Proven to increase efficiencies in the manufacturing sector, Standard Work has become a key element in reducing process waste, ensuring patient safety, and improving healthcare services. Part of the Lean Tools for Healthcare Series, this reader-friendly book builds on the success of the bestselling, Standard Work for the Shopfloor. Standard Work for Lean Healthcare explains how to apply this powerful Lean tool to increase patient safety and reduce the cost of providing healthcare services. It illustrates how standardization can help you establish best practices for performing daily work and why it should be the cornerstone for all of your continuous improvement efforts. Presented in an easy-to-assimilate format, the book describes work in terms of cycle time, work in process, takt time, and layout. It also: Defines the key concepts of standard work and explores the essential elements of a continuous improvement culture Provides detailed guidance through the process of creating, maintaining, and improving standards Illustrates the application of standardization and standard work in healthcare with a range of examples Includes access to helpful websites and further reading on standardization, standard work, the 5S System, and Lean healthcare A joint effort between the Rona Consulting Group and Productivity Press, this book presents invaluable insights from pioneers in Lean thinking to help you avoid common mistakes that can lead to unnecessary wastes of time and resources. Each richly illustrated chapter includes a chapter summary, reflection questions, and margin assists that highlight key terms, how-to steps, and healthcare examples making this an essential resource for healthcare professionals starting out on their Lean journey.

While there are a growing number of books based on the Toyota Production System, or lean, focused on healthcare, there are very few that detail the tools that make lean more than just a way of thinking and put the methodology into practice. Based on Hiroyuki Hirano's classic 5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace and modeled after the Shingo Prize-winning Shopfloor Series for Lean Manufacturers, 5S for Healthcare adopts a proven reader-friendly format to impart all the information needed to understand and implement this essential lean methodology. It provides examples and cased studies based on the experiences of the principals involved with the Rona Consulting Group, who were responsible for the groundbreaking implementation of the Toyota Production System at the Virginia Mason Medical Center. Written to readily assist with hands-on implementation efforts, this volume offers innovative features designed to improve understanding and support application. This includes helpful how-to-steps and practical examples taken directly from the healthcare industry.

The toughest Lean journeys are those taken in organizations that have achieved long-term success. Processes and people become fixed in their ways and exhibit a natural resistance to change. But, regardless of how well your organization is performing, unless you have a sustainable competitive advantage, you are at risk.Examining the performance gap between good organizations and great ones, Learning with Lean: Unleashing the Potential for Sustainable Competitive Advantage explains how to use Lean as a learning vehicle for achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage.Helping you better understand the current state of your organization, the book outlines a series of five simple phases for developing an architecture and implementation plan to transform your organization's performance. These five phases fit neatly into a closed-system model that has similarities to the Plan-Do-Check-Act quality model. The model is simple, easy to communicate, and easy to implement Assess, Plan, Prepare, Do, and Learn. Supplies a brief overview of Lean tools Provides an understanding of the Voice of the Customer as a focusing engine Covers measurement and goal setting Illustrates the dynamics of organizational change Explains how to boost learning through Lean The authors guide you through the deployment of training and the implementation of new knowledge and skills around Lean. In addition, they also explain how to find and improve on the areas where waste exists so your organization can reinvent the way it learns.Effective management techniques recognize the need for balance, and this book is no different. Helping you pinpoint where those balances and dichotomies exist, it arms you with powerful techniques to manage these challenges and to transform your organization into a change-hungry Lean learning organization with a sustainable competitive advantage.

Without Lean leaders, there can be no Lean. If an organization wants to be Lean, its leaders must lead using Lean principles. Put another way, until the top of your organization fully embraces Lean, the rest of your organization will never be Lean.The Lean Leader: A Personal Journey of Transformation uses a compelling novel format to tackle the nuts and bolts of leading a Lean transformation. Readers follow along as the characters face real crises and what seem to be unreasonable deadlines. As the story progresses, readers will see how the main character, Don, and his colleagues transform from being "command and control" autocrats those who make decisions and bark orders to more Socratic coaches and mentors.As Don and his staff come to realize that the folks they employ are the real experts in the processes they control, you will learn why it behooves you to do more asking than telling. You will come to realize that a leader's greatest skill must be in coaching great performance from their people. You will also witness the difference between managing and leading.After reading this book, you will understand why it's so important to shed the decision-making tasks that have cluttered your days, and how to delegate those decisions to employees who are closer to the action. You will learn how important it is to look over the horizon to identify upcoming challenges, define and communicate new courses of action, and compel others to follow.Most importantly, you will learn exactly what it takes to lead a Lean organization that thrives socially, as well as financially.

The conditions in which leaders apply Hoshin Planning today have changed substantially since the method was established in the 1950's. There is better and more broadly distributed understanding of statistical process improvement principles and practices in today's organizations. Executives seem to rotate in and out of organizations with more frequency. Organizational structures are often more fluid and open. Markets change much faster, employees have greater expectations for stimulation and growth from their work, and technology is central to everything we do. To correctly apply Hoshin Planning, we must consider this modern, more complex environment.Unfortunately, a solid understanding of Hoshin mechanics, techniques, and tools isn't always enough to achieve outstanding performance. This book examines Hoshin Planning a little less through the controllable lens of methodology and more through the ever-shifting and imperfect lens of daily life in organizations.Picking up where many Hoshin "how-to" books leave off, this book presents practical ideas and tools for overcoming the messier obstacles faced by today's executives and planning professionals. You will learn ways to work your strategic planning productively in the face of sometimes tough challenges, such as working with unions, planning during an acquisition, and dealing with measurement fatigue.This book addresses these and other issues with a candid, practical, and compassionate eye. Using real stories and examples, Boisvert shares valuable observations she's made through nearly two decades of consulting with organizations.Inevitably, your organization will experience unplanned events and surprising results that will require modification of what looked like perfectly good plans. A reliable practice of Hoshin stays on its toes. Flexibility, alertness, pragmatism, and thoughtful, hardworking leadership are the themes of this book.

Things that are good for the planet are also good for business. Numerous studies from the likes of the Economist Intelligence Unit, Harvard, MIT Sloan, and others indicate that organizations that commit to goals of zero waste, zero harmful emissions, and zero use of nonrenewable resources clearly outperform their competition.Like lean thinking, greening your business is not just a nice to have ; at least not anymore. It is now a key economic driver for many forward looking firms. This book is packed with case studies and examples that illustrate how leading firms use lean and green as simultaneous sources of inspiration in various sectors of industry - from automotive and retail to textile and brewing. Take Toyota as an example, the holy grail of economic efficiency for decades. This book, shows that Toyota tops the green chart too, describing Toyota s notion of Monozukuri: sustainable manufacturing.Creating a Lean and Green Business System: Techniques for Improving Profits and Sustainability offers opportunities for innovation that can simultaneously reduce dependence on natural resources and enhance global prosperity. It explores less understood aspects of lean and green discussing their evolution independently as well as the opportunities that exist in their integration, highlighting the importance of a cultural shift across the whole company.Outlining a systematic way to eliminate harmful waste while generating green value, the book explains how to: Become economically successful and environmentally sustainable by adopting the lean and green business system model Adopt a systematic approach to become lean and green, and develop your own roadmap to success Use the cutting edge tools, techniques, and methodologies developed by the authors Translate the techniques and culture that underpin lean into environmental improvements Creating a Lean and Green Business System:

Following in the footsteps of its popular predecessor, the second edition of this workbook explains how to apply kanban replenishment systems to improve material flow. Kanban for the Supply Chain: Fundamental Practices for Manufacturing Management, Second Edition provides readers with a detailed roadmap for achieving a successful and sustainable kanban implementation.Detailing the steps required for each stage of the manufacturing and supply chain management process, this updated edition focuses on creating an environment for success. It addresses internal mechanisms, including leveling production schedules, as well as external elements, such as conducting a thorough analysis of customer demand. Numerous techniques are presented for setting up kanban that consider a wide array of material types, dimensions, and storage media. This edition presents a wealth of new tools and techniques useful across the broad spectrum of manufacturing environments, including: A statistical data cleansing technique to remove questionable or irrelevant data from kanban calculations Correlation analysis based on simple Excel techniques to guide the decisions around which part numbers "qualify" for kanban An alternative "stair-step analysis" approach for those who are unable to generate correlation data and prefer to use more readily available monthly demand history An approach to analyze supplier performance data vs. lead time and lot size expectations, with risk mitigation strategies for poor performing suppliers This book is for those who are ready to stop thinking about a conversion from materials requirements planning push techniques to kanban pull techniques and want to make it happen now. Stephen Cimorelli provides actionable advice for installing fundamental kanban concepts that can immediately help you increase manufacturing productivity and profitability. The book includes team-based exercises

The biggest competitive advantage an organization can achieve comes from the synergies created by employees skilled in enhancing organizational dynamics. The Seven Kata: Toyota Kata, TWI, and Lean Training supplies time-tested tools and advice to help readers adapt to changing conditions and outcompete their rivals. It explains why a mix of the skill sets that Training Within Industry (TWI) and the Toyota Kata (behavior patterns) teach is the ideal recipe to boost organizational synergies and enhance any Lean transformation. Winner of a 2013 Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence! Bridging the kata/TWI nexus, the book lays out a road map for Lean success. It devotes a chapter to each of the Seven Kata and suggests possible courses of action dependent on your organization's strengths and constraints. Bringing together valuable information on many of the disjointed Lean practices, it explains key Lean concepts, including gemba walks, genchi gembutsu, and PDCA. After introducing kata, it reveals the different kata inherent in the three major TWI courses and the TWI Job Safety course. It illustrates the value stream analysis relationship to the kata and the kata relationship to TWI. It also demonstrates how to use kata to solve the problems identified in your value stream analysis while simultaneously conditioning your employees adaptive thinking patterns. Supplying a clear understanding of exactly where the seven kata apply in your Lean journey, the authors include helpful guidelines for coaching a kata. They also highlight mistakes they have experienced or witnessed so you can avoid the same pitfalls. As globalism continues to make management's organizational skills a competitive differentiator, this book provides you with the tools to use the seven kata to place your orga

Written by one of the worlds most respected consultants on Lean, this work presents a methodology for value stream mapping that is appropriate for any organization, whether it be service or product oriented. Over the past 25 years, Locher has proven just how powerful this process is, having employed it in healthcare, transportation, distribution, education, financial services, and manufacturing environments. Illustrating his methodology through the example of the imaginary DevelopTek company, he explains how to: Identify development waste Assess an organization's current state and develop a Current State Map Apply Lean principles to create a Future State Map

Despite the obvious need for transparency, a company's Lean results can continue to hide behind the mask of traditional accounting and dilute the benefits of a Lean implementation. When your organization opts to go Lean, you must empower your accountants with Lean tools that serve the Lean mission.Winner of a Shingo Research and Professional Publication AwardAccounting in the Lean Enterprise: Providing Simple, Practical, and Decision-Relevant Information explains how to develop the information and financial reports that serve the needs of a Lean-minded business. It presents alternative methods of reporting, and includes a step-by-step guide for transitioning to Lean accounting methods. The book is divided into three parts: The Fundamentals of Lean as a Competitive Strategy The Nuts and Bolts of Lean Accounting Controls and Transition Walking you through Lean tools, activities, and philosophies, it addresses some of the most often asked questions about Lean implementations. It confronts many of the fears that are the source of accountants resistance to change including inventory management and valuation, GAAP compliance, and loss of control and benchmarks. Each fear is identified and resolved in a "Fear Box" inset, as the related topic is discussed. Filled with checklists, guidelines, exercises, case studies, real-world examples, and company stories, the book provides you with the tools you will need to provide relevant, timely, and actionable information to the decision makers in your Lean environment.

To be a successful manufacturing operation, employees must eliminate equipment and production related losses. However, most shopfloor workers don't have the necessary skills to perform the problem-solving tasks that accomplish this goal. They must be trained in the proper methods for logically and systematically discovering the root causes of a situation. Based on the firsthand experiences of author Bob Sproull, Process Problem Solving: A Guide for Maintenance and Operations Teams presents a precise methodology for understanding problems in a manufacturing environment. The book begins by introducing various problem-solving tools, including fish diagrams, tree diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams, and flow diagrams. Using real-world examples, Sproull takes readers systematically through each tool and discusses them in depth. The central tool in Process Problem Solving is the Problem Analysis Flow (PAF) chart. Containing ten major sections, it combines many of the tools discussed at the beginning of the book. According to the author, the PAF chart is the most thorough and comprehensive problem-solving tool. It creates a systematic method for understanding and solving the root causes of problems. To teach the necessary problem-solving skills, Sproull uses powerful learning techniques that guide the reader through the process. Each chapter begins with a section entitled "What You Should Learn in this Chapter," which specifically emphasizes the main points presented. In addition, each chapter is sprinkled with "keyword" boxes that advise the reader of important terms. Process Problem Solving is filled with Sproull's "Problem Solving Truths." These are key ideas the author wants to highlight, so the reader retains important pieces of information. Finally, Process Problem Solving follows a "learn and do" approach. The end of each chapter asks the reader to talk about what they have learned. This interactive approach helps readers retain a

Workshop leaders play a central role in your company's efforts to implement TPM. Once your workers have been divided into small groups to learn the fundamentals of TPM, it is the group leader who spearheads ongoing training and implementation activities. With quick-reading, people-oriented practicality, this new book addresses the role of the workshop leader in maximizing the benefits of TPM.A top TPM consultant in Japan, Kunio Shirose: Incorporates cartoons and graphics to convey the hands-on leadership issues of TPM implementation Uses case studies to reinforce his ideas on training and managing equipment operators in the care of their equipment Itemizes specific activities that must be undertaken to search out, correct, and control defects to remedy equipment shortcomings. He also addresses the cooperative relationship necessary between maintenance and production and leaves you with an understanding of the three imperatives for successful TPM implementation to change the quality and functioning of the equipment, the way operators think about equipment, and the workplace. (Originally published by the Japan Management Association.)

Anderson and Whitcomb pick up where they left off in DOE Simplified with RSM Simplified -- a practical tool for design of experiments that anyone with a minimum of technical training can understand and appreciate. Their approach is simple and fun for those who desire knowledge on response surface methods but are put off by the academic nature of other books on the topic. RSM Simplified keeps formulas to a minimum and makes liberal use of figures, charts, graphs, and checklists. It offers many relevant examples with amusing sidebars and do-it-yourself exercises that will lead readers to the peak potential for their product quality and process efficiency.

The average tenure of a departing CEO has declined from approximately 10 years in 2000 to 8.1 years in 2012. Maintaining a customer-focused Lean strategy and continuous improvement culture can become a challenge when management changes often, unless it has become an institutionalized company-branded business management system for the company.Lean for the Long Term allows readers to benefit from the operating experience and research of the authors who have been deeply involved in leading Lean transformations that last in today's ever-changing business landscape. It presents a Lean management system model that encompasses leadership, process, and growth as the model to drive business performance.The authors investigate the fragile nature of a Lean culture and the resulting effects on people and the company when the culture shifts. They illustrate the methods several companies have used to achieve successful Lean transformations that last and also offer guidance on how to build your own action plan based on the best practices outlined in the text.Until now, there have been few books to supply in-depth discussions on Lean as a strategy and management system. Filling this need, this book will help you to move toward a broader, more strategic use of Lean principles in your business.The book uses clear language to present insights on how company leaders and Lean practitioners can improve communication. After reading the book, you will better understand how your company operates, how to align your efforts, and how to decide what to do despite the complexity of day-to-day business operations.

Business-Driven IT-Wide Agile (Scrum) and Kanban (Lean) Implementation: An Action Guide for Business and IT Leaders explains how to increase IT delivery capabilities through the use of Agile and Kanban. Factoring in constant change, communication, a sense of urgency, clear and measurable goals, political realities, and infrastructure needs, it covers all the ingredients required for success. Using real-world examples, this practical guide illustrates how to implement Agile and Kanban in software project management and development across the entire IT department. To make things easier for busy IT leaders and executives, the text includes two case studies along with numerous templates to facilitate understanding and kick-start implementation. Explaining how IT and business management can work together to determine business goals that drive this IT-wide undertaking, the book arms you with actionable solutions that can be put to use immediately in any IT department, regardless of size.

Based on the author's years of experience working with Toyota's master teachers and with companies in the midst of great change, this book follows the story established in the Shingo Prize-winning book, Andy and Me: Crisis and Transformation on the Lean Journey.In a cool and readable style, Andy and Me and the Hospital: Further Adventures on the Lean Journey follows Tom Pappas's relationship with Andy Saito, a reclusive retired Toyota guru. Tom and Andy are pulled into a major New York City hospital in crisis. Can they translate and apply Toyota's powerful methods and thinking to save the hospital from disaster?Using a compelling novel format, the book demonstrates how to apply Lean thinking in a healthcare setting. It illustrates the situations, characters, and plant politics you will most likely face as you progress through your Lean healthcare journey. As the story unfolds, you will discover the way of thinking and behavioral changes required to implement proven Toyota Production System (TPS) methods, tools, and thinking in healthcare. You will learn: What a Lean transformation in a hospital should look like The overall approach you need to take The leadership and behavioral changes required How to improve processes and better develop and engage people How to build and sustain a Lean management system How to translate and apply Deming's "profound system of knowledge" This book provides clear and simple guidance on what it takes to successfully implement Toyota methods in healthcare settings. It shares helpful insights on how the different elements need to fit together to deliver measurable process improvement results. Just like its bestselling predecessors, this book includes study questions after each chapter to support learning and to facilitate discussion in workshops or classroom settings.

Many companies conduct Lean training and projects, but few have tapped the wealth of ideas in the minds of their staff like Baylor Scott and White Health. This book documents the path Steve Hoeft and Robert Pryor created at Baylor Scott and White Health and shares what worked as well as what didn t illustrating over seven years of successes and failures in detail.Providing easy-to-follow guidance for deploying Lean and TPS in healthcare, The Power of Ideas to Transform Healthcare focuses on what needs to be done and who needs to do it. It explains that the new "currency" for 2015 and beyond will be ideas ideas brought out in projects, problem solving, and especially in "Huddles." The most significant concept in this book is not huddles. Instead it's who builds the systems around them and why. Supplies the understanding required to build a Lean management system in any industry Explains how to align staff around common goals and cascade and translate those goals using Hoshin Kanri Demonstrates how daily Lean can reduce the cost of healthcare The authors share hundreds of pictures, forms, tools, and tips. Describing how to engage all staff and draw out their ideas in daily huddles, the book offers ways that staff can try out their ideas without spending too much time away from their work.Although the book focuses on healthcare, the management systems described, along with the lessons learned and best practices, will work in almost any industry.

Part of the Lean Tools for Healthcare series, this user-friendly book will help to improve your understanding of kaizen. It describes exactly what a kaizen event is and details all the phases necessary for implementing continuous improvement practices in your healthcare organization. Kaizen Workshops for Lean Healthcare walks you through the steps of conducting an effective kaizen workshop one that is well planned, well implemented, and well monitored. The information is presented in an easy-to-assimilate format. Numerous illustrations reinforce the text and margin assists call your attention to key terms, healthcare examples, and how-to steps. Throughout the book, you will be asked to reflect on questions that will help you apply the concepts and techniques in your own workplace. Defining the key concepts and elements of the "production" of healthcare services, the text delineates the differences between healthcare processes and the individual cycles of work that those processes link together. It also: Provides foundational information on kaizen and kaizen workshops defining the key roles for success Explains exactly how to plan and prepare Presents examples of how to present workshop results and how to follow up Includes a concise summary of kaizen workshop steps Supplies a list of additional resources for learning more about the different kinds of improvement methodologies you might want to implement in your kaizen workshops If your healthcare organization fully applies the steps detailed in this book, it will gain much more than the knowledge of how to conduct a workshop. Through kaizen, you will empower your employees to make positive change a reality. And incrementally, kaizen workshops will become more than isolated events they will become the way all work is done in your organization.

The principles of mistake proofing, long used to eliminate errors and defects across a range of industries, are now being applied in healthcare organizations around the world to help ensure patient safety, improve services, and eliminate waste.Mistake Proofing for Lean Healthcare is based on the definitive mistake-proofing philosophy and system developed by Shigeo Shingo. This reader-friendly book introduces the main concepts and benefits of mistake proofing in healthcare and highlights common reasons that errors and defects occur. It also explains how to catch errors before they become defects, using the concept of "source inspection," so you can ensure quality before a process is performed instead of afterward. When systematically used, the mistake-proofing approach explained in this book will help you: Create safer, more reliable, and more effective healthcare services for both patients and staff Establish a culture in which mistakes and the conditions that cause them are readily surfaced so they can be corrected Lay the foundation for processes that flow smoothly, without disruption Eliminate rework, waste, and the need for extra resources and supplies Presenting real-world healthcare examples, the book shows different types of mistake-proofing devices and methods (poka-yoke) that provide feedback quickly and automatically to prevent errors and defects.The book is part of the Lean Healthcare Series and is designed for individual or group learning. Each chapter includes reflection questions to facilitate understanding and stimulate discussion and action.

In an environment where many organizations think of human capital assets as little more than expense items that impact the bottom line, this book will help human resource (HR) professionals initiate a shift toward a new culture in which management views employees as true partners in achieving organizational success.The Field Guide to Achieving HR Excellence through Six Sigma provides detailed guidance on how to utilize the Six Sigma methodology and the TLS Continuum to achieve the business model that is required to thrive in today's business environment. The book demonstrates a clear path to continuous improvement that is based on the practice of spreading quality throughout the organization so that it becomes everyone's responsibility.This book is the sequel to Achieving HR Excellence through Six Sigma. In this book, Daniel Bloom provides a road map on how to implement the concepts found in the first book.The book begins by explaining how to create an HR Center of Excellence and then provides an understanding of the define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC) process and its implementation for HR. This road map will help you determine where your organization is failing to meet the voice of the customer.The book presents proven Six Sigma solutions for initiating and sustaining organizational change as well as strategies that allow leadership to make adjustments to processes if your organization falls short of meeting the need of the customer. It includes case studies of organizations that have successfully utilized the Six Sigma methodology to improve workflow and correct HR issues including the actual project documents used to implement the methodology.A word of caution: If the reason you are looking to improve work flow is to find ways to reduce headcount, then this is not the book for you. Instead, if you are looking for a guide that can help you become a strategic partner, administrative expert, employe

Does your organization provide customer satisfaction or does it inspire customer loyalty? Which is more important? See how lessons learned from the service sector were applied to manufacturing and other diverse settings, including the nonprofit sector and even on one's own home front.Exploring the Kano Model, The Customer-Driven Organization: Employing the Kano Model explains why just meeting customer needs is no longer enough for today's organizations. It explains how to identify true customers both internal and external.Readers will learn how to directly apply Kano principles in their own business environments or personal lives, to establish priorities, increase efficiency, improve communication, and expand on existing relationships.The book explains how to establish a value proposition for your organization and, more importantly, how and when to provide "delightful" service. Demonstrating how to incorporate the Kano philosophy into your day-to-day activities, this book is a must-read for any organization or individual looking to do more with less by achieving a truly customer-driven focus.

Whatever their discipline, engineers are routinely called upon to develop solutions to all kinds of problems. To do so effectively, they need a systematic and disciplined approach that considers a range of alternatives, taking into account all relevant factors, before selecting the best solution. In Problem Solving for Engineers, David Carmichael demonstrates just such an approach involving problem definition, generation of alternative solutions, and, ultimately, the analysis and selection of a preferred solution. David Carmichael introduces the fundamental concepts needed to think systematically and undertake methodical problem solving. He argues that the most rational way to develop a framework for problem solving is by using a systems studies viewpoint. He then outlines systems methodology, modeling, and the various configurations for analysis, synthesis, and investigation. Building on this, the book details a systematic process for problem solving and demonstrates how problem solving and decision making lie within a systems synthesis configuration. Carefully designed as a self-learning resource, the book contains exercises throughout that reinforce the material and encourage readers to think and apply the concepts. It covers decision making in the presence of uncertainty and multiple criteria, including that involving sustainability with its blend of economic, social, and environmental considerations. It also characterizes and tackles the specific problem solving of management, planning, and design. The book provides, for the first time, a rational framework for problem solving with an engineering orientation.

In 1791, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton wrote that "not only the wealth, but the independence and security of a country, appear to be materially connected with the prosperity of manufacturers." Centuries later, U.S. manufacturing jobs continue to be outsourced at an all-too-rapid pace. Examining the current U.S. manufacturing environment, including the unsustainable trade imbalance, Intelligent Manufacturing: Reviving U.S. Manufacturing Including Lessons Learned from Delphi Packard Electric and General Motors outlines concrete suggestions that can help to stop the outflow of manufacturing jobs and prosperity from our shores. The book explains why most companies have not reaped the benefits promised from the implementation of the multitude of methodologies that have inundated manufacturers and outlines the steps companies can take to reverse this trend. The author's 30-year background in engineering and manufacturing, in both national and international assignments, puts him in a unique position to supply insights on foreign competition that few are able to provide. In addition to discussing the tools and concepts with a proven history of success, the book also elaborates on what doesn't work. It presents an insider's perspective of what went horribly wrong within Delphi and GM so other manufacturing companies can avoid making the same mistakes.The book describes how to effectively set up a manufacturing system and accurately measure and control direct labor. It shares easy-to-implement tools that the author developed and implemented with proven track records for improving performance. Such tools include computer programs that can provide a competitive advantage, a proven way to reduce total process cycle time, and a scientific way to establish proper lot sizes.Instead of presenting a lot of theory, the author provides ideas based on common sense and practical experience. The concepts and tools outline

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive. Now in its 18th edition, Baldrige Award Winning Quality is still the most widely used and recognized book on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. It provides readers with a simple, yet comprehensive resource, for understanding the most current criteria for this prestigious business performance award.The definitive resource for helping companies achieve world-class results, Baldrige Award Winning Quality 18th Edition: How to Interpret the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence is the only book on the Baldrige criteria to detail, in simple and straightforward language, every category, examination item, and area to address. From understanding the scoring system to preparing for a site visit, it guides you through all stages in the process. Reflecting the new criteria (2013-2014) that address education and healthcare, this edition outlines a comprehensive plan that is suitable for any company in any industry.Offering detailed explanations of each of the 17 "Examination Items" and the 36 "Areas to Address" that compose the seven major categories, the book reveals exactly what examiners look for in each area and suggests what you need to include. It also discusses: Criteria of leadership and the role of senior management in the award process Importance of a long- and short-term strategic plan Where and how to satisfy the requirements for demonstrating effective "process" and "results" Lists of state award programs based on the Baldrige criteria Core values and themes that underlie the award How to weigh the importance of the 36 "Areas to Address" The significance of the Baldrige scoring scale, and its role in achieving performance excellence The book devotes a chapter to supplying a

Traditional accounting systems have become inadequate for today's increasingly competitive global manufacturing environment. They are too complex and too focused on past performance. As manufacturing techniques change and become less labor intensive, accounting methods must also evolve. Regardless of what you call it, Lean accounting is a management accounting system that should be part of every worker's daily activities. The Controller as Lean Leader: A Novel on Changing Behavior with a Lean Cost Management System delineates the differences between cost accounting and cost management. It uses a story format to present a compilation of experiences; some good, some bad, and some humorous. The story follows a fictional manufacturing entity embarking on a Lean change management journey for the second time having failed at its first attempt at Lean implementation a few years earlier. As the story progresses, readers gain an understanding of what the company will do differently this time around to ensure it doesn't slip backward again as the transformation unfolds. Illustrates the various approaches to Lean implementation Explains Target Costing and describes how to use it to get your budget right the first time around Examines the concept of systems and the importance of defining values in your business Describes what the purpose of a Lean Human Resources (HR) system should be Introduces, with visuals, the little-known importance of the timing of the implementation and integration of the four integral parts of the Lean Cost Management System with the five Lean principles The main character, the Lean Controller, presents her ideas with visuals throughout the book. Discussions between the Lean controller and employees at various levels of the organization illustrate valuable lessons. The many faces of the Lean Controller as expressed thro