Improved communication in business means higher profits. Improved communication in government means happier citizens. Improved communication in healthcare means quicker recoveries, fewer lawsuits, and happier nurses and patients.Closing the Communication Gap can help readers improve communication by closing the gap between what the communicator means and what the listener actually understands. It supplies a complete overview of the various elements and dimensions of effective communication needed to stop talking and start communicating.Defining and discussing both the formal and the informal communication systems within an organization, the book demonstrates the importance of good communication and details the four types of poor-quality communication. It explains how to create a climate of communication in your organization. It describes how this climate of communication encourages the development of quality relationships as well as what it takes to maintain this culture of communication.After reading this book, you will understand how to be a better listener, how to use social media in marketing, how to deal with difficult people, and helpful tips for public speaking. You will gain valuable insights on how to talk to your employees, how to talk to your boss, and the best ways to communicate with a corporation.This book can be read for personal growth or it can be used by a company to teach employees the importance of quality communication. Quality assurance departments will find this book useful in lowering errors and waste in the workplace. The book is also suitable as a communication textbook or supplemental text at the introductory university level.If a corporation were a person, communication would be the bloodstream.Lee Iacocca, Former CEO, Chrysler Corporation

Value proposition, an old concept, is taking on new significance in today's innovation-driven environment. Business focus has shifted from developing many creative ideas to developing only those that will successfully flow through the product cycle and fulfill a customer need. The old approach resulted in less than a 10 percent success rate for concepts that started through the product cycle; this can no longer be tolerated. This new book on value propositions outlines a systematic approach to making an early evaluation of potential projects and programs so you can determine if they can add real value to your organization or its customers potentially saving you millions of dollars and months of valuable time. Focusing on the necessary data collection efforts, Maximizing Value Propositions to Increase Project Success Rates will help you identify easy opportunities for improvement and will guide you through the process of creating value propositions for the ideas that will drive the organization's future profits. It outlines a four-stage approach to creating value propositions and explains how to create effective value proposition documents. The book illustrates the role of the opportunity center in capturing new ideas, describes how to present value propositions to management, and includes an example of a new product value proposition. Detailing a method for continuous review of the improvement process, it will help you foster an entrepreneurial mind-set within your employees and encourage them to actively search and document value-adding ideas. Through the effective use of value propositions it is completely possible for your organization to increase the number of new products/services it offers to your customers by over 100 percent. It is not unusual for this to result in more than a 40 percent increase in profits per year. Adopting the approach outlined in the text for using value propositions can save your

"Providing fundamental knowledge related to worker protection from chemical, thermal, and biological hazards, this practical reference focuses on recent scientific and technical developments in protective apparel systems. Introduces relevant health and safety legislation and rulings for worker safety "

Make Your Business a Lean Business is a written by business leaders for business leaders as a how-to guide to building enduring market leadership. Written by authors with more than 60 years' experience applying Lean to operations and businesses, this book will allow readers to understand Lean principles and apply practices to transform their business. It also Shows readers how to transform their business to a Lean business using Lean philosophy, values, practice, and tools Is a comprehensive Lean Enterprise Operational Management System implementation guide that defines the Lean Enterprise Business Model Uses personal author experiences throughout the book to illuminate and reinforce concepts and practices Provides insights and a roadmap so executives can take immediate action to start building a Lean business Readers will be able follow a logical path aligning their business from strategy to detailed activity, thereby engaging their entire organization in becoming more competitive. It is the only true enterprise book about applying Lean to the entire business, and it provides business leaders with the understanding, approach, and tools to plan, align, and transform their business starting with their core business value proposition, business planning, disciplined goal and resource alignment, and implementation management.

The best time to stop projects or programs that will not be successful is before they are ever started. Research has shown that the focused use of realistic business case analysis on proposed initiatives could enable your organization to reduce the amount of project waste and churn (rework) by up to 40 percent, potentially avoiding millions of dollars lost on projects, programs, and initiatives that would fail to produce the desired results. This book illustrates how to develop a strong business case which links investments to program results and, ultimately, with the strategic outcomes of the organization. In addition, the book provides a template and example case studies for those seeking to fast-track the development of a business case within their organization.Making the Case for Change: Using Effective Business Cases to Minimize Project and Innovation Failures provides executive teams and change agents with the information required to make better business case decisions. This book can be used throughout the life cycle of the project to assist with gaining a better understanding of the following key knowledge areas for developing a business case: Understanding the present problem/improvement opportunity Documenting how the project, program, or initiative will add value to the organization Validating the data and the assumptions that the projected improvements are based upon Calculating the level of confidence that can be placed upon the conclusions that are reached Assessing the alternative solutions that were considered Weighing the costs vs. the benefits of the proposed initiative Analyzing and mitigating the risks to completing 100 percent of the project's goals Eliciting and prioritizing the requirements of key stakeholders and subject matter experts Identifying the key people that are involved in the proposed project and the skil

Many organizations are looking for that magic tool or methodology that will suddenly transform them into outstanding organizations. Unfortunately, there is no one right answer for all organizations or even for a single organization. Successful organizations skillfully integrate the appropriate improvement approaches with honesty, commitment, and constancy of purpose across all levels of management.This book, part of The Little Big Book series, discusses the most common set of tools and methodologies used in managerial, strategic planning, project selection, and organizational improvement projects that are referred to throughout The Little Big Book series. It presents, in a concise no-nonsense format, the concepts and techniques that must be mastered by project managers and anyone tasked with managing an improvement project.The tools covered in this book include affinity diagrams, brainstorming, cause-and-effect diagrams, the Kano model, organizational process improvement, Pareto analysis, project management, risk management, root cause analysis, storyboarding, value propositions, and workflow diagrams.Because of the large number of tools and techniques covered, the book supplies concise operating guidance for each tool that is adequate to prepare readers to understand and use that tool. It also includes examples of how the tools are used.The book provides a basic understanding of the tools you need to improve the processes you are currently using to manage your organization and, ultimately, to improve the quality, productivity, and agility of the products or services you are delivering to your customers.The tools presented in this book are the essential tools that all organizations should be using. By understanding and using the tools covered in this book, you will possess a better overall understanding of the way your organization needs to function in today's increasingly competitive environment.This

Organizations around the world are rating their improvement efforts as not producing the desired long-term results. Dr. Harrington's research indicates that this occurs because organizations are using the latest improvement tools and approaches without first defining how they want to change their organization's culture, environment, and key performance drivers.Organizations must first define what controllable factors drive business results. They then must define how they want to change these key performance drivers and behavioral patterns. Only then can they select a customized set of tools and approaches that will bring about the desired transformation.The first book in the Little Big Book Series, Performance Acceleration Management (PAM): Rapid Improvement to Your Key Performance Drivers, explains how to accelerate the rate of change and improvement in your organization to exceed your customers expectations. It introduces the PAM approach to accelerated performance improvement and explains how to use it to bring about significant change to your organization's long-term performance. Supplying answers to commonly asked questions, the book provides you with the understanding to: Conduct an improvement requirements assessment Define key drivers and develop vision statements for each Define desired behavioral patterns and performance goals Develop individual key performance driver (KPD) transformation plans Develop and implement a five-year combined PAM plan Obtain approval from the executive team Delving into more than 50 years of experience helping organizations implement improvement approaches, H. James Harrington highlights key opportunities to add value to your organization. With over 1,400 different improvement tools available today, this book provides a set of tools to define how you want to change your organization's key performance drive

To better understand and improve your systems, you must measure and map their essential characteristics. Yet, because your systems and their associated processes occur over varying spatial and temporal scales, you will need various types of maps and metrics depending on the level of detail and understanding required.During nearly four decades of experience helping clients across various industries understand, measure, and improve the performance of their processes, Jerry L. Harbour discovered a handful of performance maps that will work in most settings. As such, he's gathered these critical few maps into The Performance Mapping and Measurement Handbook. In this handbook, Dr. Harbour explains performance mapping and measurement techniques at widely differing spatial and temporal scales. Using real-world examples and language that is easy to understand, he demonstrates the effective use of: Node-link maps Process activity maps Process step maps Basic task element maps Event pathway maps Response timeline maps Key performance driver maps Filled with graphical illustrations, the book can be read sequentially or used as a "How do I do that?" reference book. It includes easy-to-follow explanations along with numerous examples of both good and bad implementation. In addition, it includes case studies from a wide range of operational and industrial settings that clearly demonstrate how the mapping and measurement techniques described in the book can be applied to new technologies and processes.

Current organizations underperform due to silo thinking. Artificial barriers frustrate efforts and perpetuate an organizational model no longer adequate for the complexity of the current business world. Leaders and managers must acquire a whole-system perspective for their organizations to be sustainable. This book provides the overview, knowledge and tools to create a practical shift for 21st century management. The "Theory of everything" for management; an evolved and more scientific Fifth Discipline plus field book for contemporary managers. It follows on from Deming and Goldratt: The Decalogue that continues to sell today and is based on over ten years of implementation.

You likely don't need any more tools, programs, or workshops to improve your hospital. What you need is a simple and consistent approach to manage problem-solving. Filling this need, this book presents a Lean management system that can help break down barriers between staff, directors, and administration and empower front-line staff to resolve their own problems.Lean Daily Management for Healthcare: A Strategic Guide to Implementing Lean for Hospital Leaders provides practical, step-by-step guidance on how to roll out Lean daily management in a hospital setting. Ideal for leaders that may feel lost in the transition process, the book supplies a roadmap to help you identify where your hospital currently is in its Lean process, where it's headed, and how your role will change as you evolve into a Lean leader.Illustrating the entire process of implementing Lean daily management, the book breaks down the cultural progression of units into discreet, objectively measurable phases. It identifies what leaders at all levels of the organization must do to progress units into the next phase of development.Complete with case studies from different service areas in the hospital, the book explains how to link problem-solving boards together to achieve meaningful and measurable improvements in: the emergency department, the operating room, discharge times, clinics, quality, and patient satisfaction.After reading this book you will understand how consistent rounding, a few whiteboards, pen-and-paper data, and a focused effort on working the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle can help you build a common problem-solving bench strength throughout your organization establishing the framework upon which future improvement can be built.

Understanding, Measuring, and Improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness: How to Use OEE to Drive Significant Process Improvement explains why the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) measure was created and how it should be used. Based on 20 years of hands on experience applying OEE at over 150 sites, this step-by-step practical guide provides templates, assessments, a comprehensive loss-analysis framework to identify all possible variables that could affect OEE, and supporting spreadsheets to measure and improve OEE. It outlines the different operational situations in which OEE can foster improvements, and the implications, before providing an easy-to-understand template for creating appropriate definitions for all the losses and a loss model. The author explains how to calculate OEE using examples to improve performance, and then shows, in detail, how to use an OEE Loss Analysis Spreadsheet to understand all losses, set an ideal vision, and then classify losses so improvement can be approached in the most sustaining way.

There are many books available covering the Training Within Industry (TWI) programs, but few include any unique material on adaptation or modification. This dearth of new has caused practitioners to alter the programs without understanding the underlying principles. These changes have made the programs less effective. One must, however, maintain the principles used in the programs when changing the delivery of the programs to suit the culture. The purpose of The TWI Facilitator's Guide: How to Use the TWI Programs Successfully is to prevent the TWI programs from falling into misuse and disuse. This book will explain the main principles of the TWI programs and what they can accomplish, but it will also stress what they are not. This book reviews what the programs are and then explains how to use them. It tells why we do certain aspects of each program. When we know why we do something, we won't stop doing it for the wrong reason.

Written by two experts who have dedicated their careers to quality improvement, Escape the Improvement Trap: Five Ingredients Missing in Most Improvement Recipes separates itself from other improvement books by looking at why most companies rarely achieve anything more than an average level of improvement maturity. They identify five critical ingredients required for successful improvement: 1. A meaningful business value proposition and strategy that drives key improvement actions2. An engaging environment where people can do their best work3. A focus on meaningful metrics while avoiding irrelevant details4. Process improvement efforts that maximize cross-functional process performance and foster deeper process understanding, innovation, and execution of best work practices5. An executive mindset that focuses on customer value, people development, process performance, and business improvement outcomes, not solely on savings The authors consider a variety of situations at Independence Enterprise, a fictional company, based on their own very real experiences. They elaborate on the principles that should come into play, look at what Independence Enterprise is doing right and wrong, and suggest deployment actions to help you apply the principles to your own organization.

Demonstrates How To Perform FMEAs Step-by-Step Originally designed to address safety concerns, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is now used throughout the industry to prevent a wide range of process and product problems. Useful in both product design and manufacturing, FMEA can identify improvements early when product and process changes are relatively easy and inexpensive to make. Updated to include changes reflected in ISO/TX-16949:2002 standards and 2008 AIAG guidelines, The Basics of FMEA, Second Edition continues to provide the expert advice needed to help shorten the learning curve for FMEA teams to conduct effective and efficient FMEAs, even if it is their very first one. Includes Ready-to-Use Worksheet Templates Using a manufacturing case study, readers learn step-by-step how to use FMEAs to assess, evaluate, and prioritize areas of risk, and then to implement the actions needed to reduce risks to an acceptable level. It shows the steps needed to ferret out potential problems and prevent making inferior products that could endanger public and worker safety and compromise profits as well as the future of all stakeholders. Although engineers have typically analyzed processes and products for potential failures, the FMEA process standardizes the approach and establishes a common language that nontechnical as well as technical employees can use at all levels. Unlike other improvement tools, FMEA does not require complicated statistics. However, they require a full commitment to quality and a willingness to take a team approach that involves all stakeholders.

This field guide can be used directly on the gemba (work area) for implementing and documenting standardized work. It promotes the "future state" of standardized work along with crucial step-by-step techniques and explanations not found in other publications. The authors furnish many real examples of work problems that cause Lean practitioners difficulty with documentation, along with accurate solutions to those problems. The many illustrations and graphics focus on practice rather than theory. Readers learn that standardized work is not simply a tool for documentation but a method for reducing variation and providing continuous improvement through kaizen.

Quality has quickly become one of the most important decision-making factors for consumers. And although organizations invest considerable resources into building the right quality management systems (QMSs), in many instances, the adoption of such quality improvement tools are just not enough. Building Quality Management Systems: Selecting the Right Methods and Tools explains exactly what directors, practitioners, consultants, and researchers must do to make better choices in the design, implementation, and improvement of their QMSs.Based on the authors decades of industrial experience working on business improvement projects for multinationals looking to design or improve their QMSs, the book discusses building QMSs based on two important organizational elements: needs and resources. It begins with an overview of QMSs and systems thinking and the impact of QMSs on financial performance. Illustrating the process management approach, it reviews the most well-known business and quality improvement models, methods, and tools that support a major QMS.The authors introduce their own time-tested methodology for designing, implementing, and enhancing your own QMS. Using their proven method, you will learn how to: Implement a strategic quality plan based on your specific needs, capabilities, cost benefits, policies, and business strategies Select the right models, methods, and tools to be adopted as part of your QMS Understand the critical success factors and implementation challenges Evaluate the level of maturity of your QMS and your implementation efforts Highlighting the importance of quality as a way of life, this book supplies the understanding you'll need to make the right choices in the development and deployment of your QMS. With a clear focus on business performance and process management, it provides the basis for creating the quality management culture require

Organizational measures are the foundational building blocks that shape an organization's vision and action. All too often however, these measures do not receive the attention they deserve. In addition, it is common for organizations to overact and measure too much, resulting in the same results as when you don't measure at all a lack of understanding, focus, and direction.The Right Measures: The Story of a Company's Journey to Find the True Indicators of Its Success and Values uses a compelling story to explain how using the right measures can make all the difference between success and failure in your organization. It follows the story of two companies one that measures in great detail, yet its overall goals and objectives are not being achieved. While the other uses a much simpler, yet effective measurement structure that integrates cultural acceptance, individual performance, and team performance with key performance indicators (KPIs). Defines organizational measures and explains why companies use them Explains what different companies measure and how those measurements reflect organizational values Supplies the tools to make measurement a focus in your organization Illustrating how measures can impact employee behavior, bottom-line profitability, and customer satisfaction, this fast-paced business novel provides the understanding required to select the appropriate measures for your organization measures that will motivate and guide your employees along the path to success. Using real-world examples, it supplies time-tested insights to help you establish the foundational structure needed to succeed in today's increasingly competitive global business environment. A website dedicated solely to the book can be found at: http://www.therightmeasures.com/

Este libro ofrece una introducci?n clara y completa al "Just-in-Time" y sigue siendo uno de nuestros ?xitos de mayor venta. El texto esta basado en seminarios dictados por Taichi Ohno, creador del Just-in-Time para entrenar a los suplidores de Toyota. La verdad que descubrio el Sr. Ohno, es que la mejora nunca se detiene - un concepto basado en la tradicion samurai en la cual un guerrero (gerente) nunca deja de perfeccionar su estilo (su habilidad de administrar), y nunca deja de pulir su espada (mejorar el proceso y el producto). Al leer este libro, usted vera claramente la magia del sistema Toyota. Los conceptos aqui expuestos se pueden aplicar a fabricaci?n repetitiva, industrias de procesos, a casi todo tipo de empresa de fabricaci?n, e inclusive a oficinas. (Esta edicion incluye material adicional preparado por Yasuhiro Monden, una autoridad en cuanto al sistema de producci?n de Toyota.)

Defined as the total process of converting a line or process from one product to another, changeover will not only help your organization improve quality and flexibility, but it will save thousands and sometimes even tens of thousands of dollars per hour.Achieving Lean Changeover: Putting SMED to Work is about the practical implementation of the single minute exchange of die (SMED) philosophy developed by Shigeo Shingo at Toyota. Although the book is principally about changeover of manufacturing, packaging, and assembly processes, the general concepts and examples are also applicable in lighter industries that require turnover of processes including airlines, hospitals, operating rooms, and food service.Filled with practical examples, the book shares proven methods that can help you convert changeover downtime to productive uptime. It explains why reducing changeover time is important financially and provides a structured methodology to help you identify and implement improvement opportunities.The author addresses both the machinery issues with changeover/ SMED and the associated operational issues such as costs, waiting times, material movement, documentation, and product/component design. He also devotes a chapter to discussing, in detail, how to calculate the cost of changeover downtime, an area that remains a mystery to many.Taking a holistic approach to changeover, the text includes a chapter devoted to organizing changeover improvements, keeping them on track, and developing and implementing a formal changeover reduction program. Presenting time-tested methods and practical examples from a variety of industries, it offers you the opportunity to reduce changeover time and cost and provide your organization with the flexibility needed to better satisfy your customers in three important dimensions: product variety, responsiveness, and price.

The Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance defines safety as the maintenance of peace of mind. Without peace of mind, or the serenity brought about by a safe working environment, employees will be unwilling and even unable to focus their energies on production improvement. Thus, it can be said that all improvement begins with safety. Winner of a 2013 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award!A how-to manual on the proper integration of safety and environmental sustainability with Lean implementations, Lean Sustainability: Creating Safe, Enduring, and Profitable Operations provides a proven recipe for achieving safety and sustainability excellence. This book is the result of the author's two decades of experience implementing Lean; Safety, Health, and Environmental (SHE); and sustainability processes in the chemical, food, and consumer products industries. It unveils valuable lessons learned and little-known tips for eliminating waste and increasing process efficiency while reducing safety incidents and the overall impact on the environment.The text illustrates how to use the SHE Pillar as a gateway to continuous improvement, regardless of the improvement methodology you use. Bolstered with proven methodologies and real-world advice, it introduces novel approaches for achieving safety and sustainability excellence, including: Autonomous Safety'supplying employees with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to work safely Triple Zero the achievement of zero accidents, zero environmental incidents, and zero losses Green Value Stream Mapping the application of Value Stream Mapping to environmental and sustainability issues Although there are many books on Lean, sustainability, and SHE, few explain how to integrate these dynamic tools. Walking you through this process, this book supplies the tools to create a synergy that wil

Many books explain how to construct a value stream map, but few explain the process conditions and characteristics required to ensure a value stream map can be completed successfully. Lean Execution: The Basic Implementation Guide for Maximizing Process Performance fills this need.Although the book explains Lean methods and tools that maximize process performance, its main focus is on providing readers with detailed guidelines, process conditions, and helpful tips for ensuring successful implementation.Based on Clifford Fiore's insights and experiences gained through years of firsthand application and implementation of Lean methods, the book supplies easy-to-understand explanations of proven Lean tools, methods, and concepts. For example, the concept of flow/theory of constraints is reviewed using a garden hose analogy.The text introduces material in a manner that mirrors the natural sequence for general implementation. It provides simple calculations, worksheets, and examples to reinforce the key concepts involved with determining production rates and process variation.In addition to explaining how to apply Lean tools correctly, the book provides the big picture perspective required to select and apply the appropriate Lean tool at the right time, while gaining helpful insight about the process under review. Sharing valuable lessons learned by trial and error, the book can help practitioners save valuable time and resources by not repeating similar mistakes.The book concludes with a summary that outlines a blueprint for maximizing success during implementation.Clifford Fiore has spent more than 30 years at a Fortune 500 company and is a recognized leader in applying Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. He is also a certified black belt and Lean expert. Through his work in adapting process improvement techniques in engineering, manufacturing, and the supply chain, he has emerged as an industry leader in

Most books about continuous and process improvement are written in a textbook format with straightforward information and plenty of graphs and charts to convey the points being made. Sometimes, even the best step-by-step instructions can escape even the most adamant of followers for an improvement method in determining exactly how to apply what they ve learned.Taking a different approach, Focus and Leverage is presented in an engaging business-novel format and is a sequel to the authors bestselling book, Epiphanized, Second Edition. The primary characters remain the same, but this time the storyline features two different industries: Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) and Healthcare (hospital) environments.This book expands and highlights the two improvement methods first introduced in the appendix section of Epiphanized: the Interference Diagram (ID)/Intermediate Objectives (IO) map (ID/IO Simplified Strategy) and Multiple-Drum-Buffer-Rope (M-DBR).Both of these innovative methods are the result of some much-focused thinking that allows for multiple improvement methods, and steps, to be combined into a single thinking process tool. This groundbreaking new method is designed to save time and money and allows faster and better results to be achieved.The two storylines move the reader through the necessary system analysis, problem identification, and solution implementation. The novel format aids in presenting several realistic situational discussions as well as a multitude of graphs and figures to explain the step-by-step process for success.The storyline of this book weaves some well-known and some not-so-well-known thinking tools into the problem-solving sphere to provide you with an understanding of how to first discover and then overcome issues not readily known or expected at the start of any project.

Created by Lean practitioners with real-world, results-proven track records, this book is designed to help struggling managers and leaders, interested in the benefits of Lean but bereft of budgets to hire full-time consultants, start substantial change in their enterprises and begin to reap the benefits of Lean.At once a how-to manual and a strategic management guide, the book lays out, in simple English, all the steps for implementing Lean, from formulating a strategy and managing organizational change, to establishing a kanban-driven, level-loaded production system.Presenting strategies that will fit in most existing budgets, Lean for the Cash-Strapped Leader: The Path to Growth and Profitability uses easy-to-read language with flashes of humor to reveal proven methods that will help your organization initiate change and begin reaping the rewards of a Lean operations system in any industry.The book avoids acronyms, complex Lean terminology, and academic froth to convey the essential instructions, detail, and information you need. Identifying powerful methods for initiating a Lean value stream that require minimal investment, the book is designed to help owners of small businesses and senior managers of larger ones make their enterprises more efficient, more productive, and ultimately more profitable.Along the way, the book gives detailed attention to the need for the "soft message" that underwrites and supports the actions required for a business to achieve the transformation that Lean can bring. Lean for the Cash-Strapped Leader emphasizes the messaging and the degree of management involvement required to achieve a successful Lean result. Learn more about the book at: http://www.leanforthecashstrappedleader.com/

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.

As companies continue their efforts to improve work performance, they must ensure that their ongoing Lean activities include a healthy appreciation for, and recognition of, human performance. Ignoring the human component of work performance can be a recipe for unnecessary waste, inefficiency, and decreased productivity. Lean Human Performance Improvement presents a broad overview of human performance in the workplace. The author discusses his findings from a broad spectrum of human performance-related fields and diverse industrial sectors (gained by working in the field for over 30 years). Organized in three sections, this book covers understanding human performance, analyzing and improving work productivity, and analyzing and improving quality and safety. The author first develops a fundamental and basic understanding of human performance, then couples that understanding with learning how to analyze and improve human-related work productivity and quality and safety. He also discusses how knowledge and skills transfer from one work setting to another. Intended for Lean Six Sigma team members and human performance improvement practitioners, the book contains multiple examples from diverse work settings to explain key points. It also includes several major case studies. The goal of all examples and case studies is to develop a generic understanding that, in turn, can be successfully applied to any work setting.