In this episode, I share the audio from a recent video I created. The short video highlights four different industry case studies applying Lean principles and concepts. The 4 organizations highlighted in the video: Omark Industries (Manufacturing) - Learn more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing Appvion (Manufacturing) - featured in the book Lean CEO at https://amzn.to/3QQjNiV City of Denver Colorado (Government) - Details available in this video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Sep 23, 2022•5 min•Season 1Ep. 65
In this episode, I share the audio from a recent video I created. The short video highlights four different examples of nonprofits and NGOs applying Lean principles and concepts to social challenges in the local community. I also announce our new Lean courses: Lean Introduction and Lean Fundamentals . The Lean Introduction course can be accessed for free using coupon code " KICKSTARTLEAN-LSSE " The 4 nonprofits highlighted in the video: St. Bernard Project (New Orleans, LA) Learn more at https:/...
Sep 17, 2022•8 min•Season 1Ep. 64
In this episode, I read off a recent article I wrote, breaking down the turnover data from the University of Iowa 2021 football season. I explain how I would evaluate their data using categorization and Pareto charts to identify more opportunities to create more turnovers against their opponents, or reduce the number of turnovers caused, which will increase their chance of winning games. Links Hawks Good at Turnovers, But Can Do Better Need help in your organization? Let's talk! Schedule a free ...
Sep 11, 2022•9 min•Season 1Ep. 63
In this episode, I read off an article I wrote back a few years, about how the 5S workplace organization methods compare to the popular home organizing methods of Marie Kondo, developer of the KonMari method, which had become popular through her books and Netflix TV show. There are other links embedded within the article. Links Article: 5S and the KonMari method Need help in your organization? Let's talk! Schedule a free support call BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com Have a question? Submit ...
Jun 18, 2022•8 min•Season 1Ep. 62
In this episode, I discuss how I helped someone select a key metric for their Six Sigma project, based on the opportunity to measure and statistically validate the improvement. Links Lean Six Sigma Project Ideas Need help in your organization? Let's talk! Schedule a free support call BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com Have a question? Submit a voice message at Anchor.fm...
May 08, 2022•5 min•Season 1Ep. 61
In this episode, I discuss a way to help identify a potential Lean Six Sigma project out of a larger improvement project taking place. Selecting a project is one of the hardest things to complete for those pursuing a Lean Six Sigma certification. Links Lean Six Sigma Project Ideas Need help in your organization? Let's talk! Schedule a free support call BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com Have a question? Submit a voice message at Anchor.fm...
Apr 24, 2022•8 min•Season 1Ep. 60
In this episode, I discuss how I applied the Theory of Constraints (TOC) to come up with additional improvement ideas for a bottleneck process at a client I am working with. Before we invest in more people or equipment (throwing money at the problem), let's make sure we have extracted as much opportunity out of the existing process. Links What is Theory of Constraints? Need help in your organization? Let's talk! Schedule a free support call BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com Have a question? ...
Apr 13, 2022•7 min•Season 1Ep. 59
In this episode, I discuss ways in which I've combined current event topics from the Iowa Hawkeyes sports teams with my data analysis and process improvement background. I explain a summary of 4 articles I have written, and invite you to read the ones that are of interest to you. Links True or False? Iowa Football Struggles in Games on the West Coast Will Jordan Bohannon Tie or Break the Big Ten 3-Point FG's Made Record? Did Iowa Women Suffer from Lack of Fouls in Loss to Creighton? Racial Diffe...
Apr 03, 2022•7 min•Season 1Ep. 58
In this episode, I discuss a situation I encountered related to hiring new employees within a set period of time. Thinking about the problem in terms of takt time was helpful, so I thought I'd share that with everyone. If you don't know about takt time, it's a method to establish a pace or rhythm for how often a process needs to complete items. We take the time available divided by the number of items to determine a pace for the work. In this example, we use it to determine how often you need to...
Mar 30, 2022•5 min•Season 1Ep. 57
In this episode, I share the 7th and final module of the free "Lean at home" course, giving you a full example of a home improvement project. Hopefully you will be inspired to make similar improvements to your own personal life. If you complete a similar project to this at home, you can submit the project workbook to me for review, and obtain a "Lean at Home" certification. If you want to watch all the videos of this course or access the workbook, you can access the entire free course, called "H...
Mar 26, 2022•7 min•Season 1Ep. 56
In this episode, I share the 6th module of the free "Lean at home" course, giving you ideas about how to error proof your home from mistakes, and documenting the new process using checklists and standard operating procedures or SOPs. At the end of the course, you will have the option to implement a project and get a "Lean at Home" certification. Over the next few weeks, I will upload other modules from the course. But you don't have to wait. You can access the entire free course, called "Home Ef...
Mar 25, 2022•6 min•Season 1Ep. 55
In this episode, I share the 5th module of the free "Lean at home" course, helping you understand how to organize your home using the 5s method. I also go through an example of organizing my mom's sewing room. At the end of the course, you will have the option to implement a project and get a "Lean at Home" certification. Over the next few weeks, I will upload other modules from the course. But you don't have to wait. You can access the entire free course, called "Home Efficiency Using Japanese ...
Mar 23, 2022•6 min•Season 1Ep. 54
In this episode, I share the 4th module of the free "Lean at home" course, helping you learn about the 8 forms of waste, and how you can spot these wastes in your home process. At the end of the course, you will have the option to implement a project and get a "Lean at Home" certification. Over the next few weeks, I will upload other modules from the course. But you don't have to wait. You can access the entire free course, called "Home Efficiency Using Japanese Lean Productivity Techniques" at ...
Mar 20, 2022•13 min•Season 1Ep. 53
In this episode, I share the 3rd module of the free "Lean at home" course, giving you ideas about what data to collect, and how to better understand your home processes by creating a process map or spaghetti diagram. At the end of the course, you will have the option to implement a project and get a "Lean at Home" certification. Over the next few weeks, I will upload other modules from the course. But you don't have to wait. You can access the entire free course, called "Home Efficiency Using Ja...
Mar 18, 2022•5 min•Season 1Ep. 52
In this episode, I share the 2nd module of the free "Lean at home" course, giving you ideas about which process at home you could select for your improvement project. At the end of the course, you will have the option to implement a project and get a "Lean at Home" certification. Over the next few weeks, I will upload other modules from the course. But you don't have to wait. You can access the entire free course, called "Home Efficiency Using Japanese Lean Productivity Techniques" at https://bu...
Mar 06, 2022•6 min•Season 1Ep. 51
In this episode, I share the introductory module of the free "Lean at home" course, explaining why I made this course, and why it's a great starting point for anyone interested in learning and practicing Lean and process improvement methods. Over the next few weeks, I will upload other modules from the course. But you don't have to wait. You can access the entire free course, called "Home Efficiency Using Japanese Lean Productivity Techniques" at https://business-performance-improvement.thinkifi...
Mar 03, 2022•9 min•Season 1Ep. 50
In this episode, I talk about a useful matrix that helps you identify cross-training and skill development opportunities with your team or in your organization. It's called a cross-training matrix, or a skills matrix. Each skill is listed on one side, and each team member is listed on the other side of the matrix. For each combination of skill and person, you determine how much experience they have by filling in a circle (called a harvey ball). I'm including a link to more details, and an Excel ...
Feb 10, 2022•7 min•Season 1Ep. 49
In this episode, I rant about the lack of effort some organizations put into their process improvement programs, and then are surprised that it didn't work, and want to blame the tools and methods, not their strategy for deploying it. Links Need help in your organization? Let's talk! Schedule a free support call BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com Have a question? Submit a voice message at Anchor.fm...
Dec 24, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 48
In this episode, I read the book review I wrote about the book, " The Lean Dentist ." It is based on the lean journey of Dr. Sami Bahri, DDS, who is an experienced dentist in Jacksonville, Florida. He has been an avid learner looking for ways to improve his dental clinic, and shares his transition journey to a "one-patient flow." You might also find the book in its original title, "Follow The Learner." Links Book review: The Lean Dentist (origin blog of this podcast) Buy "The Lean Dentist" "Go S...
Dec 21, 2021•11 min•Season 1Ep. 47
In this episode, I talk about the importance of collecting data in the very beginning before you start an improvement project or initiative. The example I use is measuring how much sleep we get a night, and collecting data to see if the current performance is below a target or goal you have. It might not be as bad as you think, or maybe it's worse than you thought. Collect the data first. Links Six Sigma Analysis: Is The COVID-19 Quarantine Helping My Sleep? BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com...
Dec 11, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 46
In this episode, I talk about some other ways to identify waste and opportunity in your process and workday, specifically the tasks that you are not doing, but should be. This proactive work doesn't happen, so you often don't realize that you didn't get around to it. It later shows up as actual waste when something goes wrong or there are problems, but it's too late. Start to notice these proactive activities that you aren't doing as opportunities for improvement. Links Honda Statistical Process...
Nov 15, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 45
In this episode, I go on a little rant about books, and how I estimate there are a lot of unread books in people's homes and offices. I'm considering a challenge to get people to read some of their unread books, or get rid of them and free up space in your home. Would you be interested in this challenge? Links Book: Joy at Work by Marie Kondo and Scott Sonenshein Article: 5S and the KonMari method Training: FREE "Lean at Home" course (Home Efficiency Using Japanese Lean Productivity Techniques) ...
Sep 30, 2021•11 min•Season 1Ep. 44
I was asked a question about how to get started applying Lean and Six Sigma to a non-manufacturing business. I thought about some key questions I would want to ask, and sent them a response. I thought they were good questions, so I wanted to share them on the podcast. Links BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com Have a question? Submit a voice message at Anchor.fm...
Aug 07, 2021•10 min•Season 1Ep. 43
During a recent coaching call with a client, we discussed applicability of statistical process control (SPC) and control charts (also called process behavior charts) in their operations. I sent them a link to the Honda SPC video (older but highly recommended) and I share the comments I made to elaborate on what they saw. Links Honda Statistical Process Control video BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com Have a question? Submit a voice message at Anchor.fm...
Jul 03, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 42
After conducting a Lean 101 webinar for Lean Portland, we had some excellent questions from the attendees, so I thought I share my answers. The first question was looking for advice on how management can support their employees instead of just giving them their idea on what the answers are. The second question asked about how to deal with managers who think that no complaints means no problems. You can watch the full Lean 101 webinar in the links below. Links Lean 101 Webinar BIZ-PI.com LeanSixS...
Jun 25, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 41
After conducting a Lean 101 webinar for Lean Portland, we had some excellent questions from the attendees, so I thought I share my answers. The first question was looking for advice on how to make their forms easier and more streamlined for their customers. The second question asked about how to create psychological safety and build trust in their organization when top management doesn't seem to be driving it. You can watch the Lean 101 webinar in the links below. Links Lean 101 Webinar BIZ-PI.c...
Jun 17, 2021•5 min•Season 1Ep. 40
After conducting a Lean 101 webinar for Lean Portland, we had some excellent questions from the attendees, so I thought I share my answers. The first question was looking for more explanation about batching vs one piece flow. The second question asked about classical vs lean management methods. You can watch the Lean 101 webinar in the links below. Links Lean 101 Webinar BIZ-PI.com Creative Safety Supply (enter code "BPI" to save 10%) Have a question? Submit a voice message at Anchor.fm...
Jun 14, 2021•6 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Project charters for improvement projects do not have solutions listed. Instead, they should explain the problem, the management support for this project, the key team members, the scope, the timeline and key metrics of success. They should not have the proposed solution, as we shouldn't have that figured out yet. We still need to follow the problem solving approach. I explain my thoughts on this in more depth. Links BIZ-PI.com LeanSixSigmaDefinition.com Have a question? Submit a voice message a...
Jun 07, 2021•8 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Developed by Genichi Taguchi , the Taguchi Loss Function is a graphical representation of how an increase in variation away from the target value (even within specification limits) leads to an exponential increase in customer dissatisfaction. This is different than the traditional approach of viewing results within the specification limits as good, and results outside of the specification limits as bad. Links Taguchi Loss Function Video of Ford Transmission Study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
May 31, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 37
When describing the methodology of a kaizen or kaikaku event, I often break it up into two main types: Working session - traditional approach where 80% of the work is implemented during the 2-5 day event Planning session - process mapping approach where the team generates a 90-day action plan during the 2-5 day event I explain the differences and when to use each type, along with describing how projects and point kaizen (or kaizen blitz/burst activities) fit within these activities. Links What i...
May 19, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 36
