"The single most important thing is to make people happy. If you are making people happy, as a side effect, they will be happy to open up their
[VIDEO] Heijunka Brings Customer Demand In Line
Heijunka is the Japanese term for leveling. It is a technique for reducing unevenness (Mura) which in turn reduces waste (Muda). It is crucial to the
[VIDEO] The Challenges of Demand Management
The function of recognizing all demands for goods and services to support the marketplace. It involves prioritizing demand when supply is lacking.
Theory of Constraints Addresses Weakest Link
The Theory of Constraints (TOC) adopts the common idiom that "a chain is no stronger than its weakest link and refers to the understanding that
PDCA Creates a Culture of Critical Thinking
PDCA is a methodology used to control and continuously improve processes and products. The roots of the philosophy can be traced back to the Tokyo
How 5S can Improve the Retail Industry
5S is a quality control technique of Lean that can improve productivity and reduce waste in a multitude of industries. The 5S technique was created in
A Brief Overview of Process Behavior Charts
Process behavior charts or control charts were invented by Walter Stewart in the 1920s. They are a great statistical tool that analyzes how a process
Mistake and Error Proofing: Poka Yoke
We have many process analysis tools in Lean, but the poka-yoke is one of the most popular ones. In any given process with human operators, mistakes
Lean Corporate Mindset: What Does It Take?
Lean Corporate Mindset: What Does It Take? So you've started to come to terms with the fact that you need to integrate lean thinking into your