Lean Blog Interviews

My guests today are Darrell Damron and Hollie Jensen and we're talking about Lean in Washington state government. Darrell and Hollie are both state employees, serving in the role of Enterprise Lean Consultant within a team called "Results Washington." I've seen them both present at a Lean Enterprise Institute summit and I'm really happy to have them share their ongoing improvement story here in the podcast. In the episode, we talk about their backgrounds and how they got started with Lean - Darrell in the public sector and Hollie at Starbucks. How did the state of Washington get started with Lean? What are some of their goals and accomplishments? How is Lean a strategy under Governor Jay Inslee and why is Lean a non-partisan issue that was supported by both gubernatorial candidates in the last election? What are some of the challenges that lay ahead for Washington? For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/210. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at ww

My guest for episode #209 is George Friesen, Business Practice Leader for Lean Transformations in the Workforce Solutions Group at St. Louis Community College. In this episode, we talk about his early experiences at the GM/Toyota NUMMI plant, why candor and trust are so important in a Lean transformation, and how to engage front-line employees in Kaizen and continuous improvement, and much more. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/209. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. Podcasts are sponsored by KaiNexus and their continuous improvement software platform -- www.KaiNexus.com

Joining me for episode #208 is Michael Bremer, author of the recently released eBook How to Do a Gemba Walk. Michael is president of The Cumberland Group, a business improvement consulting firm based in Illinois.In today's episode, Michael talks about different types of gemba walks, key behaviors that need to be exhibited by leaders, and why it's critically important to build trust and credibility over time. How can gemba walks help a leader be more in touch with reality in the workplace? How can gemba walks help develop critical thinking skills in others? Listen to find out.For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/208.For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes.Podcasts are sponsored by KaiNexus and their continuous improvement software platform -- www.KaiNexus.com

Episode #207 is part two of my conversation with Chris Jerry, founder of The Emily Jerry Foundation. The foundation was created in the aftermath of the tragic death of his daughter, Emily - a preventable medical error caused by a number of factors and bad systems. You can read Emily's story here. In the first part (Episode #203), Chris told the story of what happened. In part two, we talk about topics including: A systems view vs. blaming an individual Chris skipping over the "anger" phase of grief Why his barber required more certification than a pharmacy tech compounding medications? "Emily's Law" was passed in 2009 in Ohio and he's working on this nationally How he learned his ex-wife pursued the criminal charges against Cropp Publicly forgiving Cropp and meeting him face to face for the first time How we're all fallible and capable of making a mistake All of the elements of the system have to fit together and work together Differences between advances in automotive safety over time and healthcare safety W

My guest for episode #206 is Ed Pound, co-author of the book Factory Physics for Managers: How Leaders Improve Performance in a Post-Lean Six Sigma World that was released in April. It is, of course, a new version of the original Factory Physics textbook that I used in college and was the subject of Podcast #25 with Prof. Mark Spearman. Ed is the chief operations officer of Factory Physics, Inc., a company started by Spearman. In the podcast, we talk about the term "Factory Physics" (including the origin of the term) and what it means, including understanding the relationships between capacity, throughput, inventory, and variability. Ed also brings up great points about "dogma" versus manufacturing science, including dogma that can get companies in trouble, including: - Thou shalt have no finished goods inventory - Thou shalt have single piece flow, always - Thou shalt always have a moving assembly line We also talk about the subtitle of the book and what he means by a "post-Lean Six Sigma world" (it doesn't

Episode #205 is a conversation with Joe Schnur, VP Business Development at Intelligent M, a company that "designs data-driven hand hygiene compliance improvement solutions for hospitals that dramatically reduce healthcare-acquired infections and their associated costs." Joe and I share a passion for improving patient safety and we've had a number of great conversations comparing notes on the problem and the different ways we need to work toward solving it. We decided to finally record one of those discussions for a podcast. In the podcast, Joe shares some shocking statistics about "hand hygiene compliance" - that while hospitals report numbers that are far higher, the typical care provider washes or cleans their hands only about 20% of the time. One management challenge (and sales challenge for Joe) is that hospital executives might find it too easy to sit back and point to the inaccurately high numbers that claim 90%+ compliance (numbers that are based on sampling instead of real data). When I first started

Joining me today for Episode #204 is Paul Plsek (@PaulPlsek) and we're talking about his excellent book (a Shingo Research Award recipient this year) titled Accelerating Health Care Transformation with Lean and Innovation: The Virginia Mason Experience. Virginia Mason, of course, is Virginia Mason Medical Center, the outstanding Lean organization that was named "Hospital of the Decade" by Leapfrog Group. In our discussion, we touch on topics including how you can be Lean AND innovative, how an organization and people can LEARN to be innovative, and what is the health system board's role in this innovation and improvement strategy? I think you'll enjoy the discussion (and the book!). You can learn more about Paul, his book, and his work at his website: www.directedcreativity.com. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/204. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple i

My guest for Episode #203 (and future follow ups) is Chris Jerry, founder of The Emily Jerry Foundation. The foundation was created in the aftermath of the tragic death of his daughter, Emily - a preventable medical error caused by a number of factors and bad systems. I first learned about this tragedy a few years back and I blogged about it: "A Pharmacist’s Jail Cell Interview – What Good Does Blame Do?" Some people ask, "Why are you defending a pharmacist who screwed up and killed a sweet little girl?" The main victims were, of course, Emily and her family. That doesn't mean that a simplistic response of punishing and jailing one person will do anything to protect other patients in the future... and Chris Jerry agrees with that view. I saw Chris speak at a conference earlier this year and we finally found an opportunity to record a podcast after talking about this for a few years off and on. The story is powerful and I admire Chris for his work and advocacy to help others -- as a way of honoring Emily and h

My guest today for Episode 202 is Patrick Graupp, co-author of the excellent book Getting to Standard Work in Health Care: Using TWI to Create a Foundation for Quality Care, co-authored with Martha Purrier from Virginia Mason Medical Center. If you're brand new to the Training Within Industry (TWI) model, you might want to first listen to Episode 196, with Jim Huntzinger, on "What is TWI?" Patrick is also a senior master trainer with the TWI Institute. His other publications include the book The TWI Workbook: Essential Skills for Supervisors, a Shingo Research and Professional Publication Prize Recipient for 2007 and Implementing TWI: Creating and Managing a Skills-Based Culture which was published by Productivity Press. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/202. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. Podcasts are sponsored by KaiNexus and their continu

Joining me for episode #201 are Ron Smith, a Process Improvement Coordinator/Lean Facilitator at Mary Greeley Medical Center (in Iowa) and Suz Kaprich, a consultant with KaiNexus (disclosure: I'm on the management team of KaiNexus and have an ownership stake in the company). Today, they are talking about a three-month "WorkOut" process that Ron and Suz ran recently at the hospital. Given the challenges in today's healthcare environment, the focus was on cost reduction and financial benefits, but they of course made improvements to the timeliness and quality of patient care, as well. The total financial impact, validated by finance, was about $800,000 in that time. The goal was not just to drive short-term improvements, but to also demonstrate how improvement was possible... to help spark a culture of ongoing continuous improvement. Through the course of the WorkOut, Mary Greeley Medical Center used the KaiNexus web-based software platform to facilitate and track their improvements and results and they remain

My guest for episode 200 is Paul Spiegelman, author of the book Patients Come Second: Leading Change by Changing the Way You Lead. Today, we're talking about his book and its provocative title - what do you mean patients don't come first? What about this trend for "patient-centered care" (and why wasn't it patient-centered to begin with?). In the podcast, Paul talks about: The book's title and how it was meant to be provocative Why focusing on engaged employees leads to better patient care and more success for the organization How do we crate engagement? Why is it important to connect things to purpose and values? Why is being vulnerable important and why is that the sign of a strong leader? And more.... Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast by visiting the blog page for this episode at http://www.leanblog.org/200. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTu

Joining me for episode #199 is Jeff Gothelf (@jboogie), talking about "Lean UX" or "Lean User Experience," a key method for software development, usually used in conjunction with design thinking, agile development, and Lean Startup business practices. Jeff is author of the book Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience and he is Managing Director at Neo, the global product innovation company. Jeff is teaching a workshop in Austin on June 10 called "Lean UX Bootcamp: Agility through cross-functional collaboration." I barely know anything about LeanUX, but have chatted with Jeff before and read the first few chapters of his book... but my role here is to just ask questions... Jeff will explain Lean UX to us today. I'm taken by the parallels between Lean UX (along with Lean Startup) and more general "Lean," as I know it in manufacturing and healthcare. It's about deeply understand the customer and their needs, forming hypotheses, and iterating in an experimental and data-driven way... a depart

Episode #198 is a discussion with Harry Kenworthy about his work bringing Lean into local and state governments. We had a great conversation that touches on the influence of Dr. W. Edwards Deming and many other concepts that might be of interest even if you're not interested in "Lean Government" and the work happening there. Harry is Principal and Manager of the Quality and Productivity Improvement Center (QPIC, LLC), a consulting organization he founded in 1984 and has been with full time since 2004. He worked with Dr. Deming in 1983-85 on a series of 2 day seminars throughout the US, sponsored by MIT. He has spoken at over 90 conferences on Quality, Productivity, LEAN, and Six Sigma, and has been published several magazines including Quality Progress and Purchasing. He also had working relationships with Dr. Joseph Juran and Dorian Shainin. He was one of the first practitioners to apply LEAN in the Government sector in the mid-90's. Harry was also a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Examiner from 1989

My guest for episode #197 is a hospital leader I really respect, Kim Barnas, author of the new book Beyond Heroes. Until very recently, Kim was a Senior VP at ThedaCare, leading Appleton Medical Center and Theda Clark Hospital. I've seen Kim speak to groups at ThedaCare and a few conferences and she has a lot to teach us about Lean leadership, using her stories and experiences in a way that's very powerful. I hope you'll check out the book.In the podcast today, we talk about topics including her initial reactions to Lean when first introduced to it as a hospital leader, why "heroes" are overrated and sometimes create "chaos" in healthcare, and the importance of moving beyond tools and projects to a Lean culture and management system.Kim talks about the need to "create more value" (not just reduce waste), saying "just trying to do more with less makes no sense - you need a plan." We also talk about programs like GM's "Speak up for Safety," where she says that speaking up "needs to be a conversation, not a repo

My guest for episode 196 is Jim Huntzinger, founder of Lean Frontiers. Today, we're talking about the Training Within Industry methodology and his new website WhatIsTWI.com. We are discussing topics including what a typical TWI "journey" looks like for an organization, how TWI is such a fundamental Lean concept/method, and some examples of how TWI is helping organizations in various industries, including healthcare. What's the latest in the seven years since our first podcast on this topic? Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast by visiting the blog page for this episode at http://www.leanblog.org/196 For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes information on how to subscribe via RSS or via Apple iTunes. You can also listen to streaming episodes of the podcast via Stitcher: http://landing.stitcher.com/?vurl=leanblog If you have feedback on the podcast, or any questions for me or my guests, you can email me at leanp

Joining me for episode #195 is my friend Steve Montague from LifeWings. Steve and I met initially through our shared interest in Lean and, like Ron Pereira, we discovered we both lived in Keller, Texas (I've since moved to San Antonio). Steve is a retired Navy pilot and currently flies for a major commercial airline. He's also been involved, through LifeWings, in the movement to bring aviation safety practices (and culture) to healthcare via "Crew Resource Management" or "TeamSTEPPS." He's also been on the forefront of combining Lean and TeamSTEPPS, something we both agree is a great idea. In honor of National Patient Safety Awareness Week, we talk about topics including: - Steve's background with CRM in aviation and healthcare - Why CRM isn't just about checklists, but also learning how to "communicate more assertively" in the cockpit or operating room... - How Lean and CRM / TeamSTEPPS fit together conceptually - How standardization and iterative improvement fit together There's so much we could talk about,

My guest for episode #194 is Paul Piechota, Director for the Center for Competitive Change at the University of Dayton School of Engineering. Piechota has authored over 30 publications with such titles as Transforming the Enterprise, Getting to the Future First!, and Establishing a Method for Process and Culture Change in the Military. His most recent publication is the book titled, Keeping Your Business in the U.S.A.: Profit Globally While Operating Locally. In this episode, we'll talk about topics including how the university is using Lean and Six Sigma to improve their own operations, how they are getting students involved, and their attempts to engage professors to improve their work in the classroom. This all follows up a blog post I wrote about their press release on this topic. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/194 -- go there for some links and material that Mark wrote to share with the listeners (and he'll have a guest post soon that expands on the thoughts in the podcast).

My guest for episode #193 is Mark Jaben, MD, talking about our brains, Lean, and change. Mark has been a guest blogger for me before and it's great to talk to him today about his research and experiences. In our conversation, Mark talks about "the troublesome features of our brain's operating system" (such as our "hidden brain"), how the A3 problem solving process fits with the way our brains work, and how to deal with "resistance" to change. Mark has also helped talk to some healthcare organizations about KaiNexus and we both presented at a conference last year. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/193 -- go there for some links and material that Mark wrote to share with the listeners (and he'll have a guest post soon that expands on the thoughts in the podcast). Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast by visiting the blog page for this episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main Podcast page at www.leanpodcast.org, which includes in

Joining me for podcast #192 is John Torinus, author of the excellent book, The Company That Solved Health Care: How Serigraph Dramatically Reduced Skyrocketing Costs While Providing Better Care, and How Every Company Can Do the Same. John is the CEO of Wisconsin-based Serigraph Inc., a graphics parts manufacturer with ownership in ten plants in the U.S., Mexico, China and India with over $130M in annual sales. John has served as business editor and columnist at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. John is collaborating with the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value for a new workshop: "Solving the Employer Healthcare Crisis," to be held in Phoenix on January 28 (and hopefully again in the future). In this episode, we talk abouthow Serigraph has kept healthcare costs under control while improving the health of their employees. How do concepts of consumer choice, data transparency, and focusing on preventive care help to "engaged all employees in the healthcare challenge"? For example, 90% of their diabetic employee

Joining me for podcast #191 is my friend and fellow LEI faculty member Mike Orzen (@MikeOrzen), co-author of the Shingo Award-winning book Lean IT: Enabling and Sustaining Your Lean Transformation. I recently crossed paths with Mike in Columbus, Ohio because we're both mentoring students in the Ohio State University MBOE program. We have a lot in common! Mike is also collaborating with the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value for a new workshop: "Leveraging Information, People & Systems in Healthcare," to be held in Phoenix January 28 and 29. In this episode, we talk about topics including an overview of "Lean IT," how Lean is different compared to manufacturing and other service settings, how healthcare organizations can benefit from Lean IT, and the potential for kaizen and continuous improvement in IT. For a link to this episode, refer people to www.leanblog.org/191.  Please leave a comment and join the discussion about the podcast episode. For earlier episodes of the Lean Blog Podcast, visit the main