ASQ Influential Voices: The Value of Appropriate Training TAGS: asq | audit | augusta greenjackets | concessions | consulting | customer | customers | expectations | influential voices | lean | lean blitz | learning | manager | measure | operations | paul borawski | process | quality | sports | training In August, ASQ CEO Paul Borawski penned his thoughts about companies providing training around quality, using data from the Global State of Quality survey to show that companies with centralized …Continue reading →

ASQ Influential Voices: Quality Questions & Challenges TAGS: adidas | asq | attendance | consulting | customers | dallas mavericks | dayton dragons | define | defining | expectations | fans | greenville drive | influential voices | jon spoelstra | lean | lean blitz | mark cuban | maverick | measure | measuring | metrics | nike | paul borawski | quality | season tickets | sponsorships | sports | technology | ticket sales | view from the q Happy Day After Independence Day, America! I hope that everyone reading this today had a very smart and safe holiday. As a member of the ASQ Influential Voices, I provide …Continue reading →

Panera Bread Coffee, Visual Management, and Reduced Motion TAGS: annoyance | bagel | blitz | bottle | bottles | coffee | consulting | consumers | continuous | creamer | customers | fridge | half and half | improvement | lean | metal | milk | operations | optimization | panera bread | process | skim | sports | storage | sugar | sweetener | time | workers Here’s an opportunity for Panera Bread to implement a slight change to their “equipment” in order to better serve the customers and the operators. The typical Panera Bread coffee customization …Continue reading →

The Toyota Way Principle #11: Challenging Your Extended Network TAGS: applebee's | application | blitz | challenge | check-in | chili's | consulting | customers | director | food | kitchen | lean | manager | menu | operations | optimize | order | partners | process | request | restaurant | server | six sigma | sports | stockout | store | suppliers | toyota | way (This is part of a series of posts examining the 14 principles from The Toyota Way. Today we’re looking at The Toyota Way principle 11.) One of the projects I’m working on today …Continue reading →

The 14 Principles from The Toyota Way TAGS: augusta | blitz | club | consensus | continuous | continuous improvement | controls | customers | decisions | develop | employee | engagement | flow | gemba | golf | lean | learning | liker | masters | meier | national | operations | overproduction | partners | philosophy | principles | process | pull | reflection | reliable | six sigma | standardized | suppliers | technology | tools | toyota | understand | visual | way | work When I first started the Lean Blitz blog, I jumped right into the Lean wastes and initial discussion of the Lean tools. Looking back, what I should have done was …Continue reading →

Overproduction Example: Too Many Boxes! TAGS: beer | blitz | boxes | cleaning | concessions | customers | cycle time | forklift | hot dogs | inventory | lean | material handler | nachos | operations | operator | overprocessing | processes | productivity | safety | six sigma | sports | standardized work | supplier | thomson plastics | training As a refresher, the definition of the lean waste overproduction is the manufacture/assembly/production of more than what is needed at the time. An example of where overproduction can be a) …Continue reading →