Lean begins with the customer. Quite often Lean transformation efforts stumble or fail because we never seriously consider what the customer wants or, more importantly, what the customer needs.

Oddly enough, I learned this lesson as a young highway department engineer designing a retaining wall for a freeway exit. It’s convoluted, but it’s literally a million-dollar story. Continue reading →

General Motors new CEO, Mary Barra, released to the public a report of a thorough and independent investigation led by Anton Vulakas into how the company managed, or failed to manage, a single small problem in the development of a single car platform. It’s still too early to tell how much this small problem — inadequate force on a detent plunger in the ignition switch — will cost GM, but it will be in the range of a billion dollars.

Business schools will be discussing this investigation for decades. Right now I can find in this report two simple and important lessons for would-be Lean practitioners.  Continue reading →