Articles, research, reference material, and canonical learning guides on the Toyota Production System, lean manufacturing, A3 thinking, kaizen, and leadership by Art Smalley.https://artoflean.com/en-usThu, 28 May 2026 05:17:52 GMThttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/operational-audits-the-missing-feedback-loop-in-hoshin-kanri-20260524t1640/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/operational-audits-the-missing-feedback-loop-in-hoshin-kanri-20260524t1640/This article is based on a chapter from Global Ten, a Japanese book by Mikio Sugiura, one of the key figures in the early development of Toyota’s Hoshin Kanri system.Sun, 24 May 2026 16:40:32 GMTAI ArticlesAgentic MakeArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/ai-5why-rootcoach/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/ai-5why-rootcoach/A current-state note on AI, RootCoach, 5 Why analysis, and why stronger models still need disciplined problem-solving logic.Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTAIProblem Solving5 WhyArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/why-standardized-work-is-not-just-an-sop/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/why-standardized-work-is-not-just-an-sop/Toyota Standardized Work is not simply an SOP with a different label. It connects demand, process capability, human motion, training, supervision, and kaizen.Sat, 09 May 2026 09:59:00 GMTStandardized WorkTPSToyotaArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/machine-shop-problem-that-gave-birth-to-standardized-work/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/machine-shop-problem-that-gave-birth-to-standardized-work/The roots of Toyota Standardized Work are in machine-shop problems: human waiting, machine cycles, multi-process handling, takt, and overproduction.Sat, 09 May 2026 09:58:00 GMTStandardized WorkTPSToyotaArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/three-forms-behind-real-toyota-standardized-work/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/three-forms-behind-real-toyota-standardized-work/Real Toyota Standardized Work rests on three linked forms: the Process Capacity Sheet, the Combination Table, and the Standardized Work Chart.Sat, 09 May 2026 09:57:00 GMTStandardized WorkTPSToyotaArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/process-capacity-sheet-where-standardized-work-starts/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/process-capacity-sheet-where-standardized-work-starts/The Process Capacity Sheet grounds Standardized Work in process facts: manual time, automatic time, tool changes, and actual capability.Sat, 09 May 2026 09:56:00 GMTStandardized WorkTPSToyotaArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standardized-work-combination-table-human-and-machine-time/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standardized-work-combination-table-human-and-machine-time/The Combination Table makes human work, machine time, walking, waiting, and takt visible in one repeated cycle.Sat, 09 May 2026 09:55:00 GMTStandardized WorkTPSToyotaArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standardized-work-chart-final-form-not-starting-point/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standardized-work-chart-final-form-not-starting-point/The Standardized Work Chart is the visible workplace standard condition, but it should be the final form after analysis, not the starting point.Sat, 09 May 2026 09:54:00 GMTStandardized WorkTPSToyotaArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/work-standards-come-before-standardized-work/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/work-standards-come-before-standardized-work/Before Standardized Work can stabilize human motion, technical Work Standards must clarify quality, tooling, machine accuracy, gauges, and process conditions.Sat, 09 May 2026 09:53:00 GMTStandardized WorkTPSToyotaArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standardized-work-and-job-instruction/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standardized-work-and-job-instruction/A Standardized Work Chart can summarize the current method, but Job Instruction and practice are what teach the job.Sat, 09 May 2026 09:52:00 GMTStandardized WorkTPSToyotaArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standardized-work-and-kaizen/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standardized-work-and-kaizen/Standardized Work and kaizen grew together at Toyota: the standard gives a baseline, and kaizen improves the method.Sat, 09 May 2026 09:51:00 GMTStandardized WorkTPSToyotaArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/why-toyota-standardized-work-is-still-unique/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/why-toyota-standardized-work-is-still-unique/Toyota Standardized Work remains unique because the visible forms sit inside a self-reinforcing system of demand, capacity, teaching, supervision, and kaizen.Sat, 09 May 2026 09:50:00 GMTStandardized WorkTPSToyotaArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/the-a3-book-that-was-too-small-for-an-a3/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/the-a3-book-that-was-too-small-for-an-a3/A short reflection on the publishing compromise behind Understanding A3 Thinking, restoring a full-size A3 example online, and why AI-assisted problem solving may help make A3 logic more visible.Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTA3Problem SolvingAIArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/the-new-pdca-prompt-do-check-act/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/the-new-pdca-prompt-do-check-act/A practical reflection on using PDCA as the working loop for better AI-assisted coding, A3 evaluation, article drafting, and everyday knowledge work.Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTAIPDCAProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/tpds-and-lppd-are-not-the-same-thing/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/tpds-and-lppd-are-not-the-same-thing/LPPD is a Western translation framework derived from Toyota-style development. TPDS is Toyota's actual product-development system. Six differences worth keeping straight.Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTProduct DevelopmentLPPDTPDSToyotaArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/strange-new-world-of-ai-second-brain/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/strange-new-world-of-ai-second-brain/How I connected Obsidian, Claude Code, and Telegram into a personal AI system that travels with me everywhere — and what it tells us about where this technology is going.Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTAIProductivityTechnologyArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/research/pdca-history/https://artoflean.com/research/pdca-history/The full history of the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle — from Taylor and Shewhart in America to Mizuno and Ishikawa in Japan. Most people attribute PDCA to Deming, who neither created it nor fully endorsed it. The real story is far more interesting.Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTleantoyotaqualityproblem-solvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/research/machine-that-changed-the-world/https://artoflean.com/research/machine-that-changed-the-world/Still the most comprehensive, empirical, enterprise-level explanation of Toyota ever produced — and the most important work ever written on what came to be called Lean. A retrospective review of why Machine remains the defining work, 35 years later.Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMTleantoyotacase-studiesArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/research/toyota-product-development-history/https://artoflean.com/research/toyota-product-development-history/A structured history of Toyota's product development engineering organization, tracing its evolution from a small automotive group inside a loom manufacturer in the 1930s to today's mobility-era development structures.Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMTleantoyotatechnologyleadership-managementcase-studiesArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/art-lean-coaching-problem-solving-part-1-framework-discussion/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/art-lean-coaching-problem-solving-part-1-framework-discussion/This is part of a new series of short videos that we shot for the Lean Enterprise Institute. The first video talks about a general framework Art Smalley uses...Thu, 08 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMTProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/art-lean-coaching-problem-solving-part-2-lessons-nba/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/art-lean-coaching-problem-solving-part-2-lessons-nba/In part 2 of this series Art Smalley continues his look at coaching problem solving from various vantage points outside of Lean. This time he \"steals\" and...Thu, 08 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMTProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/10-favorite-problem-solving-quotes/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/10-favorite-problem-solving-quotes/I love problems solving. It was my favorite thing to learn and work on early in my career and still is today. Something about the feeling and sense of...Thu, 13 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMTManagementPDCAProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/10-tips-coaching-problem-solving/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/10-tips-coaching-problem-solving/Have you ever struggled to give good coaching advice to someone delivering a problem solving presentation? Giving good feedback is difficult and takes...Thu, 06 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMTCoachingLeadershipProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/gbmp-ne-lean-conference-slides-video-announcement/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/gbmp-ne-lean-conference-slides-video-announcement/Here is a video announcement pertaining to my presentation at the 15th annual North East Lean Conference in Hartford Connecticut by the Greater Boston...Thu, 06 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMTAnnouncementsPresentation MaterialArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/situational-leadership-toyota-style-coaching-4-types-problems/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/situational-leadership-toyota-style-coaching-4-types-problems/Here is an 18 minute video I made about my experiences with Situational Leadership Theory, Coaching Styles in Toyota, and my latest book 4 Types of Problems....Mon, 27 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMTCoachingLeadershipManagementProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/4-types-problems-hotel-nightmare-video/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/4-types-problems-hotel-nightmare-video/Here is a recent example of something that happened to me in a hotel room at a lean conference! I decided to make a short video example out of the whole...Fri, 17 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMTProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyotas-lean-living-city/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyotas-lean-living-city/Sounds pretty interesting. Only the Japanese could somehow combine homes with intricate woodworking joinery and robots....Tue, 07 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMTArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/new-problem-solving-mastery-website/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/new-problem-solving-mastery-website/This post is to officially announce my newest website problemsolvingmastery.comhttps://www.problemsolvingmastery.com/!!! In the view below I will explain some...Tue, 26 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMTAnnouncementsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/4-tps-video-blurb/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/4-tps-video-blurb/Here is a short thank you note to the folks at LEI and a video announcement of my latest book. I tried out a website called AutoMagical over the weekend as a...Sun, 14 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMTAnnouncementsPDCAProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/4-types-problems-ready-order/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/4-types-problems-ready-order/I am very happy to announce that after a couple years of hard work my latest book entitled 4 Types of Problems is now available for order through the Lean...Sun, 14 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMTProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/4-types-problems/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/4-types-problems/Now available at the LEIMon, 08 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMTArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyota-control-charts-1950s-example/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyota-control-charts-1950s-example/An example of a control chart used in Toyota in the 1950'sSun, 26 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMTJidoka / Build in QualityTPS HistoryArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/practice-over-theory/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/practice-over-theory/Here is a bit of history for those interested. I received a question about the first Toyota Production System manual ever written. For many years the primary...Tue, 18 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMTTPS HistoryArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/is-it-genba-or-gemba/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/is-it-genba-or-gemba/I get quite a few e-mails every year pointing out errors I have made in spelling and punctuation in various speeches or blog posts. And for the record I...Fri, 23 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMTCoachingProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/continuous-improvement/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/continuous-improvement/Call it kaizen or continuous improvement or whatever term you prefer. In the end if you don't deliver results you won't be in business for long. The two...Thu, 22 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMTArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/john-shook-testimonial/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/john-shook-testimonial/ArtofLean.com// with its substantive content both historical and up-to-date is a great place to go to verify the consistency of your lean...Thu, 22 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMTTestimonialsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/leadership-development/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/leadership-development/The number one area most organizations struggle with is leadership development. Toyota was lucky to have highly skilled leaders such as Eiji Toyoda, Taiichi...Thu, 22 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMTArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/marek-piatkowski-testimonial/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/marek-piatkowski-testimonial/A great resource and highly valuable for anyone interested in applying Toyota Production System / Lean TransformationThu, 22 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMTTestimonialsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/russ-scaffede-testimonial/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/russ-scaffede-testimonial/This is one of the most dynamic websites for lean practitioners I have ever seen. This site is loaded with first had information accumulated and presented by...Thu, 22 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMTTestimonialsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/monterrey-mexico-lean-conference-2016/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/monterrey-mexico-lean-conference-2016/I accepted an invitation to speak at a lean conference in Monterrey Mexico on September 6th and 7th. I delivered the opening keynote and two workshops all on...Wed, 21 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMTPresentation MaterialProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/problem-solving-interview-with-lei/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/problem-solving-interview-with-lei/Chet Marchwinski of LEI conducted a short interview with Art Smalley regarding problem solving and improvement. The video was just posted on-line by LEI at the...Wed, 21 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMTManagementProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/2016-lean-management-conference-wroklaw-poland/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/2016-lean-management-conference-wroklaw-poland/Here are copies of the four presentations I presented earlier this month at the 2016 Lean Management Conference in Wroklaw Poland. Over 450 people attended the...Tue, 13 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMTPresentation MaterialProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-conference-brazil-2015/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-conference-brazil-2015/Copy of the presentation given by Art Smalley as a keynote address for the Lean Conference of Brazil in 2015Fri, 24 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMTLeadershipManagementProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-thinking/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-thinking/Part of improvement is indeed related to how you think and interact with others in order to obtain better results. However most organizations struggle to...Fri, 24 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMTArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lei-2016-transformation-summit/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lei-2016-transformation-summit/I was asked to give a talk at the recent LEI Transformation Summit in Las Vegas on the topic of \"4 Types of Problems\" and ways to address each type. The...Fri, 24 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMTPresentation MaterialProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/welcome-to-art-of-lean/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/welcome-to-art-of-lean/Leadership Development, Lean Thinking, and ContinuousFri, 24 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMTArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-coaching-summit-4-types-of-problems/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-coaching-summit-4-types-of-problems/Copy of a keynote address given by Art Smalley at the Lean Coaching Summit in 2015 in conjunction with the Lean Enterprise Institute.Fri, 16 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMTCoachingLeadershipManagementProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-leadership-and-special-forces-1/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-leadership-and-special-forces-1/A short video segment of a presentation made by Art Smalley for United States Army Special Operations Command.Fri, 16 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMTLeadershipManagementArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-leadership-and-special-forces-2/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-leadership-and-special-forces-2/A short video excerpt of a talk Art Smalley gave at Special Operations Command for the United States ArmyFri, 16 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMTLeadershipManagementArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/set-up-reduction-in-toyota/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/set-up-reduction-in-toyota/I did some digging around a couple of years ago to learn more about the history of set up reduction efforts../../files/MrJibikionSetUpReduction.pdf at Toyota....Tue, 29 Sep 2015 00:00:00 GMTSet Up ReductionArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-1/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-1/Some thoughts on improving the materials and content of TWI Job Instruction.Mon, 08 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMTTWI Job InstructionArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-10/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-10/Some thoughts on improving TWI for the 21st centuryMon, 08 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMTTWI Job InstructionTWI Job MethodsTWI Job RelationsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-2/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-2/Some additional ways to improve TWI Job Instruction materials.Mon, 08 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMTTWI Job InstructionArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-3/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-3/Another basic way to think about improving TWI Job Instruction training.Mon, 08 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMTTWI Job InstructionArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-4/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-4/Thoughts on improving TWI Job Instruction in the future for high skills work and problems that companies face today.Mon, 08 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMTTWI Job InstructionArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-5/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-5/Some ideas on improving TWI Job Relations for the 21st century.Mon, 08 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMTTWI Job RelationsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-6/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-6/Some thoughts on how to improve TWI Job Relations for the 21st century.Mon, 08 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMTTWI Job RelationsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-7/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-7/Some thoughts on improving TWI Job Relations for the 21st century.Mon, 08 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMTTWI Job RelationsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-8/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-8/Some ideas for improving TWI Job Methods for the 21st century.Mon, 08 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMTTWI Job MethodsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-9/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-twi-part-9/Some thoughts on improving TWI Job Methods for the 21st centuryMon, 08 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMTTWI Job MethodsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/president-eishenhower-quotes-twi-jr/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/president-eishenhower-quotes-twi-jr/Interesting quote on TWI Job RelationsTue, 20 May 2014 00:00:00 GMTLeadershipTWI Job RelationsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/444/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/444/\caption id=\"attachment\463\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"154\"\!Art...Mon, 13 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseSourcing DecisionsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-conformance-vs-tps-performance/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-conformance-vs-tps-performance/One main difference I observe is that Lean seeks to conform to some stereotype of its nature. On the other hand TPS strives for results. Mon, 13 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseMulti-Process HandlingStandardized WorkArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/441/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/441/Here is a response I gave over on the Lead Edgehttp://theleanedge.org/?p=255724 to a questionhttp://theleanedge.org/?p=255720 about problem solving, the...Tue, 07 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponsePDCAProblem SolvingArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/degrees-of-pressure/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/degrees-of-pressure/Here is a response I gave to a questionhttp://theleanedge.org/?p=255354 issued over on the Lean Edgehttp://theleanedge.org/?p=255362. The question pertains to...Tue, 07 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/houshin-kanri-advice/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/houshin-kanri-advice/Here is a response issued to a questionhttp://theleanedge.org/?p=255400 from a practitioner over on the Lean Edge site about implementing Houshin...Tue, 07 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-versus-historical-tps/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-versus-historical-tps/Over on the Lead Edgehttp://theleanedge.org/ I answer this months question from CEO Andrew Turnerhttp://theleanedge.org/?p=3860 about Lean Implementation in...Tue, 07 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseTPS HistoryArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/line-versus-staff-leadership/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/line-versus-staff-leadership/Over at the...Tue, 07 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMTLeadershipLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/reflections-on-the-lean-start-up/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/reflections-on-the-lean-start-up/Here is a response I gave over on the Lean Edgehttp://theleanedge.org/?p=255594 to a questionhttp://theleanedge.org/?p=255436 pertaining to the success of the...Tue, 07 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/determine-the-driving-need/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/determine-the-driving-need/This is a cross posting from a questionhttp://theleanedge.org/?p=215413 I received over at the Lean Edge website from Joel Stanwood Partner at Industrial...Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/productivity-and-improvement/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/productivity-and-improvement/Here is a cross posting from the Lean Edge Website. The questionhttp://theleanedge.org/?p=4123 from the Lean Global Network was regarding productivity:  \"Is...Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standard-lean-logic-flaw/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standard-lean-logic-flaw/This is a cross posting from over at the Lead Edge website. The Lean Global Networks asks a questionhttp://theleanedge.org/?p=255297 about changing standards...Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/sometimes-lean-is-a-bad-name/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/sometimes-lean-is-a-bad-name/Over on the Leanedge.orghttp://theleanedge.org/ website Joel Stanwood Managing Partner at American Industrial asks the following question: > Most management...Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyota-and-the-ringi-sho-process/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyota-and-the-ringi-sho-process/Over on the Leanedge.orghttp://theleanedge.org/ website the Lean Global Network submits the following question: > \"What is Ringi? The Lean Edge has discussed...Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/art-smalley-nemawashi-in-toyota/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/art-smalley-nemawashi-in-toyota/In this month’s question over on the Lean Edgehttp://theleanedge.org/?p=3827 Catherine Chabiron, Process Improvement Lean Office Manager at Faurecia asks the...Wed, 15 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/363/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/363/In this month's question over on the Lean Edge Klaus Petersonhttp://www.solar.eu \"Visit Klaus Peterson’s website\", Solar's Group process manager asks about how...Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseManagementArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/evaluating-executive-performance/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/evaluating-executive-performance/This month's question on The Lead Edgehttp://theleanedge.org/?p=3389 from Eric Buehrens Chief Operating Officer, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess...Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseManagementArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/houshin-kanri-and-pdca-management/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/houshin-kanri-and-pdca-management/In this month's question over on the Lean Edge Klaus Petersonhttp://www.solar.eu \"Visit Klaus Peterson’s website\", Solar's Group process manager asks how do we...Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMTHoushin KanriLean Edge ResponseManagementPDCAArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-management-versus-management-by-personality/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-management-versus-management-by-personality/This month's question asks how can a Lean implementation program survive a change in top management? After all a Lean journey can take many years and a CEO...Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseManagementArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/performance-organization/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/performance-organization/This month's question over on the Lean Edge asks why is there such a resistance to creating learning organizations and why are leaders letting the future...Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseManagementArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/satisfy-the-customer-in-the-long-run-for-sales-and-profits/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/satisfy-the-customer-in-the-long-run-for-sales-and-profits/In this month's question on the Lead Edge Jean-Baptiste Bouthillonhttp://www.paris-ouest.fr/groupenotrehistoire.html \"Visit Jean-Baptiste Bouthillon’s...Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMTJust in TimeLean Edge ResponseManagementArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/sorry-no-buzzword/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/sorry-no-buzzword/In this month's question Jan van Ginkel, Director Value Stream Management & Supply Chain Development at Sara Lee CoffeeTea asks what distinguishes a good lean...Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseManagementArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standardized-work-confusion/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/standardized-work-confusion/This month's questionhttp://theleanedge.org/?p=3619 over over on the Lean Edge comes from Cécile Roche, Thales LEAN Director - Probasis and she asks about...Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseManagementStandardized WorkArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyotas-true-north-concept/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyotas-true-north-concept/This month's question deals with the concept of True North in lean implementation and has four parts. 1 What is the role of True North in Lean Thinking? 2 How...Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/webinar-on-a3-thinking/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/webinar-on-a3-thinking/Recently I delivered an hour long Webinar on A3 Thinking for OPS Group, Inc.http://www.opsgroupinc.com/ I agreed to post the presentation slides on-line for...Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMTA3Art Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/patterns-of-kaizen-and-a3-thinking/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/patterns-of-kaizen-and-a3-thinking/A presentation on Kaizen patterns and A3 ThinkingThu, 09 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTA3KaizenPresentation MaterialArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/sea-ceo-conference/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/sea-ceo-conference/I was privileged to be invited to speak at the Supplier Excellence Alliancehttp://www.seaonline.org/ SEA Organization this week in Irvine California for their...Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTPresentation MaterialArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/video-patterns-of-kaizen-and-a3-thinking/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/video-patterns-of-kaizen-and-a3-thinking/Here is an attempt to add some sound and basic video editing to a presentation that I have given over the years. I am not including any video footage of myself...Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTA3KaizenPresentation MaterialArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/creating-level-pull-at-toyota-museum/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/creating-level-pull-at-toyota-museum/The following pictures are from an e-mail sent to me some time ago by my friend John Shook. John visited a Toyota Museum Library and found the translated...Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTJust in TimeArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-global-competitiveness-in-small-medium-enterprises-monterrey-mexico/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/improving-global-competitiveness-in-small-medium-enterprises-monterrey-mexico/I just returned from a couple of days in Monterrey Mexico helping a couple of friends. As part of a broader government initiative to improve the...Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTPresentation MaterialArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-lives-on-the-shop-floor/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-lives-on-the-shop-floor/I recently wrote a guest article with Tom Harada for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers for the May edition of their magazine. Here is a link to the...Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTArticlesArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/ohno-line-coversion-toyota-kaizen-example/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/ohno-line-coversion-toyota-kaizen-example/An example of a production line conversion from Toyota in the 1950's.Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTKaizenTPS HistoryArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/always-room-for-improvement/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/always-room-for-improvement/A response to some of the problems that Toyota faced and how they responded.Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTKaizenLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/financial-benefits/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/financial-benefits/Financial benefits of lean are often hard to obtain. Here are some items that Toyota focuses on on why they matter.Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTKaizenLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-success/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/lean-success/How to achieve success in Lean and why most companies struggle.Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/ohira-plant-and-investment/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/ohira-plant-and-investment/Toyota and capital investment with regards to the Ohira plant opening in Japan.Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/tools-rules-principles-and-lean-wallpaper/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/tools-rules-principles-and-lean-wallpaper/Why most lean efforts struggle to achieve results despite all the effort put into them.Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyota-and-capital-investment/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyota-and-capital-investment/Toyota and capital investment Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMTLean Edge ResponseArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyota-under-fire-review/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/toyota-under-fire-review/A brief review of Toyota Under Fire by Jeffrey K. Liker and Timothy Ogden.Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMTBook ReviewsArt Smalleyhttps://artoflean.com/blog/posts/tps-brochure/https://artoflean.com/blog/posts/tps-brochure/A concise 20 page brochure explaining the basics of the Toyota Production System. Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMTPresentation MaterialArt Smalley