The KaiZone

Improving the business of life

Leanable Moment #5: Bedtime Bedlam!

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Bedtime Bedlam

I take a deep breath in as I close the door behind me.

Quietly, slowly, I release the door knob and feel it catch.  I exhale as I tip-toe down the dark hallway.  I can feel the tension in my muscles start to relax.   With a growing confidence, I bound down the stairs, into the tranquility of the family room.  I pause for a moment, taking in the sweet sounds of . . . nothing.  I smile to myself.  Finally, some much needed peace and qu-

I must not have heard the door open, or the pitter-patter of little feet coming down the stairs.  I did not, and could not, however, miss the shrill sound of my youngest daughter, as her frantic call pierced the evening air.

“Daddy!!!”

For a moment, I try to ignore it, hoping maybe it will go away . . . but it never does.  Not last night.  Not the night before that.  Certainly, not the two other times this scene had already played out this very evening.

“DAAAAA-DDY!!!”

I feel the tension slowly crawling up my back and into my neck.  I turn slowly, and smile an exasperated smile.  “Yes, dear, ” I mumble through clenched teeth.

“I DON”T HAVE MY SNUGGIE!!!”  Her eyes swell with tears.  To a three-year-old, this is a real tradgedy.

With that, I scan the room frantically, until my eyes lock on the pink, fuzzy, frilly, shimmery, rose-adorned pile of fabric massed unassumingly in the corner.   In one fell swoop, I leap across the room, seize the blankie, scoop up the teary-eyed toddler and carry the dramatic duo back into the bedroom.

With snuggie tightly in her grasp, she curls up and finds a comfy position on the mattress while I tuck the blanket firmly around her.  I kiss her on the forehead, as the whimpers fade.  I head for the exit.

I take a deep breath in as I close the door behind me.  It’s like déjà vu . . . all over again. [Read more…]

 

The 2014 Mid-Year Leany Awards

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2014 Leany Awards

First, there was The Shingo Prize.  Next came The Silver Toaster Award.  Now, The KaiZone is proud to bring to you the first ever Leany Awards, for excellence in Lean blogging!  In this very special edition of The KaiZone Friday Favorites, we’re going to take a look back and recognize the top author, blog and post of the half-year for 2014.

How the Winners Were Chosen

Each and every morning, I have made a habit of starting my day by reading the new posts from more than 60 blogs in the world of Lean and continuous improvement.  Every two weeks, I select the ten most original, thoughtful and entertaining posts to create TheKaiZone Friday Favorites.

To determine the best of the best, I’ve assigned a point total to each of the 120 posts to appear on the Friday Favorites this half-year.  For each edition, 10 points were given to first place, 9 points for second, 8 points for third, etc . . . I then totaled up all the points from each of the 12 KaiZone Friday Favorites this year to determine the Leany Award winners for the top Lean Blog Author and top Lean Blog of the half-year 2014.

On the other hand, the Leany Award for the best single post was selected completely subjectively by yours truly, based on the piece that I found most impactful over the past six months.  Sorry . . . my blog, my rules!

And now that the formalities are out of the way, it’s time to award the first ever Leany Award to the top Lean blogger of 2014. [Read more…]

 

A Lesson in Humility, Part 1 with Daniel Jones, Matt Elson and Tracey Richardson

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Friends of the KaiZoneIf I were to distill down my 31 years to a single word, it would be serendiptity. When I look back, I’ve come to realize that in the pursuits of  my life, I’ve very rarely been fulfilled by that which I’ve sought; it is the act of seeking, however, that has rewarded me in ways that are both completely unexpected and absolutely invaluable.

The piece that you are about to read is my epitome of serendipity.  On one level, the original intention of the post, I sought advice from who I believe to be the top Lean thinkers alive to share here in my little corner of the internet with you all.  Certainly, the responses that I received – actually, that I received any responses at all – more than exceeded even my most wishful expectations.  However, in true serendipitous fashion, in seeking and receiving wisdom from these three individuals, I was taught for more than I would have ever imagined.

To maintain integrity to the original intention of the piece, and out of the respect to the contributing authors, I have divided the piece into two parts.  In the first, Mr. Jones, Mr. Elson and Ms. Richardson provide us with their words of wisdom for the Lean journey.  In the second part, I will take you behind the scenes to look at how the piece came to be, and how its lessons both reinforce and transcend the concept of Lean thinking. [Read more…]

 

60% of Projects Fail: Improve Your Odds with the Premortem Technique

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Tips for Increasing Personal Productivity and Time ManagementRead on for your free premortem template and facilitator guide.  Personal Productivity Pointers give you the tips and tricks that productivity masters use to get more things done.  Using Lean thinking to keep your ideas and your outputs flowing, you’ll turn your to-do list into a to-done list.  It’s like a shot of espresso for your daily grind.

Every single day, things die unnecessarily.  Lots of things.

In fields such as healthcare, the connotation is unfortunately a literal one.  Each year, 900,000 Americans die prematurely from the five leading causes of death, and the figures suggest that between 20% and 40% are preventable.

However, in most areas, death takes on a more figurative sense.  Projects die.  Programs flat line.  Initiatives nosedive.  Transformations fail.   And the rate at which they do is alarming.  Estimates suggest that only 41% of projects will be successful in terms of meeting expectations for time, cost and quality.  Whether the number is completely accurate is irrelevant; the undeniable truth is that in whatever we set out to accomplish, there is a real and significant chance that we will fail.

In response to these failures, organizations have turned to postmortem reviews designed to prevent future recurrences.  No matter how thorough and effective the postmortem, however, there is and always will be one **ahem** fatal flaw with the process.  Let’s see if you can pick it out in the diagram below:

[Read more…]

 

Collective Ignorance: On the Razor’s Edge

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Tweetable Tips from @TheKaiZone Logo - v3

Tweetable Tips from @TheKaiZone brings you quick-hit, high-impact lessons to improve your lean practice.  The learning is short, sweet – and best of all – sharable!  And if you find the tips to be useful, simply use the ‘”Click to Tweet” link within the post to share the learning with others!  

Famous ‘Razors’ in Human History

william-of-ockham1852:  Despite meeting his end more than 500 years prior, William of Ockham becomes the namesake for Occam’s Razor, the principle that guides us, in true K.I.S.S. fashion, to avoid complicating theories with additional assumptions when a simpler explanation will fit the observations.

 

Razor Ramon1992: Scott Hall, a.k.a. Razor Ramon, makes his professional wrestling debut.  In more than four years with the World Wrestling Federation, he wins 4 championships and shows the world what happens when you mess with the bad guy.

 

 

mach-3-blades-8

2003: Gillette debuts the M3 Power, the 432nd incarnation in the Mach 3 line of shaving products.  At a time when the shaving experience couldn’t get any less enjoyable, the M3 Power was the first razor to feature an annoying battery-powered hum and finger-numbing vibration.

 

OK, so outside of an occasional reference to Occam’s Razor, the ‘razors’ on this list have not had much of an impact within the Lean community.  Well, my friends, that’s all about to change.  Move over Occam.  There’s a new razor in town. [Read more…]