Kaizen event effectiveness is a prerequisite for lean transformation success. It provides the necessary transformational jump-start, momentum, organizational learning and engagement, and sustainable, step-function improvements. The systemic use of kaizen events establishes the technical and cultural foundation for principle-driven kaizen -- the powerful combination of kaizen events and daily kaizen activities. The Kaizen Event Fieldbook brings this all together as an indispensable reference for lean leaders and implementers within any industry and for use at any stage within the lean implementation journey. One of lean's defining characteristics is learning by seeing, doing, and studying. In context with lean theory and lean leadership principles, readers will gain an understanding of the essential "whys" and "hows" of kaizen event standard work and event management, as well as a proven means to sustain the gains. The Fieldbook's multi-phase approach addresses strategy, pre-event planning, execution, and follow-through. Practical examples, over a hundred figures and tables, and many real-life "Gemba Tales" provide for an enriched learning experience. Also included is a chapter on the deployment of a kaizen promotion office, a glossary, and two appendices, which offer blank forms and an overview of daily kaizen.

While there are numerous Lean Certification programs, most companies have their own certification paths whereby they bestow expert status upon employees after they have participated in or led a certain number of kaizen events. Arguing that the number of kaizen events should not determine a person's expert status, The Lean Practitioner's Field Book: Proven, Practical, Profitable and Powerful Techniques for Making Lean Really Work outlines a true learning path for anyone seeking to understand essential Lean principles. The book includes a plethora of examples drawn from the personal experiences of its many well-respected and award-winning contributors. These experts break down Lean concepts to their simplest terms to make everything as clear as possible for Lean practitioners. A refresher for some at times, the text provides thought-provoking questions with examples that will stimulate learning opportunities. Introducing the Lean Practitioner concept, the book details the five distinct Lean Practitioner levels and includes quizzes and criteria for each level. It highlights the differences between the kaizen event approach and the Lean system level approach as well as the difference between station balancing and baton zone. This book takes readers on a journey that begins with an overview of Lean principles and culminates with readers developing professionally through the practice of self-reliance. Providing you with the tools to implement Lean tools in your organization, the book includes discussions and examples that demonstrate how to transition from traditional accounting methods to a Lean accounting system. The book outlines an integrated, structured approach identified by the acronym BASICS (baseline, analyze, suggest solutions, implement, check, and sustain), which is combined with a proven business strategy to help ensure a successful and sustainable transformation of your organization.

Kaizen Events are an effective way to train organizations to break unproductive habits and adopt a continuous improvement philosophy while, at the same time, achieve breakthrough performance-level results. Through Kaizen Events, cross-functional teams learn how to make improvements in a methodological way. They learn how to quickly study a process,

Most business readers have heard of the Lean principles developed for factories—a set of tools and ideas that have enabled companies to dramatically boost quality by reducing waste and errors—producing more while using less. Yet until now, few have recognized how relevant these powerful ideas are to individuals and their daily work. Every person at a desk, drafting table, workstation, or operating table must (like a factory) deal with the challenge of reducing the waste that creeps into their work. The same Lean principles that have improved efficiencies on the factory floor can be just as powerful—in fact, far more so—in helping individuals boost personal performance. Winner of a 2013 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award! A Factory of One: Applying Lean Principles to Banish Waste and Improve Your Personal Performance describes how you can foster a new mindset and improve your performance by applying Lean methods to your work. It translates powerful Lean tools such as visual management, flow, pull, 5S, and kaizen to your daily work, revealing how they can help to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and link you ever more closely to customer value. This practice will help you develop better self-awareness, more disciplined problem-solving skills, and the ability to self-correct errors. This book not only provides the tools, but also teaches you how to find the root causes underlying your inefficiencies so you can eliminate them permanently. It will enable you to immediately improve personal productivity while developing the skills needed for continuous improvement. It includes real-world examples that illustrate how these principles have been successfully applied across a range of industries. Providing the perfect mix of what-to-do with why-to-do it, the text details a step-by-step approach to applying Lean principles to your work. Listen to what Daniel Markovitz has to say about his new book, A Factory of One. Part One — Part Two View the book's website at www.afactoryofone.com. View the author’s website at www.timebackmanagement.com.

The Practical, How-to Guide to Succeeding with Kaizen Programs and Events Today manufacturers need kaizen’s continuous productivity improvement and waste reduction techniques more than ever. Kaizen and Kaizen Event Implementation provides specific, detailed solutions that have proven successful in real manufacturing environments. Ortiz, author of the best-selling Lessons from a Lean Consultant, covers every element of a successful kaizen program and offers techniques for implementing several key kaizen events. Drawing on his unsurpassed, in-the-trenches experience, he shares powerful insights into changing cultures, gaining management buy-in, training, reporting, follow-up, and much more. Whether you’re a plant manager, director, engineer, or quality specialist, this book will help you make kaizen work. Avoid common implementation mistakes Find the right champion and establish an effective steering committee Create timelines, select teams and leaders, and define objectives Use kaizen events to implement 5S, standard work, Kanban, and new line designs Includes a chapter-length case study from a real manufacturing firm

The Toyota Way Fieldbook is a companion to the international bestseller The Toyota Way. The Toyota Way Fieldbook builds on the philosophical aspects of Toyota's operating systems by detailing the concepts and providing practical examples for application that leaders need to bring Toyota's success-proven practices to life in any organization. The Toyota Way Fieldbook will help other companies learn from Toyota and develop systems that fit their unique cultures. The book begins with a review of the principles of the Toyota Way through the 4Ps model-Philosophy, Processes, People and Partners, and Problem Solving. Readers looking to learn from Toyota's lean systems will be provided with the inside knowledge they need to Define the companies purpose and develop a long-term philosophy Create value streams with connected flow, standardized work, and level production Build a culture to stop and fix problems Develop leaders who promote and support the system Find and develop exceptional people and partners Learn the meaning of true root cause problem solving Lead the change process and transform the total enterprise The depth of detail provided draws on the authors combined experience of coaching and supporting companies in lean transformation. Toyota experts at the Georgetown, Kentucky plant, formally trained David Meier in TPS. Combined with Jeff Liker's extensive study of Toyota and his insightful knowledge the authors have developed unique models and ideas to explain the true philosophies and principles of the Toyota Production System.

Lean transformations are decidedly more challenging when the math is inconsistent with lean principles, misapplied, or just plain wrong. Math should never get in the way of a lean transformation, but instead should facilitate it. Lean Math is the indispensable reference for this very purpose. A single, comprehensive source, the book presents standard and specialized approaches to tackling the math required of lean and six sigma practitioners across all industries—seasoned and newly minted practitioners alike. Lean Math features more than 160 thoughtfully organized entries. Ten chapters cover system-oriented math, time, the “-ilities” (availability, repeatability, stability, etc.), work, inventory, performance metrics, basic math and hypothesis testing, measurement, experimentation, and more. Two appendices cover standard work for analyzing data and understanding and dealing with variation. Practitioners will quickly locate the precise entry(ies) that is relevant to the problem or continuous improvement opportunity at hand. Each entry not only provides background on the related lean principles, formulas, examples, figures, and tables, but also tips, cautions, cross-references to other associated entries, and the occasional “Gemba Tale” that shares real-world experiences. The book consistently encourages the practitioner to engage in math-assisted plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycles, employing approaches that include simulation and “trystorming.” Lean Math truly transcends the “numbers” by reinforcing and refreshing lean thinking for the very purpose of Figuring to Improve. REVIEWER COMMENTS “Hamel and O’Connor provide both the novice and experienced lean practitioner a comprehensive, common-sense reference for lean math. For example, I know that our Lean Support Office team would have gladly used dozens of Lean Math entries during a recent lean management system pilot. The concepts, context, and examples would have certainly helped our execution and provided greater clarity during our training activities. Lean Math is a must have book for Lean Support Office people!” —Dave Pienta, Director, Lean Support Office, Moog, Inc. Aircraft Group “A practical math book may sound like an oxymoron, but Lean Math is both pragmatic and accessible. Hamel and O’Connor do an excellent job keeping the math as simple as possible, while bringing lean principles to the forefront of the discussion. The use of insurance and healthcare industry examples especially helps simplify the translation for lean practitioners in non-manufacturing industries. Readers will be able to use the numerous tables and figures to clearly illustrate and teach lean concepts to others. Lean Math is a reference book that every lean practitioner or Black Belt should have in their library!” —Peter Barnett, MBB, Liberty Management System Architect, Liberty Mutual Insurance “Lean Math is a comprehensive reference book within which the lean practitioner can quickly find straightforward examples illustrating how to perform almost any lean calculation. Equally useful, it imparts the importance of the relevant lean principal(s). While coaching some recent transformation efforts, I put Lean Math to the test by asking several novice practitioners to reference it during their work. They were promptly rewarded with deeper insight and effectiveness—a reflection of this book’s utility and value to the lean practitioner.” —Greg Lane, international lean transformation coach, speaker, and author of three books including, “Made-to-Order Lean: Excelling in a High-Mix, Low-Volume Environment” “While the technical, social, and management sciences behind lean must be learned by doing, their conceptual bases are absolutely validated by the math. This validation is particularly crucial to overcoming common blind spots ingrained by traditional practice. Hamel and O’Connor’s text is a comprehensive and readable resource for lean implementers at all levels who are seeking a deeper understanding of lean tools and systems. Clear diagrams and real-world examples create a bridge for readers between theory and practice—theory proven by practice. If math is the language of science, then Lean Math is indeed the language of lean science.” —Bruce Hamilton, President, Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership, Director Emeritus for the Shingo Institute “Mark and Michael have done a tremendous service for the lean community by tackling this daunting subject. There are so many ways to quantify value, display improvement, and define complex problems that choosing the right methods and measures becomes an obstacle to progress. Lean Math helps remove that obstacle. Almost daily, operations leaders in every industry need the practical math and lean guidance in these pages. Now, finally, we have it in one place. Thank you.” —Zane Ferry, Executive Director, National Operations, QMS Continuous Improvement, Quest Diagnostics “Too many lean books dwell on principles, but offer little to address critical how-to questions, such as, ‘How do I use these concepts to solve my specific problem?’ With plain English explanations, simple illustrations, and examples across industries, Lean Math bridges a long-standing gap. Hamel and O’Connor’s Lean Math is sure to become a must-have reference for every lean practitioner working to improve performance in any modern workplace.” —Jeff Fuchs, Executive Director, Maryland World Class Consortia, Past Chairman, Lean Certification Oversight Committee “Lean Math fills a huge gap in the continuous improvement library, helping practitioners to translate data, activities, and ideas into meaningful information for effective experimentation and intelligent decisions. This reference comes at a critical time for the healthcare industry as we struggle to improve quality, while controlling costs. Though we don’t make widgets, our people, processes, and patients will benefit from the tools provided in this reference. The numerous examples, as well as the Gemba Tales scattered throughout the book, bring life to the principles and formulas. Lean Math is impressive in both scope and presentation of content.” —Tim Pettry, Senior Process Improvement Specialist, Cleveland Clinic “Lean Math is a great book for those times when only the correct answer will do. The math, along with the Gemba Tales, are helpful for those in the midst of the technical aspects of a transformation, as well as those of us who once knew much of this but haven’t used it in a while.” —Beau Keyte, organization transformation and performance improvement coach, author of two Shingo-Award winning books: “The Complete Lean Enterprise” and “Perfecting Patient Journeys” “Math and numbers aren’t exclusively the domain of six sigma! Toyota leaders describe lean as an organizational culture, a managerial approach, and a philosophy. They also maintain that the last piece of lean is technical methods, which includes the math we need for properly sizing inventory levels, validating hypotheses, gauging improvement, and more. Lean Math is a useful book that compiles important mathematical and quantitative methods that complement the people side of lean. Hamel and O’Connor are extremely qualified to deftly explain these methods. Lest you think it’s a dry math text, there are Gemba Tales and examples from multiple industries, including healthcare, which illustrate these approaches in very relatable ways.” —Mark Graban, Shingo-Award winning author, speaker, consultant, and blogger “When you begin a lean journey, it’s like starting an exercise regimen—the most important thing is to start. But as you mature, and as you achieve higher levels of excellence, rigor becomes increasingly important. Lean Math provides easy, elegant access to the necessary rigor required for effective measurement and analysis and does so in practical terms with excellent examples.” —Misael Cabrera, PE, Director, Arizona Department Environmental Quality

Lean production is the gold standard in production systems, but has proven famously difficult to implement in North America. Mass production relies on large inventories, uses "push" processes and struggles with long lead times. Moving towards a system that eliminates muda ("waste") caused by overproduction, while challenging, proves necessary for improved efficiency. Often overlooked, value stream mapping is the essential planning stage for any Lean transformation. In Mike Rother and John Shook's essential guide, you follow the value stream mapping undertaken for Acme Stamping, for its current and future state. Fully illustrated and well-organized, Learning to See is a must-see for the value stream manager.