Jeffrey Liker

Once again Dr. Shigeo Shingo will amaze you. Along with Taiichi Ohno, Dr. Shingo co-developed TPS (LEAN) with his deep understanding of how to improve the overall process of production. Dr. Shingo reveals how he taught Toyota and other Japanese companies the art of identifying and solving problems.

Beyond Heroes explains how the ThedaCare Health System, based in Northeast Wisconsin, transformed their culture by redesigning their system of daily management.Hospitals have long relied on the heroics of one brilliant nurse or doctor to save the day. Such heroics often result in temporary workarounds and quick fixes that leave not only patients and quality care at risk, but also increase costs. This is the story of an organization breaking that habit. Like a growing number of healthcare organizations around the world, ThedaCare, Inc. has been using lean thinking and the principles of the Toyota Production System to improve quality of care, reduce waste, and become more reliable. But lean thinking was incompatible with ThedaCare's old top-down, hero-based system of management. Kim Barnas, former SVP of ThedaCare, shows us how she and her team created a management system that is stable and lean, to spur continuous improvement. Winner of a Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award! Beyond Heroes shows the reader, step by step, how ThedaCare teams developed the system, using the stories of its doctors, nurses and administrators to illustrate. The book explores each of the eight essential components of the lean system, from front-line problem solving with the scientific method to daily team huddles and creating standard work for leaders all the way to the top of an organization. Finally, the author introduces four executives from healthcare systems across North America who have implemented ThedaCare's system and share the lessons they learned along the way. Beyond Heroes is not just a call to action or an argument for a better healthcare system. It is a necessary roadmap through the rocky terrain ahead, one that healthcare leaders can customize to their special needs.

Following in the footsteps of its bestselling predecessor, Kevin J. Duggan, an executive mentor and recognized authority on Lean and Operational Excellence, draws on more than 10 years of experience and learning to provide Creating Mixed Model Value Streams, Second Edition. This second edition takes a step-by-step approach to implementing Lean in complex environments and describes which Lean techniques to use when faced with difficult situations―including high product mix, scheduling problems, shared resources, and unstable customer demand. In addition to a new section on handling shared resources to support mixed model production, the second edition: Contains updates to sections on mixed model value streamsIntroduces new information on constructing product family matrices Expands on the concept of takt in mixed models Provides additional insights on existing mixed model concepts, such as determining product family, takt capability, and heijunka (load level scheduling)Presents new concepts on sequencing work, such as offset scheduling and sequenced first-in, first-out (FIFO) lanesIllustrated with a case study based on actual experience as well as downloadable resources with helpful tools, the book walks readers through the reasoning the author has used with great success in practice. It delves beyond the basics of value stream mapping to explain how to create future states in a manufacturing environment characterized by multiple products, varying cycle times, and changing demand. Demonstrating advanced techniques for creating flow through shared resources, it also considers the concept of a guaranteed turnaround time for the shared resource. The Downloadable Resources Include: Spreadsheet and tutorial for sorting products into familiesSpreadsheets for calculating equipment required and for determining the interval for Every Part Every Interval (EPEI)Samples of visual method sheets for standard workCase study value stream maps and mapping icons