May 2014

5/30/2014 - THE CENTER
We're often asked about a typical lean journey, “What does it look like?” and “How long does it take?” While the answers range anywhere from "every situation is unique" to "there is no typical ’journey'," we do have a few steps that are essential for a successful lean implementation.

5/23/2014 - THE CENTER
In a previous entry, Can Your Team Pinpoint Value-Added?, we identified some places that waste or non-value added steps can hide in your company’s processes. Today, we’d like to follow up on that. I mean, now that you know where to look, how do you actually identify the correct steps to eliminate?

5/16/2014 - THE CENTER
When you start a new job, it’s a lot like heading into the summer. It’s a fresh start. There’s the rush of meeting new people and a genuine excitement about starting a new journey. Managers walk you through the training process, teach you about the company and orient you to the culture.

5/9/2014 - THE CENTER
We often hear company team members say “We don’t deal with the customer.” Team members are seldom aware of how their daily tasks connect to customer satisfaction. This is why it is so important that every organization recognize what its customer’s value and align its activities to deliver that value.

5/2/2014 - THE CENTER
The topic of “employee engagement” has been popping up a lot lately. I’ll be honest with you… and maybe it’s just because I took my “let’s be blunt” pills this morning… but most of the articles I read about employee engagement are… well… on the cheesy side. They remind us that it’s important for our employees to be engaged and urge us to give out our annual survey for employee feedback.