Norman Dale and Listening to Your Team TAGS: basketball | blitz | consulting | final shot | hickory | hoosiers | huskers | jimmy chitwood | jimmy chitwood final shot | lean | movie | norman dale | operations | process | six sigma | sports To continue our deep dive into the Lean principle of “Respect for People” we now take a closer look at a fictional basketball coach in a famous sports movie. In Hoosiers famous …Continue reading →

More Exposed Mistreatment of NFL Cheerleaders TAGS: bills | blitz | buffalo | cheerleaders | consulting | jills | lean | nfl | operations | process | respect for people | six sigma | sports After the first in-depth analysis of the unfair treatment of the Raiderettes, the Oakland Raiders cheerleaders, more and more squads of NFL cheerleaders are coming forward sharing similar stories of …Continue reading →

2014 ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement in Dallas TAGS: american society for quality | asq | blitz | conference | consulting | improvement | influential voices | innovation | lean | operations | process | program | quality | six sigma | sports | tips | wcqi | world conference Next month I will be attending the ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement in Dallas, Texas. I had a great time attending last year in Indianapolis. While most folks …Continue reading →

Donald Sterling & “Respect For People” In Sports TAGS: blitz | brendan gibbons | clippers | consulting | continuous improvement | crime | dave bliss | discrimination | donald sterling | jameis winston | jonathan martin | lean | los angeles | ncaa | operations | pillar | process | racism | respect for people | richie incognito | shabazz napier | six sigma | sports This past week we have seen a pretty notable violation of “respect for people” by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. This incident with the recording of him saying offensive …Continue reading →

Tennessee Baseball – Nation’s Fastest Field Cleanup TAGS: 5S | baseball | cleanup | college | consulting | field | fun | kaizen | lean | lean blitz | operations | six sigma | sports | standardized work | tennessee | thinking The University of Tennessee baseball team claims to have the nation’s fastest pregame field cleanup. Before home games the players sprint out to handle cleanup tasks at the end of …Continue reading →

MLB Instant Replay Still Absorbing A Lot Of Time TAGS: baseball | blitz | consulting | instant replay | lean | lloyd mcclendon | mlb | mlb instant replay | operations | pace of game | pace of play | process | replay | six sigma | slow | sports | time | transfer rule Because of many obviously-blown calls (well, obvious to everyone but the umpire) in baseball but no means by which to really review and retract judgments, Major League Baseball rightfully decided …Continue reading →

2014 Masters: Bubba Golf and Kaizen Thinking TAGS: augusta national | blitz | bubba golf | bubba watson | champion | clubs | consulting | golf | ideas | kaizen | lean | masters | operations | process | sports Bubba Watson is in the last pairing for the final round of The Masters at Augusta National today. He is a past Masters champion, having won in 2012 in a …Continue reading →

2014 Masters: Temporary Elimination of Masters Security Protocols? TAGS: augusta national | blitz | consulting | golf | golf club | lean | masters | masters security | operations | process | protocol | safety | securitas | sports | standard work The typical Masters security process and protocol is standard but rigorous – no cell phones or weapons, no outside food or beverage, prepare to walk through a metal detector, and …Continue reading →

2014 Masters: How Weather Affects Concessions and Masters Merchandise Inventories TAGS: 2014 | augusta | augusta national | blitz | club | concessions | consulting | continuous improvement | eisenhower tree | food | georgia | golf | inventory | lean | masters | merchandise | operations | process | sports | waste | weather Typically springtime weather in all parts of the country is crazy and hard to predict, but the last three years have seen upwards of 90-degree temperatures during The Masters Tournament …Continue reading →

Sliding Head First Into First Base Is A Bad Process With A Risky Result TAGS: base | baseball | blitz | consulting | dive | faster | first | head | injury | lean | mythbusters | physicist | risk | safety | slide Why do players think it’s a good idea to slide head first into first base? The baseball season is barely nine games old and already there have been two injuries …Continue reading →

2014 Masters: Masters Media Guide Reprinting After Eisenhower Tree Felling TAGS: 2014 | augusta national golf club | blitz | consulting | eisenhower tree | golf | guide | ice storm | lean | lean manufacturing | masters | media | operations | printing | process | reprint Earlier this winter Augusta suffered through a major ice storm that destroyed trees all over the region. Augusta National Golf Club was no exception and the Eisenhower Tree, one of …Continue reading →

2014 Masters: Eisenhower Tree Removal Will Change The Game TAGS: adam scott | augusta georgia | augusta national golf club | blitz | change | consulting | eisenhower tree | golf | ice storm | ike's tree | lean | lean manufacturing | masters | pax | tournament Imagine a manufacturing process that has operated in mostly the same way every year. The same suppliers, the same machines, the same internal process steps. Extremely consistent inputs and outputs, …Continue reading →

2014 Masters: Practice Round Rainout Policy TAGS: 2014 | augusta national golf club | blitz | consulting | golf | lean | lean manufacturing | masters | masters rainout | masters rainout policy | operations | policy | process | rainout | respect for people | sports The 2014 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club is here! Sadly, for the first time in over ten years, inclement weather has forced the closure of a round at The …Continue reading →

ASQ Quality for Life Video: Lean In Sports TAGS: american | asq | blitz | consulting | costs | customer satisfaction | interview | lean | non value added time | operations | process | quality | quality for life | society | sports | video Last year at the American Society for Quality (ASQ) World Conference on Quality and Improvement I had the opportunity to record an interview about how Lean and quality can have …Continue reading →

How Can The Miami Marlins Equate Playing Faster With Success? TAGS: baseball | blitz | consulting | cost | david samson | delivery | lean | major league baseball | marlins | metrics | miami marlins | moneyball | operations | pace of game | play faster | president | process | quality | safety | sports | sqdc The Miami Marlins continue to demonstrate that they struggle with really understanding what matters to their fans. Sure, they’ve won some World Series titles in the last 20 years, but …Continue reading →