Meet-up: 5 Questions from Within the Lean Community With Jamie Flinchbaugh

In May 2024 A Lean Journey Blog turned 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who influenced my journey I wanted to revisit a previous series I started in 2012 called the Meet-up. One of the things I am so fond of in the Lean community is the general wiliness to share with each other.  I have learned so much from my very experienced colleagues since I have been an active contributor.  Every month I roundup the best Lean related posts and articles I found particularly valuable from these fellow bloggers and contributors. Each one has their own story and opinions to share.

The goal of Meet-up is provide you an opportunity to meet some influential voices in the Lean community.  I will ask these authors a series of questions to learn about them, their lessons, and get their perspective on trends in industry.

Today, we Meet-up with Jamie Flinchbaugh who I met through online blogging community when I started 15 years ago. I read Jamie’s fist book “The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean: Lessons from the Road” which gave great insights into my journey. We’ve met a number of times over the years at various conferences and have kept is touch on various thought projects over the years as he is always trying to learn and engage others. I think you’ll find his insight valuable.

Here are his answers so you can learn more: 

1. Who are you, what organization are you with, and what are your current lean-oriented activities?

I am Jamie Flinchbaugh. I act as an advisor to executives across a wide-range of roles and industries through my company JFlinch. My engagements are called ACT with Purpose, where ACT is an integration of Advising, Coaching, and Thought-Partner. The majority of time lean is not the topic, but the how, where I help people think through the biggest decisions and problems leveraging lean thinking. A significant portion of my clients are change agents, often responsible for driving lean across the organization, in which case lean is very much the topic. For many years I’ve produced practical video courses specifically for the needs of my clients, ranging from problem solving to culture change to management systems, and I’ve recently made those available to any company via the Learning Lab product. And along that journey I also wrote a book and started a podcast, both called People Solve Problems.

2. How, when, and why did you get introduced to lean and what fueled and fuels the passion?

The seed that got me going was a project I did where I (a) saw tremendous waste that I was essentially solving for and (b) experienced how many unchecked assumptions still exist in work. I described that experience in this video, but it helped make me more curious very early on about how we can improve. As far as a true introduction to lean, that happened not much later at Harley-Davidson where I helped install and improve one of the first large-scale pull systems in the US. I learned a lot about how much behaviors matter when designing and executing a system, and that shaped my thinking for the rest of my lean journey. I described that experience in a chapter I contributed to the book Practicing Lean. 

My passion is all about people, but perhaps in two different but specific ways. First, giving leaders who truly want to build a powerful and resilient organization a direction and a means to get there. Second, in building those organizations, unleashing the power of every person, every day being to make improvements and solve problems. There is so much untapped knowledge, creativity, and just plain energy out there. 

3. In your opinion what is the most powerful aspect of lean?

First, I think it’s the very idea of not being a victim. You don’t just wait for the tide to turn, you solve the problem in front of you, no matter how hard or how new. Tsunami wipes out your supply chain? Go solve that problem. Economy tanks? Go solve that problem. 

Second, I think that it’s not just asking people to be more engaged but creating space to do that. By that I mean that 80% of lean methods and tools are meant to simplify decision making, reduce drama, reduce friction, etc. Why that has it’s own benefits, one of the primary reasons is that now we have more capacity of energy and mindshare to use the rest of lean thinking to go do hard stuff. 

4. In your opinion what is the most misunderstood or unrecognized aspect of lean?

Perhaps the most misunderstood aspect is that there is one and only one way to do it. You must instead walk the tightrope by maintaining the true intent and first principles of lean, with experimenting and adopting new approaches and thinking. Just adding new tools is wrong, if they aren’t consistent with the central ideas of lean. But maintaining those ideas but not letting anything touch them or never considering new approaches is also wrong. There’s a balance, and we’re meant to stay uncomfortable as we explore that tension. That’s where the learning and growth is found. 

5. In your opinion what is the biggest opportunity for lean in today's world? How can that be accomplished?

It’s the same opportunity that existed when I started over 30 years ago: how do we make it more accessible for people to get engaged and start their journey, without oversimplying it and throwing out the messy nuance and complexity where some of the magic is found. I remember a conversation with someone who believe, way back when, that the book The Machine That Changed the World was just Japanese propaganda designed to help American companies destroy themselves. Today, while there are fewer people that resist engagement, some of the barriers to engagement are just as baffling and massive. 

Through their answers to these questions hopefully you will get a sense of the thinking behind those who are shaping the Lean landscape.  I continue to keep learning and thankfully with the willingness of these practitioners to share I am positive you will, too.

Lean Tips Edition #303 (#3571 - #3585)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #3571 - Establish Trust and Autonomy 

When you trust your team to fulfill their responsibilities, they’re more likely to be motivated. One way to establish trust is to give them the autonomy to experiment and pursue ideas without constant supervision. This autonomy encourages creativity and indicates you trust them to produce unique and effective solutions. 

Trust that you hired the right people with the necessary experience to make strong decisions. Employees might make mistakes, but that creates learning opportunities that can lead to future success.

Lean Tip #3572 - Give Employees Opportunities to Lead 

Leadership opportunities give employees additional responsibilities that can motivate them to work at a higher standard. Provide these opportunities by changing who leads project teams or rotating who leads weekly training on new skills or concepts. Paying for an employee to earn industry licensure or certifications is another option.

Lean Tip #3573 - Improve Work Processes 

Involving employees in workflow design is a great motivator. It demonstrates that they matter and empowers them to improve their daily work. Improving the workflow can also free employees up for more interesting, higher-value tasks.

To achieve this, get feedback from employees on all aspects of the workflow. Find areas you can improve upon based on that feedback and your observations. As you make changes, monitor the effectiveness and make adjustments as needed.

Lean Tip #3574 - Inspire Creative Thinking 

Just because you’ve been doing a task one way for your entire career does not mean that’s the best way to accomplish it. There are always problems to be solved and better ways to do things, so use the minds around you and encourage your employees to share creative business solutions.

Not only will putting the challenge in the hands of your employees save you some headaches, but it’s also likely that you’ll come out with a better result. Clarify the ends instead of the means, and let your staff go about projects in their own way. They might not accomplish everything exactly as you would have, but they will get the job done with their own flair.

Lean Tip #3575 - Practice Forgiveness for their Mistakes.

If you get angry whenever an employee makes a mistake, they will play it safe and not take any steps toward growth. This hurts not just the employee, but also the organization. The purpose of employee empowerment is to allow staff members to feel confident and courageous enough to take risks and make their own decisions, even if not everything goes as planned.

Lean Tip #3576 – Embrace Company-Wide Accountability Practices

When you and other leaders acknowledge your mistakes as well as successes, employees see you as credible and will follow your lead. You can encourage honest dialogue and foster accountability by building in processes that become part of the culture, such as an evaluation of every project (positives, negatives, things to change) or a status report and next steps in each meeting agenda (tracking deadlines and milestones). 

This approach also supports a culture of continuous learning and helps team members see that you understand mistakes will be made, but want to support learning from them. In this way, you build trust because employees will be less fearful of making mistakes, which is important not only for trust but for innovation.

Lean Tip #3577 – Solicit Feedback and Take Action on Suggestions

We’ve all been here before – we took time to complete an employee engagement survey and then never heard about the results or saw any changes from leadership. Leaders need to counter this trap by listening actively with a bias for action. After a company-wide survey, share what you’ve learned and what you hope to improve.

After asking your team members, “what’s on your mind” or “what could we be doing better?,” share what you might be able to act on and keep employees updated on progress. It’s not always practical to respond immediately, but make a point to respond in some way after the feedback is gathered. When you do so, make sure to share an appreciation for their thoughts and help employees understand why you are taking certain actions, or conversely, why you may not be able to implement their approach or make the change at the moment.

Lean Tip #3578 – Listen More Intently and Deliberately

One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is they tend to talk too much, thinking they need to constantly be the one in charge and directing what’s discussed.

The reality is that the more time you spend listening, the better you’ll do in learning important information that improves the business – and builds the trust of your team. Employees crave a leader who cares about what they have to say. 

Along with becoming a better listener is allowing for moments of silence, as those moments inevitably invite in more conversation. Sometimes people view silence as empty space that needs to be filled, but when leaders learn to accept it – and work with it – they allow opportunities for others to speak and be heard. The result is often an unexpected and enlightening connection and a wealth of information.

Lean Tip #3579 – Empower Through Choices

To the extent possible, give your employees autonomy to make meaningful choices throughout the day. Micromanagement can make employees feel like you don't trust them to make decisions on their own.

Over time, it can wear employees down, damage workplace relationships, and even promote a toxic work culture that ultimately hurts everyone. Remember, trust goes both ways. You need to give it to earn it.

When you trust your employees to make decisions for themselves, you show trust and empower them to take initiative.

Trusting the decision-making capabilities of your team encourages them to make independent decisions that represent the best interests of themselves and the company.

To encourage autonomy, establish clear boundaries and expectations for your team. Ensure that all team members understand their roles and responsibilities and have well-defined production goals.

Then, let them approach their work in their own way. Avoid hovering, but let your team members know that you're available for support. This means letting them come to you if they encounter problems or questions during the day.

Not only does this demonstrate trust in your team, but it also frees you from needing to provide constant supervision. Further, when team members have flexibility in their days, they have room to innovate.

They may find creative solutions to problems, improve workflows, and develop new approaches to tasks that benefit the whole team.

Lean Tip #3580 – Provide Opportunities to Connect

It takes time to develop trust between team members. For this reason, leaders can encourage their employees to build relationships by providing time to connect.

Having time to get to know other people in the workplace is especially important for encouraging trust in cross-functional teams.

While members of the same department may interact with each other daily, it can be harder to find ways for members of multidisciplinary teams to meet and interact outside of their essential duties.

Incorporating team-building exercises and events into your organization allows people to come together.

Team-building activities can include icebreakers and games that let employees get to know each other while working together to solve puzzles and overcome challenges.

Not only are team-building activities fun way to break up a monotonous work week, but they're a great opportunity for your team to build collaboration and problem-solving skills that they'll apply to their roles.

Lean Tip #3581 – Use Peer Mentorship and Coaching

Developing a peer mentorship program is a great way to help the members of your team build relationships, especially if you frequently have a mix of new and established professionals in your organization.

With this strategy, you assign an established member of the team to serve as a mentor for a new employee.

Mentors can act as friendly faces and accessible contact points to assist their mentees during the first few weeks of employment.

This can ease the new hire's transition and start them off with a meaningful relationship with someone on the team.

Lean Tip #3582 – Help Your Team

Helping your teammates is way a build trust. If a coworker has taken on a lot of projects and you notice they're having a hard time keeping up, offer to help. Ask if there is anything you can do that can make things a little easier.

Helping also spans into courtesy, so hold doors open for your coworkers, offer to carry file boxes or help them navigate a new computer program that they find confusing. When you're kind, you're letting your coworkers know they can trust you.

Lean Tip #3583 – Operate With Values

As long as you continue to operate with workplace values, you should be able to build trust easily. Having integrity requires you to be honest, behave honorably and treat others with respect. Don't sacrifice your values and what you believe just to appease a manager or try to get ahead. Your coworkers might see the integrity, honesty and hard work you bring to the team and they trust that it's real.

Lean Tip #3584 – See the Value in Each Team Member 

Everyone in your workplace is there for a reason, whether it's their experience, knowledge or how willing they are to learn and grow within a role. It's important to celebrate the uniqueness they bring to the organization. When you can acknowledge their personal value, you're letting them know that you see their hard work and place great emphasis on what they contribute to the group.

To show them you see their value, consider approaching them for expert guidance if you need help on a task. Thank them for taking the time to explain something to you and offer to help them in return.

Lean Tip #3585 – Follow Through on Promises

An easy way to build trust is by following through on doing what you say you intend to do. If someone is relying on you to perform a task or finish a project, you could break their trust by not completing what you should. If you know you can't do something because you either lack the know-how or time, be honest and upfront with your teammate so you don't end up over-promising and under-delivering.

Lean Quote: To Improve is to Change, To be Perfect is to Change Often

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often."   —  Winston Churchill

People commonly resist change for a variety of reasons.  Although you intend for the change to result in a positive outcome, change is often viewed as negative.  Before you can overcome the resistance it is wise to be aware of why the resistance exists. Usually, it is a result of one of the following causes…

People not agreeing with or understanding the value / benefits of the innovation.

Fear of the unknown.

People have had no opportunity to provide input in the planning or implementation of the change.

Little or no reward / benefits to the people impacted by the idea.

Increased effort from people required as a result of implementing the idea.

Fear that the change will result in job cuts.

Personality clashes between the people affected by the idea and the ideas inventor.

No trust of the people who have been mandated to implement the change

Belief that the change is unnecessary or will make the situation worse

A belief that the idea is inferior to another idea.

A feeling that the change will result in a loss of security, status, money or friends.

Bad experiences from similar changes that had been or been attempted to be implemented in the past.

Being aware of the causes mentioned above and being able to specifically identify which ones may be relevant to our particular business greatly increases your chances of overcoming the resistance to change.

Dr. John Kotter, Harvard professor, author, and leadership consultant, shares that as leaders we must motivate our teams by communicating our strategy and vision for all changes, and he provides an 8-step process for implementing change:

1.Create a sense of urgency

Present an opportunity that helps the team see the need for change

2.Build a guiding coalition

Get a group of diverse, early adopters that will help communicate and guide the change

3.Form a strategic vision and initiatives

Provide a visual of what the change will look like and the direction you’re headed

4.Enlist volunteers

Continually obtain buy-in to keep the momentum and purpose moving forward

5.Enable action by removing barriers

Keep apprised of the challenges being faced and ensure strong communication and new processes are in place

6.Generate short-term wins

Reward and recognize successes as they occur

7.Sustain acceleration

Use the successes as a springboard to continually move forward

8.Institute change

Share how the changes, processes, and initiatives contribute to the organization’s overall success

It’s up to us as leaders to minimize the fear of change by communicating the value of each change, ultimately reducing resistance and obtaining success.

Lean Roundup #182 – July 2024

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of July 2024.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

 

Why Do You Manage the Way Others Manage? – Bob Emiliani discusses the failed leadership methods of others and shares an alternative way to be a better leader.

 

A Company’s Continuous Improvement Journey – John Knotts proposes a continuous improvement journey based on changing your culture not treating it like a series of projects which is never successful.

 

Design Your Organization to Serve Customers Well – John Hunter goes back in the archives to  discuss the value of talking to those in your organization that take what you produce (a product or service) and use that in their work as your organization continues to work to deliver to the “end users” (final customers).

 

Aikido & Lean – It’s All the Same – Pascal Dennis describes the underlying unity in martial arts and management.

 

Is Your Problem Technical or Adaptive? – Mark Rosenthal talks about the difference between technical solutions and adaptive solutions to problem solving.

 

Improve Design Team Collaboration: A Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up an Obeya Room - John Drogosz explains how to set up a successful obeya room and watch your team collaboration soar.

 

Essential Operational Excellence Leadership Behaviors – Maggie Millard shares ten proven leadership behaviors help organizations achieve operational excellence from Shingo Prize Model.

 

The Anti-Lean Movement – Bob Emiliani explains from decades of experience the degree to which CEOs and others high in status are against Lean management and what animates their hostility towards it.

 

Throwback Thursday: Engaging Staff as Problem Solvers Leads to Continuous Improvement at Allina Health – Mark Graban revisits an article about engaging staff as problem solvers through the implementation of the Kaizen methodology.

Beware Prizes, Belts & Self-appointed Experts – Pascal Dennis says plenty of organizations have committed themselves to achieving some prize and some are worth pursuing but he best ones recognize that the prize or certificate is nothing more than a kick-start, a proxy for the hard work of building a management system & getting results based on feedback from the customer.

From Football to Your Workplace: Why a Lone Wolf Can’t Transform An Organization – Mark Graban says transforming an organization, whether an NFL team, a hospital, or a manufacturing plant, requires more than just hiring a great player it demands a commitment to leadership, culture change, and continuous improvement.

Meet-up: 5 Questions from Within the Lean Community With Paul Critchley

In May 2024 A Lean Journey Blog turned 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who influenced my journey I wanted to revisit a previous series I started in 2012 called the Meet-up. One of the things I am so fond of in the Lean community is the general wiliness to share with each other.  I have learned so much from my very experienced colleagues since I have been an active contributor.  Every month I roundup the best Lean related posts and articles I found particularly valuable from these fellow bloggers and contributors. Each one has their own story and opinions to share.

The goal of Meet-up is provide you an opportunity to meet some influential voices in the Lean community.  I will ask these authors a series of questions to learn about them, their lessons, and get their perspective on trends in industry.

In today's edition, we are going to meet-up with Paul Critchley. I met Paul through the Northeast Region of the Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME). I used to serve on the BOD for many years. Any way AME offers great networking opportunities for Lean practitioners. Over the years Paul and I've kept in touch and even collaborated a couple of projects together. 

Here are his answers so you can learn more:

1. Who are you, what organization are you with, and what are your current lean-oriented activities?

I'm Paul Critchley, and I'm currently the President of New England Lean Consulting. After 20 years in industry (mostly as an ME Manager or Ops Manager, I started NELC in 2012 with the goal of helping small-to-medium sized companies embrace Lean principles. I figured that there were plenty of places that wanted & needed Lean, but couldn't figure out where to start, nor could they afford to hire someone full time to do it.

2. How, when, and why did you get introduced to lean and what fueled and fuels the passion?

I got introduced to Lean in 1999 when I took a Project Engineer role in South Carolina when my employer had won some work from Toyota. It's safe to say that we got a "crash course" in TPS back then, and I was hooked immediately. It was so far removed from what I'd learned in college, and from how we had been operating, that it really caught my attention. Been practicing Lean ever since!

3. In your opinion what is the most powerful aspect of lean?

In my opinion, it's Respect for People. Gallup polls routinely show that 67% of workers are not engaged with their work/employer. It's awfully hard, if not impossible, to get folks excited about changing things when they've already decided that they don't like the place or their manager(s). We have to make caring for our associates’ job #1. When we do that right, the rest will come.

4. In your opinion what is the most misunderstood or unrecognized aspect of lean?

For those who follow me, they'll know that my biggest pet peeve is this misnomer that Lean fails at extraordinarily high rates. I've read articles that state 70% all the way up to 99%, and it's all B-O-L-O-G-N-A. Those numbers are misquoted often from a survey that's almost 20 years old now, and included about 400 anonymous respondents, so right out of the gate I'd say that the data is 1. old and 2. not statistically significant. Likewise, the question that was asked was (and I'm paraphrasing) was: "Did you get everything out of your Lean event/transformation that you'd wanted?" We rarely get everything that we want, and respondents agree, but that doesn't then equate to "failure". I'd say it more aptly implies that "we're not done yet" or "we're still learning". As a Lean community, we need to stop proliferating this misnomer. If people who are new to Lean hear this enough, it may cause them to not attempt Lean in the first place, and that's far more dangerous than trying and failing.

5. In your opinion what is the biggest opportunity for lean in today's world? How can that be accomplished?

In my opinion, the biggest advantage Lean provides is that it focuses us on long(er) term goals. I've seen first-hand the damage short-term thinking has on an organization, and it's detrimental. As long as we continue to reward that behavior, then I don't believe that we'll be successful. We'll continue to have turnover, continue to struggle with adaptation and growth, and we won't see the successes we desperately wish for.

If we focus on those internal things (caring for one another, helping each other, learning, growing, challenging), the external things (Cost, Quality, OTD, etc.) will come. We've shifted our focus from managing causes to managing effects, and it's not going to yield what we want it to in the long term.

Through their answers to these questions hopefully you will get a sense of the thinking behind those who are shaping the Lean landscape.  I continue to keep learning and thankfully with the willingness of these practitioners to share I am positive you will, too.

Lean Quote: Extraordinary Leaders Inspire and Influence

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determinations."   —  John Seaman Garns

To successfully lead requires a mix of innate and learned abilities that culminate in the ability to adjust in any setting. Given the complexities of a global economy and challenges we've never seen before, succeeding requires extraordinary leaders with an adaptive, inclusive approach. 

Tried and true ways won't cut it and today's business landscape demands a new crop of leaders to flex differently to be successful, otherwise they'll find themselves in the just awful category.

In my experience, extraordinary leaders create an environment where employees are energized to go above and beyond their normal jobs. They have a compelling vision and are able to inspire and influence others. They are also able to:

Model the way: Set the example, challenge the process, enable their followers, and encourage the heart.

Understand the humanity of their employees and customers: Make people of all levels feel seen and heard.

Communicate clearly: Clarity is an essential trait of an extraordinary leader.

Create small wins: Set smaller, more achievable goals and remind and reward the team members when they hit those goals.

Stay curious and open-minded: A leader who is genuinely interested in what others think makes sure everyone is heard from.

Prioritize trust: employees need to trust their leaders.

So set your sights and visualize the leader you want to become and most importantly, live by the six rules above -- don't settle for good, go for extraordinary.

10 Principles of Kaizen to Maximize Productivity

An essential element in Lean thinking is Kaizen. Kaizen is the Japanese name for continuous improvement. While Kaizen is really about improvement involving everyone everyday it is often associated with a structured event. It is the technique that improves quality, productivity, safety, and workplace culture. Kaizen focuses on applying small, daily changes that result in major improvements over time. They are essential to get cross-functional and multi-level teams involved in a Lean transformation.  In that respect, kaizen events have a dual role – to make improvements but also to teach and communicate.

Based on my experiences, here are ten principles for optimizing processes and implementing kaizen to maximize productivity within your continuous improvement efforts:

Principle 1. Improve Everything Continuously

This is the core tenet of the Kaizen method. With their commitment to improving everything continuously, adopters of the Kaizen method question the best practices of their organization to uncover areas for potential improvement. The improvement never ends. After improving one element, others can become not compatible or induce defects. Create a list of elements that require improvement and improve them one by one.

Principle 2. Say No to Status Quo

Old managers teach: if something works, don't touch it. In Kaizen we assume that everything can work better. There is no place for methods that cannot be changed. Every aspect of every process can be a subject of improving actions.

Principle 3. Aim for Small Improvements Rather Than Perfection

As the saying goes Rome was not built in a day, neither is performance excellence. By improving the way small tasks are regularly performed, you will yield greater results rather than attempting to perfect the workings of a whole department at once. Aim for small, continuous changes, and results will come slowly, but steadily.

Principle 4. Empower Every Team Member to Provide Solutions to Problems

Not only does giving everyone a say provide them with a sense of belongingness, but it also provides the organization with fresh ideas and innovative concepts by which certain issues may be avoided altogether.

Principle 5. Use Creativity Before Capital

Save money through small improvements and spend the saved money on further improvements. In western culture changes have to be substantial in order to be visible. In eastern culture changes sometimes are substantial. But in most cases, those are small improvements that lead to small savings. But after many small improvements you'll earn a considerable sum of money.

Principle 6. Tacit Learning, Learn by Taking Action

Kaizen promotes the philosophy of action, learning through experience and reduces procrastination. In Japan, professionals associate another term with Kaizen: 'genchi genbutsu'. This literally means 'real location, real thing'. This common saying encompasses the same core meaning: taking action, experiencing the real thing and not just the theory, is what leads to development.

Principle 7. If Something is Wrong, Fix It

Mistakes are human. It is natural and acceptable to make them. What is unacceptable is to attempt to finish a task without rectifying the error. Own up to the mistake if you are held accountable, correct it, and attempt to find a solution to avoid the same mistake later on.

Principle 8. Use Data Over Opinions

Using data to influence your decision-making process is a powerful way to reduce errors and constantly improve. Data provides us with information that is backed with proof, while opinions reflect a person’s or group’s beliefs. Establishing metrics before you action any changes enables you to define success and failure and to act accordingly. Using data can help to eliminate the risk of human bias and assumptions, creating an efficient and goal-oriented decision-making process. Companies that invest in, gather, collate and interpret data prior to decision-making will have an edge over others who are solely experience or opinion-driven.

Principle 9. Ask Why to Get to Root Cause

Due to the lack of time and the pressure to meet deadlines, we often overlook the root cause of errors, which leads to the repetition of the same mistakes. Always encourage your staff to get to the root cause of problems. Use a 5-Whys Analysis and keep asking “why” until you get to the root cause of the problem. Share the possible solutions so that everyone in the team can benefit from the findings.

Principle 10. Improvement has No limits. Never Stop Trying to Improve.

Never say to your employees: ok, we've done it, now we can do it another ten years without any changes. There is entropy in each process. Customers’ needs change constantly. New technologies are being implemented. Your competitors still try to make better product. The improvement program is a never-ending story.

The initial benefits that are implemented will lead to further improvement opportunities down the road. When done properly, Kaizen just keeps going through the cycle of identifying improvement opportunities, coming up with solutions to those opportunities, implementing the solutions and finally testing them. If the solutions are positive, the cycle starts over with new improvement opportunities. This will continue forever, leading to an optimized facility that is never satisfied with the status quo.