You don't want problems. You want a plant floor or an office or a business process that runs like a well-oiled machine all the time -- in fact you want it to run like a perfectly oiled machine. That ...

There are many excellent books and videos on Lean and continuous improvement. They each provide a slightly different perspective and, as such, each adds their own unique value. To distill some of the ...

On the face of it, standardization and improvement may be viewed as extreme opposites. We look at the benefits of standardization. Some standardization benefits are specific to lean. Breaking down ...

In today's business environment, each department of an organization has to balance various important tasks with increasingly limited resources. For example, as the chief operating and financial ...

Michigan Tech’s Lean transformation uses an embedded Lean practitioner model that has our frontline supervisors and employees solving problems and making improvements. In this model, the Office of ...

Let’s begin with a brief run-down on just what “lean methodology” is and where it came from. Lean methodology originated mostly from the Toyota Production System. The Toyota Motor Corporation came to ...

Many hospitals are adopting the lean methodology for improving efficiency and safety. When used in the operating room, lean may speed turnover times, improve first case on-time starts and reduce the ...

Businesses shouldn't use technology as a shortcut—they need a firm grasp on lean principles before they can uncover true ...

One approach to improving operating room efficiency is lean methodology, which focuses on streamlining processes. Sue Kozlowski, senior consultant for the healthcare solutions division at TechSolve, ...

“Lean” methodology creates quality improvement and leadership capacity, which is currently missing in ambulatory care settings. Failure to create this capacity will minimize transformation efforts.

While manual systems keep operators involved, they are subject to variation, inconsistent adherence and human error. The resulting problems often cause people to slip ...