I learned Lean at Danaher, and after 25 years in operations it is still the best way to run a business I have come across. Not because of the tools, but because of the kind of leadership behind them: going to where the work is done, making problems visible and involving the people closest to the work in solving them.
These five short pieces cover the tools I use most, and what they look like in practice. Click an image to open the PDF.
Hoshin Kanri
Choosing a few goals, and making sure the people who deliver them also own them.
Value Stream Mapping
Finding where the lead time actually goes, and how little of it creates value.
Gemba walk
Going to where the work is done, and seeing the problem before solving it.
Standardised work
Locking in an improvement so it does not slide back.
Obeya and visual management
Making the situation visible at a glance, from a board on the shop floor to a room where the leadership team sees goals, numbers and problems together.