blog

Why should you have a Chief Engineer? 

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 10-27-20

I’ve had conversations with numerous advisory clients this year about the role of the Chief Engineer. To be clear, I don’t generally advocate that an organization install this role. It is heralded in the lean product development community as a key aspect of such a transformation. Other than having clear

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Generating Knowledge Through Lean Product Development

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 10-20-20

Effectively and efficiently generate knowledge through lean product development. Ask someone in product development what they produce, and they will likely say specs, tests, drawings, models, and other such artifacts. But those are only artifacts. They are manifestations of what you are truly producing, which is knowledge. Knowledge of what

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Trust in Product Development

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 10-06-20

What does trust have to do with product development? I have written quite a bit about product development, and also about trust (for links, see the bottom of this article). But what do they have to do with one another other than the fact that one is important and the

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Successful Lean Steering Committees [from the archives]

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 09-30-20

Do you have a group of people leading lean? Whether formal or informal, there is often such as group particularly early in the lean journey (meaning the first several years). I get a lot of questions by email, some by clients and others by readers. Many are two specific to

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The Invincible Company

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 09-29-20

I recently read The Invincible Company, the latest in a series that began as Business Model Generation. This very much depends on that first book. But if you’re currently rethinking your strategy and business model, then this book might be for you. The Invincible Company: https://amzn.to/3kIX2xt Business Model Generation: https://amzn.to/3mHjOaY

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Is the Right Attitude Enough?

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 09-23-20

Robert Fritz is the person who best articulated the concept of creative tension which I brought into the lean community as a perspective that in many ways personifies the lean thinking process. Because the book that exposed this concept to the majority of people is The Fifth Discipline by Peter

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What Job Does Your Product Do?

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 09-16-20

Especially now, if your company has been disrupted by the pandemic, or you’re looking for new strategies to grow into the situation, people are thinking about new products, services, and value propositions.  Most companies think about what they already have, what they are already doing, and just focus on better

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The Board of Directors’ Role in the 2020 Crises

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 09-09-20

2020 has been a year to stress-test people, governments, and companies. On August 19th, 2019, the Business Roundtable shocked many with a statement that the purpose of business was not just to make money for shareholders, but all stakeholders have interests that mattered: “The CEOs of Business Roundtable adopted a

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Solving Complex Problems: Systems First, or Individual First?

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 08-31-20

Some problems in your organization permeate so thoroughly that you don’t know where to start. The problem statement usually starts with something quite broad, and of course, must be broken down to be solved. However, some of these large and complex problems are so invasive that the perspective we start

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Do You Delay, Adjust, or Redesign?

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 08-27-20

The COVID pandemic has delayed and deferred many important activities from projects to learning to networking. Many companies and individuals are facing decisions about what to do with those important but on-hold items. In this video, I provide a framework for sorting through options and making decisions, with the criteria

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