The KaiZone

Improving the business of life

Giving Thanks by Giving Back with Lean (+ Free Book Giveaway)

by 8 Comments

The KaiZone Community Outreach

This Thursday, November 24th marks the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.  I’d like to wish The KaiZone Community a very Happy Thanksgiving!  And a belated Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends in the Great White North!

How will YOU give thanks?

We all have much for which we can be thankful.  For faith, family and friends.  For health and happiness.  And for the truly fortunate, for wealth and prosperity.  The Thanksgiving season provides us with an opportunity to reflect on all of the things for which we are grateful.  But how many of us take the time to express that gratitude to others?  After all, shouldn’t a holiday named Thanksgiving be about actually giving thanks?

This Thanksgiving – instead of mulling over that third helping of mashed potatoes or who is going to win the big game – find time to add real value to your holiday.  Commit to show your gratitude in the year ahead for all that you have by giving back to those who are in need.

And what better way to give back to others than through Lean? [Read more…]

 

The First KaiZone Lean Song Parody Contest

by 10 Comments

The KaiZone Community OutreachI’ve got a confession to make.  When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of . . .  “Weird Al” Yankovic.  And I do mean a HUGE fan.  I owned just about every CD he ever produced . . . even a few on cassette.  Yes, I said it.  “Weird Al”.  On Cassette.  It literally does not get any nerdier than that.

I’ve got another confession to make.  As an adult, I’m still a huge fan (even if his latest video does describe my writing to a tee).  There are very few things I appreciate in the world of comedy than a good song parody.  And, believe it or not, the lean world has seen it’s share of witty song parodies through the years.  First, Mark Graban brought us Gemba Claus.  Then, Bruce Hamilton upped the ante with Addicted to Lean.  Now it’s your turn!

By the time you read this, TheKaiZone will be on a two-week hiatus, as I enjoy some much-needed down time with my family on a quiet little island in the middle of nowhere.  What a better way to check out then by having a little fun?  So without further adieu, I am extremely excited to announce the kickoff of the first ever KaiZone Song Parody Contest!

Contest Rules

Simply create a parody of a popular song with a lean-related theme.  Enter your parody in the contest in one of three ways: 1.) by creating a music video, 2.) by making an audio recording, or 3.) by writing out the lyrics. Email your entry to  joel@thekaizone.com.  Entries will be accepted between now and Tuesday, September 30th, 2014.  All submissions will be posted on TheKaiZone the week of October 5th, 2014, and (assuming I can figure out the technological details) voting will be open to the entire KaiZone Community.  The winner will receive eternal fame and notoriety, in addition to their choice of any single book from The Lean Book Shop.

If you have any questions, (or if anyone that you know of would be willing to animate a music video for me in exchange for some free advertising), please use the Contact The KaiZone link or email me directly at joel@thekaizone.com.

Please spread the word to anyone else who may be interested in having a little lean fun!

One Last Thing . . . A Very Sincere Thank You

Next week, TheKaiZone will turn 6 months old.  To be brutally honest, I never thought that the site would make it this long.  Before I started this blog, I dreamed for years about creating a place where I could help others on their journeys and where I could contribute to the spread of real lean thinking.  But, because I doubted myself, and especially my lack of Toyota credentials, I never took the initiative to do so for fear of rejection.  One ordinary evening at home, I decided that I needed to set a better example for my three children and, as I said in my very first post, I took the leap.

Now, almost six months later, the blog following is growing slowly but surely, and I consider it all to be my proudest achievement (outside of my family, of course).  I cannot express how much happiness and humility running this site has added to my life.  And I have you all to thank for it.  Thank you for reading, thank you for commenting and thank you, most of all, for supporting my personal lean journey.  You drive me to continually improve the site and to deliver more educational and engaging content, and I hope that shows over the next six months, and well beyond.

Thank you, KaiZone Community!  I appreciate you all more than you know.

And now, as Jack Sparrow once said, “bring me that horizon . . . “

 

What is Your Vision of Lean?

by 1 Comment

The KaiZone Community Outreach

Lean thinking is a journey of learning.  I believe that we learn best when we learn from each other.  The KaiZone Community Outreach is a monthly series designed to promote interesting, thoughtful and entertaining discussion on a wide variety of Lean-related topics.  By contributing to the discussion, you help us all to move forward on our personal Lean journeys, one comment at a time.  That’s The KaiZone Way.

In a few seconds, I want you to sit back and relax.  Close your eyes, and in as much detail as you can, create a mental picture of what a Lean process looks like.  Not just any Lean process, but the ideal Lean process.  What is the physical layout of the process?  How do the materials flow?  How do the people perform their work?  I’m serious.  Take a full minute and do it now.  I’ll wait . . .

[Read more…]

 

Lean(?) Soda Machine

by 2 Comments

The KaiZone Community OutreachLean thinking is a journey of learning.  I believe that we learn best when we learn from each other.  The KaiZone Community Outreach is a monthly series designed to promote interesting, thoughtful and entertaining discussion on a wide variety of Lean-related topics.  By contributing to the discussion, you help us all to move forward on our personal Lean journeys, one comment at a time.  That’s The KaiZone Way.

This month’s Community Outreach topic comes to us from one of the most dynamic and passionate Lean thinkers you’ll find, Paul Akers via his blog at 2SecondLean.com.   Do check out Paul’s site, which contains a ton of great videos focused on what really matters in a Lean organization . . . developing the problem solving skills of the people that do and manage the work.  If you can spare the time, I highly recommend the video “Kaizen – FastCap Style” to demonstrate how small, rapid improvements can transform a process.

Recently, one of the videos posted on Paul’s blog set off quite a debate between a few of my colleagues and me.  The video was contributed by Phillip Cohen from Cohen Architectural Woodworking to provide an example of how their organizations has created a culture of problem solving.  Their motto is, “If you see something that bugs you, fix it!” and in the video below the problem that they are trying to fix is the factory soda machine.

[Read more…]

 

The Tesla Model S: Is It Lean?

by 2 Comments

Tesla Model S

I need your help!

It all started with a simple email.  A friend sent me a video clip last week that that sparked a quite a bit of debate between the two of us.  Ten or so email exchanges later, and we agreed to disagree.  Now I want you to weigh in!

Last year, Wired produced a video series entitled A Peek Inside Tesla’s Robotic Factory.  In the three part series, we get a detailed look at the end-to-end process – from incoming raw materials through final inspection – for the assembly of the modern marvel of automobile engineering and design that is the Tasla Model S.  The factory, set in the former NUMMI production facility, is simply awesome to see in action, with more than 160 high-tech robots performing an intricate mechanical ballet to assemble the sleek sedan.  And while there are many words that we could use to describe the process, would  “Lean” one of them?

The Tesla Model S process: Is it Lean???*

I’ve linked to the three videos below.  Watch for yourself and let me know what you think!  Share your comments in three different ways:

  1. Click on the title of this article and use the comments section at the bottom of the page.
  2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet at me (@TheKaiZone).
  3. Connect with me on LinkedIn and post a reply to the thread for this article.

I will update this page throughout the week with a summary of all three discussion threads.  Check back often and make your voice heard!

*I am asking this question knowing full well that it is highly flawed.  There is no right or wrong answer.  However, the debate gets to the core of exactly what is “Lean”, and that’s something from which we can all learn a great deal.