Link to the blog post James Womack and Dan Jones are the founders of the Lean Enterprise Institute and the Lean Enterprise Academy (UK), respectively. Their book, Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, is considered by some to be the bible of Lean Manufacturing. It was initially published in 1996 based on their in-depth study of Toyota’s fabled Toyota Production System (TPS). Womack and Jones realized that every business output results from a process. Process...

Read the blog post Maybe Albert Einstein was talking about continuous improvement when he said, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Too often, we see organizations struggling to measure only those things that can be tied to a dollar amount and they, unfortunately, neglect the impact of ALL improvements. Let’s have a look at the top six ways to measure the impact of your organization’s...

Presented by Elizabeth Chase View slides and video Join us for a look at how one library’s practice of Lean introduced a city to its benefits and informed the design of the 5th largest public library in Texas, a 158,000-square-foot library (in a repurposed rocket factory). Covering everything from creating a Lean training curriculum to specific examples of applied Lean fundamentals – with a detour into Vaccine site administration – this webinar has something for everyone interested in...

Read the blog post The renowned football coach and philosopher, Vince Lombardi, once said, “Perfection is unattainable, but if we chase perfection, we catch excellence.” That’s the mindset of a Lean organization. There’s a bedrock belief that every process, investment, employee, or action should directly translate to value for the customer with no waste. That ideal is unattainable, of course, but Lean organizations try to get close to it every day, and in doing so, reach a level of success...

Register for the webinar Join Mark Graban as he hosts Elizabeth Chase to preview her webinar... April 24 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET Presented by Elizabeth Chase One City’s (and Library’s) Lean Story… AbridgedJoin us for a look at how one library’s practice of Lean introduced a city to its benefits and informed the design of the 5th largest public library in Texas, a 158,000-square-foot library (in a repurposed rocket factory).Covering everything from creating a Lean training curriculum to...

Find the blog post and the infographic Written by Danielle Yoon, read by Mark Graban. The post starts: Manufacturers of all kinds seek to achieve continuous quality improvement because it ensures the consistency of products delivered to customers and protects against the competition. It also paves the path to compliance with industry-specific standards. This is crucial in the automotive sector because defective vehicle parts may lead to expensive recalls—or worse, accidents that cost...

Welcome to the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast. Today, we're excited to host Greg Jacobson, a lean thinker, and an inspiring visionary who has made significant strides in propagating the lean approach in the healthcare sector and beyond. Learn more about KaiNexicon In this captivating dialogue, Mark Graban helps unravel the remarkable journey of Greg, highlighting his deep-rooted dedication to continuous improvement that stretches back to his early days in his mother's tuxedo...

Video, slides, and more Presented by Tracy Defoe How do you develop coaching skills in yourself and others? Why would you want to? Everyone who manages people is asked to coach. Most of us think we are good at it. If you were lucky enough to learn how to develop and coach people because you were coached well from the start of your career, you are unusual. Most of us have to learn a new, quiet way of working with people to coach and develop them. Join kata coach Tracy Defoe for her ideas...

Read the blog post We often describe Kaizen as a way of looking at the world rather than a prescription for how to achieve positive change. Kaizen thinkers seek to make small changes to operations daily in search of higher quality, more efficiency, and less waste. But because the concept of Kaizen is so philosophical, it can be a challenge for people new to the idea to understand what it means in practical terms. Related: What is Kaizen? One useful tool for training managers to adopt the...

To be presented March 21 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET This is a quick preview where host Mark Graban, a senior advisor with KaiNexus, chats with webinar presenter Tracy Defoe. Registration Link Webinar Description: How do you develop coaching skills in yourself and others? Why would you want to? Everyone who manages people is asked to coach. Most of us think we are good at it. If you were lucky enough to learn how to develop and coach people because you were coached well from the start of...

Visit the KaiNexus YouTube Channel In this episode, we hear three clips with Tory Schrock, Director of Organizational Excellence at Pella Regional Health Center. Learn more about KaiNexus

The blog post Ecologists and other environmentally aware people often talk about the goal of "Zero Waste." But, of course, that's an outstanding goal for business as well.Reducing waste is at the heart of the Lean business methodology. The purpose of Lean is to spend more of your time creating value for customers by reducing or eliminating everything that does not produce value (AKA the waste). Value can take the form of finished goods, services, or information. To make it easier to identify...

The blog post Companies dedicated to the practice of continuous improvement invest a lot of time and resources into training their employees and creating a culture centered around positive change. One way to make this easier and to smooth the path to improvement is to hire people who already have the right mindset. Bringing up continuous improvement during the initial interview and throughout the hiring process lets the applicant know how important it is to your organization, and helps you...

Read the blog post Written by Maggie Millard, read by Mark Graban Businesses use a host of methodologies to bring structure to the process of identifying and acting upon opportunities for improvement. You may be familiar with Six Sigma, Kaizen, Lean, Toyota Production System, and others. Although these methodologies differ, the foundation of each of them is the continuous improvement model. The continuous improvement model reflects the idea that organizations should constantly implement...

View video, slides, and more Operations science describes the fundamental relationships that drive operations performance. However, the concepts are not widely understood or applied properly. Join us for this webinar with Ed Pound, Managing Director of the Operations Science Institute to: Learn a fundamental, expensive problem that plagues nearly all organizations yet is widely unknown Participate in an exercise to see if this problem affects your organization Learn some basic concepts...

From this video, Jeff Roussel (chief revenue officer) and Greg Jacobson (co-founder and CEO) discuss the culture at KaiNexus. Learn more about jobs at KaiNexus In this enlightening episode of the KaiNexus Continuous Improvement Podcast, join Jeff Roussel and Greg Jacobson for a deep dive into the unique corporate ethos of Kinexis. Discover how this dynamic company has etched out its colossal success through the shared formulation and embodiment of collective core values. Rather than a...

Learn more and register here February 6 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET Presented by Ed Pound, joined by Mark Graban from KaiNexus for a preview discussion in this episode. Operations science describes the fundamental relationships that drive operations performance. However, the concepts are not widely understood or applied properly. Join us for this webinar with Ed Pound, Managing Director of the Operations Science Institute to: Learn a fundamental, expensive problem that plagues nearly all...

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9A0Zlf_048&ab_channel=KaiNexus As presented by John Grout on 1/17/24. Hosted by Mark Graban of KaiNexus. This webinar is a 60-minute primer into mistake-proofing (a.k.a. poka-yoke). Information about the basics of mistake-proofing, why people make mistakes, and how to start the process of reducing mistakes will be presented in a fast-moving and entertaining format.Objectives: Build awareness of mistake-proofing Introduce a concise...

One of the most critical concepts in Lean organizations is the idea that it is essential to eliminate waste. Why is it so central to the practice of Lean? The principles of Lean say that the ultimate goal is to provide perfect customer value. Anything that provides value to the customer is preserved. Everything else is considered waste. Some waste is inevitable due to physical constraints, regulations, or safety considerations. Still, most organizations find that they are engaged in many...

Register for the webinar here In this video, host Mark Graban from KaiNexus talks with John Grout about his upcoming webinar to be held on January 17th. This webinar is a 60-minute primer into mistake-proofing (a.k.a. poka-yoke). Information about the basics of mistake-proofing, why people make mistakes, and how to start the process of reducing mistakes will be presented in a fast-moving and entertaining format. Objectives: Build awareness of mistake-proofing Introduce a concise...

Gemba walks are an increasingly popular management technique. By visiting the place where work is done, leaders gain valuable insight into the flow of value through the organization and often uncover opportunities for improvement and learn new ways to support employees. The approach is a collaborative one, with employees providing details about what is done and why. Great results depend on thoughtful planning, execution, and follow-up. Here are the most important steps you can take to...

A high-reliability organization (HRO) is an organization that has succeeded in avoiding catastrophes despite a high level of risk and complexity. Specific examples that have been studied, most famously by researchers Karl Weick and Kathleen Sutcliffe, include nuclear power plants, air traffic control systems, and naval aircraft carriers. Recently healthcare organizations have moved to adopt the HRO mindset as well. In each case, even a minor error could have catastrophic consequences. Yet,...

Watch Mark Graban's keynote entitled "When Being Right is the Wrong Strategy for Change" from the 2018 KaiNexus User Conference to learn how you can become a better leader of continuous improvement. Slides and More: https://www.markgraban.com/kainexus2018/ Join Mark Graban, an acclaimed author and consultant, in his enlightening keynote address at the 2018 KaiNexus User Conference. In this presentation, titled "When Being Right is the Wrong Strategy for Change," Mark delves into the...

Watch video, download the PDF worksheet, and more Presented by Stephanie Hill, Senior Lean Strategist at KaiNexus Having worked as……a CI practitioner reporting to a CFO,…a consultant and coach to executives and…a Lean Strategist configuring software to meet executives’ needs,Stephanie has learned that senior leaders are the influencers of any organization - able to make or break a CI program and culture.Attendees will: Gain clarity on the need for executive buy-in and engagement. Learn...