How Companies Win with Design Thinking, Agile, and Lean Startup
The transition from physical stores to smartphones is evolving beyond service and convenience, now emphasizing public health concerns. This shift, already noticeable in certain sectors, is expected to rapidly expand across various industries, highlighting the growing importance of digital solutions in maintaining health standards and adapting to new consumer needs.
A Plain-Language Guide to the World's Most Powerful Production System - Second Edition
Winner of a Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award, this second edition serves as a plain language guide to the lean production system, crafted by a practitioner for practitioners. It provides an insider's perspective on lean manufacturing, helping readers understand the system as a cohesive whole through the metaphor of a house of lean production. Key features include a detailed examination of Toyota’s lean manufacturing system, insights into the origins and principles of lean, and identification of its goals. The book emphasizes practical problem-solving techniques and activities that encourage involvement, such as Kaizen circles and suggestion systems. This updated edition introduces expanded information on the Lean Improvement Process, Production Physics, and Little's Law, which is essential for both manufacturing and service industries. It also covers Value Stream Thinking, which integrates processes to deliver products or services to customers, and Hoshin Planning, utilizing the Planning and Execution Tree diagram. Additionally, it explores problem-solving methods, including the "Five Why" technique. The author’s straightforward approach makes this resource accessible for operators on the floor, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of each component within the broader lean production system.
To remain competitive, leaders must engage all employees to apply lean principles effectively. Strategy deployment, known as hoshin kanri at Toyota, is a proven method for achieving this goal. In his book, Pascal Dennis details the essentials of strategy deployment, addressing two critical questions: What planning system inspires meaningful company-wide continuous improvement? How can we shift mental models that hinder a culture of continuous improvement? The narrative follows a company and its President and COO, an experienced lean leader brought in to guide Atlas. Although Atlas had implemented basic lean principles, it struggled to connect people with business processes for significant improvement. The introduction of strategy deployment provided a framework to align efforts and direct tools effectively. The book offers insights into key components of strategy deployment, including defining the company's “True North,” utilizing the PDCA cycle, achieving consensus through “catch-ball,” and embracing A3 thinking. It emphasizes that lean tools, such as value-stream maps, kaizen events, and 5S, serve as means to an end rather than goals themselves. Ultimately, it illustrates how leaders can leverage strategy deployment to unlock the full potential of Lean within their organizations.