Lessons from the Road

The More of Do More with Less [Lessons from the Road]

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 04-25-13

In the last installment of my Industry Week column, Lessons from the Road, I talked about waste elimination. In it, I also explained that the commonly used phrase “do more with less” is often perceived about being about the “less” when I believe truly lean organizations focus on the “more.”

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Eliminate Waste with Purpose [Lessons from the Road]

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 02-20-13

  My latest IndustryWeek Lessons from the Road column has been released. This month’s topic is hopefully a fresh look at an old lean topic: waste elimination. Despite the many definitions to the contrary, many of you know that my view is that lean is not “all about” waste elimination.

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Reducing Lead Time Changes Everything [Lessons from the Road]

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 12-18-12

My latest column for Industry Week, Lessons from the Road, titled Lessons from the Road: Reducing Lead Time Changes Everything has been posted. Here is the intro:   Ever hear “get it done faster”? It comes from many sources, most importantly, customers. The most time-tested — and ineffective — means

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Decisions about Making Decisions [Lessons from the Road]

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 08-20-12

My latest column for Industry Week, Lessons from the Road, titled Decisions about Making Decisions has been posted. Here is the intro:   One of the most important domains within organizations that lean too infrequently injects itself is decision-making. The who, what, when and how of decision-making is ultimately one

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Don’t Waste Your Metrics [Lessons from the Road]

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 06-26-12

My latest column for Industry Week, Lessons from the Road, titled Don’t Waste Your Metrics has been posted. Here is the intro:   Most every company has metrics permeating every meeting, discussion and decision. Metrics are as ubiquitous as email and problem solving and taken for granted to an equal level.

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Experiment Your Way to Success

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 04-24-12

My latest column for Industry Week, Lessons from the Road, titled Experiment Your Way to Success has been posted. Here is an excerpt:   The heart of most effective continuous improvement is experimentation. Experimentation is the mother of all learning methods. It drives learning throughout an organization based on what

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Securing the Elusive Lean Buy-In

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 02-16-12

My latest column for IndustryWeek, Lessons from the Road, titled Securing the Elusive Lean Buy-In has been posted. Here is an excerpt:   You have passion about making lean work in your organization. You have ideas, and you are ready to realize them. You have experience and are willing to

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Going to the Gemba

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 09-20-11

My latest column for Industry Week, Lessons from the Road, titled Going to the Gemba has been posted. Here is an excerpt: Going to the gemba has become popular for the simple reason that it is powerfully effective. But there is more to it than getting up from your desk, as

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How to Train Without Training

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 07-21-11

This post is part of my column for Industry Week called Lessons from the Road and is now available. “Just because we don’t have training dollars to invest does not mean that we can’t develop our people. People development requires momentum; if we aren’t moving forward, we’re falling behind. There

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Lessons from the Road: Sustaining Your 5S Efforts

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 05-19-11

My 2nd installment of Lessons from the Road, my new column for Industry Week is now available. This month the topic is Sustaining Your 5S Efforts. One of my early columns for Assembly Magazine titled Planning 5S? First Know Why! 5 years later, it’s still one of the most popular

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