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 One of the projects I’m working on today involves optimizing internal check-in/scheduling/approval processes for a network of stores. With store management and operations management we have found opportunities within those …Continue reading →

S.M.A.R.T. Goal Update TAGS: 5S | augusta | blitz | books | dayton | deck chair | desk | entertainment center | french bulldog | georgia | goals | goodwill | kitchen | lean | moving | ohio | operations | process | refrigerator | relocation | rooster | s.m.a.r.t. | six sigma | smart | sort | sports | television | u-shaped | weed trimmer | weights Back in January I provided a definition to S.M.A.R.T. goals and also shared a few examples I have for myself. One of those goals is reducing the amount of “stuff” …Continue reading →

Lean Tools: 5S and How Sort is Half the Battle TAGS: 1980's | 5S | accounting | asset tags | ballrooms | blitz | capital equipment | categories | catwalk | concourse | desks | finished goods | flexibility | frequency | g.i. joe | kitchen | knowing is half the battle | lean | liquid | maintenance | necessary | not necessary | office | operations | point of use storage | processes | raw materials | real american hero | recycle | safety | salvage | separate | set in order | shine | six sigma | sort | sports | stadium | standardize | suites | sustain | tag | tagging Remember those G.I. Joe cartoons from the 80′s where at the end of each episode one of the Joes would teach us a life lesson (about nutrition, honesty, school, etc.)? …Continue reading →

Case Study: University of Notre Dame Football Locker Room “Deep Clean” TAGS: 5S | autonomous management | basic conditions | bcs championship | boston college | bowl game | brian kelly | captain | cleaning | continuous improvement | deep clean | espn | flu | football | harrison smith | head coach | infected | irish | kitchen | lean | locker room | notre dame stadium | processes | standards | stephon tuitt | tpm | university of notre dame | wastes | weight room While this is slightly old news now that the college football season comes to a close tonight with the BCS Championship Game, the University of Notre Dame football team experienced …Continue reading →

A Lean Discussion With My Grandma TAGS: baseball winter meetings | brochure | cans | chicago | dallas texas | envelope | excess inventory | floor | grandma | green beans | inventory | kitchen | money | o'hare | pantry | sales After flying out of Dallas from the Baseball Winter Meetings and landing in Chicago, I was all set to drive home to Ohio but stopped off to stay at my …Continue reading →