Guide
Practical Lean guide
27 of 40 articles
The manual says A, the plant does B. Who is right?
In almost every company there is a gap between the documented process and the lived process. Whoever ignores it digitises the wrong thing. Whoever takes it seriously often finds the best process in everyday work.
Why change gets stuck in middle management
The executive board has decided, the line is waiting, and in between sits the level that is supposed to carry everything and gets the least for it. Why that is and how to turn the middle into the engine.
Ten projects at once is not a strategy
When everything runs at once, nothing gets finished. I show how to sort projects honestly, cut visibly and still keep the people who got involved.
When your lean manager resigns, more than one person leaves
The lean manager resigns, and suddenly the plant realises that everything depended on him. How to move knowledge from heads into structures before it is too late.
When the team pushes back, it is usually right
Whoever fights resistance loses the people they need. Whoever reads it finds the flaw in the initiative. A practical guide for plant managers and department heads.
The poster on the line has never improved a process
The standard hangs laminated on the machine, the work is done differently. I explain why standards die, what boards can and cannot do, and how to build standards that last.
Fifteen minutes in the morning that save the whole day
Many boards are up, few have an effect. The difference lies in the format, not the board. How to build a daily meeting that makes deviations visible and forces actions.
Changeover time starts long before the first move
The machine is stopped, the setter is looking for the tool, the drawing is missing, the crane is busy. Changeover time is rarely lost at the machine. It is lost beforehand. Here is how to find those losses.
How mature is your plant really? An honest self-test
Every plant manager has a picture of how good their plant is. It is rarely accurate. A maturity check replaces gut feeling with a shared, verifiable assessment of where you stand.