The Toyota Way
by Jeffrey Liker
from McGraw-Hill
How to speed up business processes, improve quality, and cut costs in any industry
In factories around the world, Toyota consistently makes the highest-quality cars with the fewest defects of any competing manufacturer, while using fewer man-hours, less on-hand inventory, and half the floor space of its competitors. The Toyota Way is the first book for a general audience that explains the management principles and business philosophy behind Toyota's worldwide reputation for quality and reliability.
Complete with profiles of organizations that have successfully adopted Toyota's principles, this book shows managers in every industry how to improve business processes by:
- Eliminating wasted time and resources
- Building quality into workplace systems
- Finding low-cost but reliable alternatives to expensive new technology
- Producing in small quantities
- Turning every employee into a qualitycontrol inspector
The Six Sigma Handbook: The Complete Guide for Greenbelts, Blackbelts, and Managers at All Levels, Revised and Expanded Edition
by Thomas Pyzdek
from McGraw-Hill
Brand new book, autographed by author.
Lean Thinking : Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated
by James P. Womack
from Free Press
In the revised and updated edition of Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, authors James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones provide a thoughtful expansion upon their value-based business system based on the Toyota model. Along the way they update their action plan in light of new research and the increasing globalization of manufacturing, and they revisit some of their key case studies (most of which still derive, however, from the automotive, aerospace, and other manufacturing industries).
The core of the lean model remains the same in the new edition. All businesses must define the "value" that they produce as the product that best suits customer needs. The leaders must then identify and clarify the "value stream," the nexus of actions to bring the product through problems solving, information management, and physical transformation tasks. Next, "lean enterprise" lines up suppliers with this value stream. "Flow" traces the product across departments. "Pull" then activates the flow as the business re-orients towards the pull of the customer's needs. Finally, with the company reengineered towards its core value in a flow process, the business re-orients towards "perfection," rooting out all the remaining muda (Japanese for "waste") in the system.
Despite the authors' claims to "actionable principles for creating lasting value in any business during any business conditions," the lean model is not demonstrated with broad applications in the service or retail industries. But those manager's whose needs resonate with those described in the Lean Thinking case studies will find a host of practical guidelines for streamlining their processes and achieving manufacturing efficiencies. --Patrick O'Kelley
Expanded, updated, and more relevant than ever, this bestselling business classic by two internationally renowned management analysts describes a business system for the twenty-first century that supersedes the mass production system of Ford, the financial control system of Sloan, and the strategic system of Welch and GE. It is based on the Toyota (lean) model, which combines operational excellence with value-based strategies to produce steady growth through a wide range of economic conditions.
In contrast with the crash-and-burn performance of companies trumpeted by business gurus in the 1990s, the firms profiled in Lean Thinking -- from tiny Lantech to midsized Wiremold to niche producer Porsche to gigantic Pratt & Whitney -- have kept on keeping on, largely unnoticed, along a steady upward path through the market turbulence and crushed dreams of the early twenty-first century. Meanwhile, the leader in lean thinking -- Toyota -- has set its sights on leadership of the global motor vehicle industry in this decade.
Instead of constantly reinventing business models, lean thinkers go back to basics by asking what the customer really perceives as value. (It's often not at all what existing organizations and assets would suggest.) The next step is to line up value-creating activities for a specific product along a value stream while eliminating activities (usually the majority) that don't add value. Then the lean thinker creates a flow condition in which the design and the product advance smoothly and rapidly at the pull of the customer (rather than the push of the producer). Finally, as flow and pull are implemented, the lean thinker speeds up the cycle of improvement in pursuit of perfection. The first part of this book describes each of these concepts and makes them come alive with striking examples.
Lean Thinking clearly demonstrates that these simple ideas can breathe new life into any company in any industry in any country. But most managers need guidance on how to make the lean leap in their firm. Part II provides a step-by-step action plan, based on in-depth studies of more than fifty lean companies in a wide range of industries across the world.
Even those readers who believe they have embraced lean thinking will discover in Part III that another dramatic leap is possible by creating an extended lean enterprise for each of their product families that tightly links value-creating activities from raw materials to customer.
In Part IV, an epilogue to the original edition, the story of lean thinking is brought up-to-date with an enhanced action plan based on the experiences of a range of lean firms since the original publication of Lean Thinking.
Lean Thinking does not provide a new management "program" for the one-minute manager. Instead, it offers a new method of thinking, of being, and, above all, of doing for the serious long-term manager -- a method that is changing the world.
Creating a Lean Culture: Tools to Sustain Lean Conversions
by David Mann
from Productivity Press
2006 SHINGO PRIZE for EXCELLENCE in MANUFACTURING RESEARCH
Lean production has been proven unbeatable in organizing production operations, yet the majority of attempts to implement lean end in disappointing results. The critical factor so often overlooked is that lean implementation requires day-to-day, hour-by-hour management practices and skills that leaders in conventional batch-and-queue environments are neither familiar nor comfortable with.
Creating a Lean Culture helps lean leaders succeed in their personal batch-to-lean transformation. It provides a practical guide to implementing the missing links needed to sustain a lean implementation. Mann provides critical guidance on developing and using the key elements of a lean management system, including: leader standard work, visual controls, daily accountability processes, maintaining a process focus, managing key HR issues, and much more. In addition, a questionnaire is included to help assess current management practices andmonitor progress.
Understanding A3 Thinking: A Critical Component of Toyota's PDCA Management System
by Durward K. Sobek II.
from Productivity Press
Notably flexible and brief, the A3 report has proven to be a key tool In Toyota’s successful move toward organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and improvement, especially within its engineering and R&D organizations. The power of the A3 report, however, derives not from the report itself, but rather from the development of the culture and mindset required for the implementation of the A3 system. In other words, A3 reports are not just an end product but are evidence of a powerful set of dynamics that is referred to as A3 Thinking.
In Understanding A3 Thinking, the authors first show that the A3 report is an effective tool when it is implemented in conjunction with a PDCA-based management philosophy. Toyota views A3 Reports as just one piece in their PDCA management approach. Second, the authors show that the process leading to the development and management of A3 reports is at least as important as the reports themselves, because of the deep learning and professional development that occurs in the process. And finally, the authors provide a number of examples as well as some very practical advice on how to write and review A3 reports.
Lean Six Sigma for Service : How to Use Lean Speed and Six Sigma Quality to Improve Services and Transactions
by Michael L. George
from McGraw-Hill
Bring the miracle of Lean Six Sigma improvement out of manufacturing and into services
Much of the U.S. economy is now based on services rather than manufacturing. Yet the majority of books on Six Sigma and Lean--today's major quality improvement initiatives--explain only how to implement these techniques in a manufacturing environment.
Lean Six Sigma for Services fills the need for a service-based approach, explaining how companies of all types can cost-effectively translate manufacturing-oriented Lean Six Sigma tools into the service delivery process.
Filled with case studies detailing dramatic service improvements in organizations from Lockheed Martin to Stanford University Hospital, this bottom-line book provides executives and managers with the knowledge they need to:
- Reduce service costs by 30 to 60 percent
- Improve service delivery time by 50 percent
- Expand capacity by 20 percent without adding staff
Learning to See: Value Stream Mapping to Add Value and Eliminate MUDA
by Mike Rother
from Lean Enterprise Institute
When John Shook worked at Toyota he noticed that the senior experts on the Toyota Production System often drew simple maps when on the shop floor. These maps showed the current physical flow of a product family and the information flow for that product family as they wound through a complex facility making many products.
The Memory Jogger II
by Michael Brassard
from Goal/QPC
The Memory Jogger II is an easy-to-use pocket guide that describes tools to help you make continuous improvements in an organization. The tools help people at all levels participate in identifying and solving problems; eliminating rework; streamlining processes; improving cross-functional communication; decreasing costs; and measuring results. The guide supports organization-wide consistency and participation in creating organizational breakthroughs and improvements. It measures 3.5" x 5.5".
Statistics for Six Sigma Made Easy
by Warren Brussee
from McGraw-Hill
The first plain-English guide to solving real-world problems with Six Sigma
So you're ready to improve your processes and products and satisfy your customers through Six Sigma--but you're not looking forward to navigating complicated statistics in order to get results. Now, Warren Brussee, a veteran Six Sigma manager who helped his teams generate millions of dollars in savings, explains how to use the powerful statistical tools of Six Sigma in easy-to-understand language.
In this step-by-step guide, you get a thorough overview of the Six Sigma methodology and techniques for successful implementation, as well as a clear explanation of DMAIC--the problem solving method used by Six Sigma Greenbelts for projects and process improvements. You'll see how to plot, interpret, and validate data for a Six Sigma project. You will use Excel to make Six Sigma problem-solving calculations in a wide range of areas, from sales and marketing to manufacturing, process work, equipment design, and more. Each chapter also features a brief review of what you've learned. Plus, you get:
- A simplified form of the most common Six Sigma tools
- All the basic Six Sigma formulas and tables
- Dozens of Six Sigma statistical problem-solving case studies
- A matrix for finding the right statistical tool to meet your needs
- Basic Greenbelt training in one concise reference
Best of all, no background in statistics is required--you can start improving quality and initiating cost-saving improvements right away. With all these benefits and authoritative guidance, Statistics for Six Sigma Made Easy is the only reference you need to facilitate real-world application of Six Sigma tools.
A veteran GE manager explains the tools of Six Sigma--in plain English This is the first simple, low-level guide to using the powerful statistical tools of Six Sigma to solve real-world problems. Warren Brussee, a Six Sigma manager who helped his teams generate millions of dollars in savings, shows how to plot, interpret, and validate data for a Six Sigma project. The basic statistical tools in the book can be applied to manufacturing, sales, marketing, process, equipment design, and more. Best of all, no background in statistics is required to start improving quality and initiating cost-saving improvements right away.Features dozens of Six Sigma statistical problem-solving case studies Presents a simplified form of the most common Six Sigma tools Simplifies Greenbelt training with one concise reference Explains how to use Excel to make Six Sigma problem-solving calculations Includes all the basic Six Sigma formulas and tables
Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence (with CD-ROM)
by James R. Evans
from South-Western College Pub
Prepare for success in quality management today with this leading text's focus on the fundamental principles and emphasis on high performance management practices, such as those reflected in the Baldrige Criteria. These authors are experienced leaders in the fields of performance management and quality. Look no further for the definitive resource for coverage of ISO 9000 certification, Six Sigma, and the U.S. Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award standards. A wealth of current examples from leading organizations reflect quality throughout the world as they emphasize the practical aspects of the book's managerial focus and pertinent technical topics. You can efficiently prepare to become an ASQ Certified Quality Manager, as this edition covers most of the Body of Knowledge required for ASQ certification. It's everything you need, now and throughout your career, to ensure quality management success.
+++
