The top-ten Dilbert cartoons on lean

February 3, 2015September 24, 2023 by T. Netland | 12 Comments

Is your organization struggling to implement lean or any similar process improvement program? This post presents the 10 best Dilbert cartoons on lean management.* Scott Adams’ brilliant and popular cartoons provide a reality check for any change agent involved in process improvement. Next time, ask yourself: What would Dilbert do?

#10 Develop a long-term corporate lean program

Restarting a new improvement program every quarter or year? The only ones wagging their tails are the consultants. Instead, develop a lasting corporate lean program—and stick with it for a long time.

The Concept Epicenters of Lean, TQM, Six Sigma & co

January 17, 2014May 26, 2020 by T. Netland | 3 Comments

When it comes to improving production, a standard question is this one: What are the differences between Lean, Total Quality Management (TQM), Six Sigma, Agile, Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM), and all the other prescribed improvement programs? Underlying the question is a rational need to find a way to navigate through the jungle of “solutions”, and select the one(s) that fit exactly your firm. In this blog post, I suggest that considering “Concept Epicenters” might be helpful in making the right strategic choices.

Is Lean Six Sigma relevant for the 21st Century Manufacturing?

May 5, 2013November 18, 2022 by T. Netland | 6 Comments

A report from POMS 2013 in Denver

Are Lean and Six Sigma relevant for the 21^st Century Manufacturing? An answer to this—and thousand other questions—is being suggested at the annual POMS Conference in Denver, Colorado, this week.

The Honeywell Operating System (HOS) reports flourishing success

May 13, 2012May 26, 2020 by T. Netland | 7 Comments

In a recent article, The Economist explains how the electronic giant Honeywell International transformed “from bitter to sweet” over the last eight years following an XPS strategy. In my research I search for evidence for how and why corporate production systems (XPS) succeed and/or fail. The Honeywell article paints a picture of how the Honeywell Operating System (HOS) literally saved the company from bankruptcy and turned it into a multi-billion profit machine. Although the evidence is anecdotal, the managers interviewed in the article provide convincing statements of XPS success: