Some good stuff scattered throughout this article.

Great visual control!

Are Kaizen events simply work-arounds?

Who would be willing to conduct an experiment like this?

Great story about the power of going to Gemba!

I like the one about problem cards

I believe that understanding and clearly articulating purpose continues to be a challenge for me and the leaders I work with. We still get caught up in the excitement of the change, the new method or the changing business conditions and it does not take us long to lose sight of what we are trying to do in the first place.

Below are the 10 main ideas Wakamatsu claims Taiichi Ohno lived by: Wastes hide, so start by disclosing all of your mistakes Discover the truth beyond your understanding Increasing production while limiting the number of workers is the only way to gain true success Act on problems right away and do not procastinate Don't feel satisfied by saying "I finished the job"; go beyond that and say "I can do more" Add "Appropriate Timing" to "Appropriate Method" in problem solving Believe in "I can" and question "I can't" The key to achieving progress is to never give up Don't do work at an average pace; the shortest way is always the easiest Change yourself first, if you want to change someone else

Some good tips for Kaizen. We'll incorporate these into our Kaizen Facilitator training.

The first building block contains vitamin C in a threefold dose: Challenge. Constantly be ready and willing to question the status quo and look for better ways. The challenge can be fomented by the envisioned ideal state and/or a specific target condition. It's about closing the gaps. Challenge should provide the "pull" dynamic for improvements. Courage. Be ever willing to test improvement ideas and learn from trial and error. This is foundational to PDCA (they don't call it "PDC"). Lean leaders must actively nurture an environment within which people fearlessly (not recklessly) apply scientific thinking and trystorming. Creativity. Trystorming without creativity is a sterile exercise. We must think and act differently - "Keep on doing what you're doing, keep on getting what you're getting." Unleash the inner MacGyver!

I wonder what it would take to segregate our inventory as Smalley does in the Toyota graphic?

So, while I strongly caution you against plugging any sort of electrical device through your map (as depicted in the picture - can you believe it?!), recognize that mapping brings power well beyond just the obvious. Yes, the maps and related improvement plans are absolutely critical, but the mapping team dynamics and learned lean thinking are, in may ways, equally powerful.

Some good advice even if we haven't been at it for years.

An interesting article on how Toyota uses inspections to build-in quality.

Interesting perspective on maps.

What failed today? Now - go fix it!

This is an intriguing thought. 5 one day kaizen events vice 1 5 day event. Goes along with out quest to "Do Kaizen first".

Good thoughts on TPM. It will be one of the 1st Kaizen exercises we do next year.

I believe this speaks to many of the issues we face: Imagine, however, an environment where each person was, somehow, physically connected to every other person in the organization. If a cable was constructed, reaching from each person outward in a web to the next person, until all were somehow connected, how would we behave? In such an environment, a hurried, frantic procurement team would be in the way of the assembly team, who would be thrown off pace by the inconsistency of the accounts payable group, who would need to be wary of the movements of the marketing group, who would be tripped up by the haphazard movements of the stock room. Everyone would suffer some physical impediment, as well as constant interruptions and irritations, straining the mental and emotional ties as well. Over time, our imaginary cable connecting everyone in the workplace would wear out, but probably not before the people in the "network" did.