It seems that Lean Healthcare is getting a lot of exposure here as of late. I will qualify this by saying “in practice” rather than “name”. The Toronto Star published yet another article, Sunnybrook cuts wait for prostate diagnosis down to 72 hours, that once again demonstrates that improvements can be made if we put our minds to it. […]
Are you an Excel Hero?
Background Not too long ago, I was approached by a systems consultant to consider writing an Excel solution to create a weekly production schedule for one of his clients. The reason for using Excel will become clearer in a moment. The current process Sales representatives submit a unique Excel spreadsheet / file for each customer order. All orders are saved […]