Lean Roundup #52 – September, 2013

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of September, 2013.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.

Involve to Inform – Liz Guthridge says don’t just inform people involve them so you can act with purpose.

Dr. W. Edwards Deming - "People Work In The System That Management Created" – Al Norval explains a Deming insight regarding the source of many problem being from the way the work is done within the production system which management creates.

How To Build A Learn Organization – Terry Howell provides four fundamentals to build a learning organization.

SKU  Reduction - Reverting to 1913 Thinking – Bill Waddell says that the current thinking of some to reduce SKUs is not Lean but rather poor thinking of Ford.

Cracked – Bruce Hamilton explains why the only acceptable level of quality from the customer standpoint is zero defects using eggs as an example.

Lean: It's Just Like Backpacking – Dan Markovitz has noticed that building a lean organization focused on continuous improvement has many similarities with the backpacking ethos.

How Can A CIO Help A Lean Transformation? – Dan Jones answers this question by looking at the type of transformation and how IT can improve it’s processes.

IT Needs To Turn It's Purpose On It's Head – Michael Balle says that while IT role is critical in Lean transformations it needs to completely change it’s thinking.

The One Skill You Need To Solve Any Problem But Probably Aren't Using – Pete Abilla explains why exercising empathy when solving problems is important.

Technology Isn't The Answer – Dan Markovitz says don’t jump to technology before you have grasped the problem at hand.

Zlonk! More Batman Lessons On Change Management – Jamie Flinchbaugh explains why change has to be personal and how to create an environment of motivation.

The Great A3 Thinking Fallacy – Jon Miller takes a deep dive into A3 thinking to look at its origin, what it really means, and how it supports PDCA.

Rowing II – Bruce Hamilton illustrates the importance of getting everyone heading in the same direction, toward True North.

8 More Lean Concept Clarifications – Jon Miller clarifies 8 common Lea concepts and why it matters or doesn’t matter.

Seven Psychological Principles of Change: Principle Four – Karen Wilhelm explains my sweeping change won’t work but rather why small continuous improvement will.

What is Karakuri Kaizen? – Michel Baudin explains Karakuri Kaizen and it’s principles with an example.

How Do You Handle Complaints? – Dragan Bosnjak says the way a company handles complaints says a lot about their continuous improvement efforts.

The SMED-ing of Football – Joe Wilson looks for another example of SMED other than racing pit crews and finds it in football huddles.

Make The Connection – Bob Emiliani explains that “respect for people” comes from making connections to the process.

The Improvement Strategy "Trinity" – Micahel Kuta shares 3 elements necessary in becoming a Lean company.

One of The Most Overlooked Forms of Wase is the "Under-utilization" of People and Their Ability to "Think" – Tracey Richardson shares 3 areas that can help develop people.

Respect The Process – Mark Hamel says respect the process and it will respect you.

The Term "Lean Production" is 25 Years Old My Thoughts on the Original Article – Mark Graban shares his thoughts on John Krafcik’s article from 1998 introducing Lean.