The Lean Solutions Podcast

Tim Schipper, a Lean and Agile expert, delves into the captivating aspects of Lean in action, the core intersections between Lean and Agile, and how these strategies enhance development. Topics include continuous improvement, Agile methodology advantages, applying Lean/Agile to development, and measuring success in Lean and Agile methodologies.

In this episode, Calvin Williams and I delve into the essence of FIT, exploring its foundational premise and its role in guiding organizations. As our conversation unfolds, we unravel the relationship between FIT and Agile Strategy Execution, dissecting how these concepts synergize to empower organizations with the adaptability and strategic prowess needed in today's dynamic landscape. What You'll Learn: What is the premise of FIT? How does an organization become FIT? How does FIT work with Lean? What exactly is Agile Strategy Execution? What is the relationship between FIT and Agile Strategy Execution? About the Guest:  Throughout his career, he has helped generate over $2.5B in cost savings and growth opportunities for some amazing organizations. This was done by applying sound principles of Industrial Engineering, Lean, Operations Leadership, and Respect for People. He works on the cutting edge of both Operational Excellence and technology and is also a SaaS founder who understands how to apply the latest developments in tech like AI, ML, IoT, VR/AR, Cloud, and many others to accelerate growth and Operational Excellence. Links: Click here for more information on Improver University Click here to connect with Calvin Williams Click here for "FIT: The Simple Science of Achieving Strategic Goals" ⁠Click here for The Lean Solutions Summit 

John Dyer explores insights from Dr. W. Edwards Deming's 'Red Bead Experiment' and 'The Leadership Experiment.' Topics include lessons from the Red Bead Experiment, power of hands-on teaching, description of the Leadership Experiment, lessons learned, and a future Lean process improvement competition.

In this episode, Dr. Jeff Liker and I dive into the fascinating world of Kata coaching and explore the key concepts from his novel on the subject What You'll Learn: 1. What led you to write a novel with Tilo Schwarz? 2. For the listeners that do not know, what is kata coaching? 3. What did Tilo add about coaching to Mike Rother's 5 question card? 4. Why a novel about kata coaching? I understand that Tilo already published a book about the coaching microskills. 5. What would you like to hear from readers that would really excite you? About the Guest:  Jeffrey K. Liker is Professor Emeritus, Industrial and Operations Engineering at The University of Michigan and President of Liker Lean Advisors, LLC. He is author of the best-selling book, The Toyota Way, Second Edition, and has coauthored nine other books about Toyota including The Toyota Way to Service Excellence, and The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership. His graphic novel with Eduardo Lander and Tom Root tells the story of lean transformation at a mail-order company: Lean in a High-Variability Business. His articles and books have won thirteen Shingo Prizes for Research Excellence. He was inducted into the Association of Manufacturing Excellence Hall of Fame and the Shingo Academy. Links: Click here for more information on "Giving Wings to Her Team: A Novel About Learning to Coach the Toyota Kata Way" ⁠Click here to connect with Jeff on LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Click here for The Lean Solutions Summit 

In this episode, John Willis and I discuss his upcoming book as well as key moments from our recent trip to Japan. What You'll Learn: 1.) John's upcoming book about Dr. Deming. 2.) Why Deming still matters today. 3.) What Mr. Yosino. said about Mr. Nemoto. 4.) What Mr. Youshino said about Dr. Deming. 5.) What were my favorite parts of Katie's Japan Study? About the Guest:  John Willis is Senior Director of the Global Transformation Office at Red Hat Prior to Red Hat, he was the Director of Ecosystem Development for Docker, which he joined after the company he co-founded (SocketPlane, which focused on SDN for containers) was acquired by Docker in February 2015. Previous to founding SocketPlane in Fall 2014, John was the Chief DevOps Evangelist at Dell, which he joined following the Enstratius acquisition in May 2013. He has also held past executive roles at Chef and Canonical. John was one of the earliest cloud evangelists and is considered one of the founders of the Devops movement. John is the author of 7 IBM Redbooks. He is also the co-author of the “Devops Handbook” and “Beyond the Phoenix Project” along with author Gene Kim. Links: Click here for more information on Deming ⁠Click here to connect with John on LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Click here for The Lean Solutions Summit 

In this episode, Mark Graban and I discuss the value that comes from making mistakes and how learning from our mistakes is effective in lean culture. What You'll Learn: 1. What inspired you to write the book? 2. How does "learning from mistakes" fit into a Lean culture? 3. What is Psychological Safety and how can leaders create the conditions for it? 4. Examples from Toyota? A small software company like KaiNexus? 5. Why is it counterproductive to punish mistakes? About the Guest: Mark Graban is an author, speaker, and consultant, whose latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, was released in June. He is also the author of the award-winning book Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Engagement and others, including Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve. He serves as a consultant through his company, Constancy, Inc, and is also a Senior Advisor for the technology company KaiNexus. Mark hosts podcasts, including “Lean Blog Interviews” and “My Favorite Mistake.” Mark earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and an M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Leaders for Global Operations Program. Links: Click here for more information on Mark's book: The Mistakes That Make Us ⁠Click here to connect with Mark on LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Click here for The Lean Solutions Summit 

In this episode, David Larsen and I discuss respect for people, and CI in the office. What You'll Learn: 1. Share about your professional journey and background. 2. Tell me about your day job… 3. Recently you spoke at the Lean and Six Sigma World Conference in Orlando…. Why did you seek the speaking opportunity? 4. What do you think sets your work or approach apart from others in your field? 5. What brings you joy? About the Guest: David is a certified Planning and Scheduling Professional, certified Project Management Professional (PMP ®), Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, content creator, public speaker, writer, podcast guest and subject matter expert with more than 20 years of experience with projects, process improvement, data analytics, and facilitation across industries including government, manufacturing, healthcare, human resources, and finance. Links: Click here to connect with David Larsen on LinkedIn Click here for The Lean Solutions Summit

In this episode, Ovidiu Contras and I discuss tangled environments and how to work through them effectively. What You'll Learn: 1. What’s your Lean career path? 2. What’s a tangled environment? 3. What are the challenges in improving work in a tangled environment? 4. What helped in guiding teams to significantly improve work in the tangled environment? 5. VSM for non-repetitive work? How is that working? 6. Any recommendations for those wanting to try this in their business? About the Guest: Ovidiu Contras is a Lean Coach and Author. He has Authored 2 Books: Navigating the Lean Transformation and Untangling with VSM, both reflecting his own experiences. He has been involved in more than 20 years of Lean, as a continuous improvement employee. Links: Click here to connect with Ovidiu on LinkedIn Click here for The Lean Solutions Summit 

In this episode, Paul Dunlop and I discuss the value of visual management and the effectiveness of an SQCD board. What You'll Learn: 1. What is the value of visual management? 2. What is an SQCD board? 3. What are the steps to developing a good SQCD board? 4. How do we know if our SQCD board is working? 5. What challenges have you experienced in rolling out SQCD boards with your clients? About the Guest: Paul brings with him over 20 years of management and manufacturing experience in a broad range of industries. In his operational management and consultancy roles Paul has led successful Lean implementation and transformations using the principles of the Toyota Production System. Links: Click here to connect with Paul on LinkedIn Click here for The Lean Solutions Summit 

In this episode, The Lean Solutions Podcast host Patrick Adams discusses the ingredients necessary to fuel a mighty flame of continuous improvement in an organization as well as his book Avoiding The Continuous Appearance Trap, which received the Shingo publication award earlier this year. In the show notes, there is an article that Patrick wrote regarding the topics he speaks about in this episode. What You'll Learn: The Tinder Stability in processes and leadership. (You cannot improve chaos.) The vision must be clearly communicated. Standards, accountability, and expectations are clearly stated. Targets to achieve business goals are set. The Kindling Choose a high-value target area. Empower committed employees to change. Leaders enable action by removing roadblocks. Deploy structured problem solving. (Constant learning is the norm.) Generate small, simple improvements. Celebrate success on small wins. The Firewood Continuous and frequent “touches.” Hard work. Inspect what you expect. (Audit.) Sustain, replicate, and integrate the improvements. About the Speaker:  Patrick is an internationally recognized leadership coach, consultant and professional speaker. He is best known for his unique human approach to sound team building practices, creating consensus and enabling empowerment. Links: Click here for Patrick's Article Click here for The Lean Solutions Summit