Blog | Lean Tools

Why Lean Principles in Manufacturing Still Matter

Some leaders I meet still believe that Lean is outdated. They assume it was a passing trend. Others believe Lean doesn’t apply to their industry or current challenges. But in my experience, those...

Lean Tools, Continuous Improvement

Spaghetti diagram before/after showing 75% floor-space reduction.

Motion vs Time in Lean: Improve Work by Studying Motion

“𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.” – Frank Gilbreth In the early days of my career as an industrial engineer, I spent a lot of time chasing decimals. Stopwatch in hand, I...

Lean Tools, Waste Reduction

What Is the Score? How a Daily Management System Empowers Frontline Teams to Win

Do All Your Frontline Teams Know, Analyze, and Strive to Improve the Prior Day’s Performance as Perceived by Their Customers? It may be time to make your daily huddles, visual team boards, and daily...

Lean Tools, Continuous Improvement

Huddle Boards in Lean Management: Tool or Costly Wallpaper?

Introduction In many organizations striving for operational excellence, huddle boards in Lean management have become a familiar fixture. They hang in break rooms, hallways, and team areas, often...

Lean Tools, Daily Management, Continuous Improvement

What Is Your Huddle Board Really Telling You??

Introduction In organizations pursuing operational excellence, the huddle board is often viewed as a simple visual tool. At first glance, it appears to be nothing more than a board filled with...

Lean Tools, Daily Management, Problem-Solving

Success at the Frontline with employee engaged and finding purpose

Maximizing Success with Daily Huddles: A Key Practice for High-Reliability Organizations

Introduction: Why Daily Huddles Matter In high-reliability organizations (HROs), success is not determined solely by the strength of individual processes or technologies—it is the daily behaviors of...

Lean Tools, Continuous Improvement

Unlocking Continuous Improvement with a Plan Versus Actual (PVA) Board: A Game-Changer for Team Performance

Introduction: Why PVA Boards Matter In organizations striving for operational excellence, visibility into performance is critical. Teams and leaders need to know not only whether objectives are...

Lean Tools, Continuous Improvement

Your Huddle Board May Not Be The Problem

Insight: Tools Don’t Create Culture—Systems Do The huddle board has become a recognizable part of Lean management and daily improvement. However, a huddle board alone does not create engagement,...

Lean Tools, Daily Management, Problem-Solving

Daily Huddles in Lean Management: Reflect, Plan, Improve

Introduction In Lean organizations, daily huddles are often misunderstood or reduced to routine check-ins. I have seen this firsthand during site visits and coaching engagements. Sometimes, the team...

Lean Tools, Continuous Improvement

A Creperie Lesson: The Subtle Power of Visual Management in Restaurants

Breakfast, Crepes, and an Unexpected Lesson Earlier today, we enjoyed breakfast at a local creperie. The food was fantastic, but what left a deeper impression was not just the taste. It was how...

Lean Tools, Workplace Organization, Case Studies

Leader standard work comprises multiple tools

The Leader Standard Work Toolkit

Core Truth Leader Standard Work (LSW) is not a document. It is a system that stabilizes leadership behavior, exposes gaps, and drives improvement—only when connected to the full Lean leadership...

Lean Tools, Lean Leadership

Improvement Idea Board integrated with huddle board

Holistic Visual Management Board

Imagine a single pane of glass where your entire frontline team can see—in real time—what matters most: Today’s production target Safety incidents (zero this week?) Quality defects trending up The...

Lean Tools, Workplace Organization

Lean Tools

Lean Insights & Proven Strategies for Manufacturers

Browse dozens of articles packed with practical tips on stabilizing operations, engaging teams, and scaling sustainably with confidence.

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Why Lean Principles in Manufacturing Still Matter

Motion vs Time in Lean: Improve Work by Studying Motion

What Is the Score? How a Daily Management System Empowers Frontline Teams to Win

Huddle Boards in Lean Management: Tool or Costly Wallpaper?

What Is Your Huddle Board Really Telling You??

Maximizing Success with Daily Huddles: A Key Practice for High-Reliability Organizations

Unlocking Continuous Improvement with a Plan Versus Actual (PVA) Board: A Game-Changer for Team Performance

Your Huddle Board May Not Be The Problem

Daily Huddles in Lean Management: Reflect, Plan, Improve

A Creperie Lesson: The Subtle Power of Visual Management in Restaurants

The Leader Standard Work Toolkit

Holistic Visual Management Board

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