Where lean product development experts and practitioners share their stories
Design for Manufacturing Is a Leadership Mindset
From engineering tool to competitive advantage Many organizations talk about Design for Manufacturing, or DFM, as if it were a technical checklist. In some companies, DFM appears late in the product development process, often right before tooling, pilot builds, or...
Who Casts the Biggest Shadow? Why Your Earliest Decisions Decide the Planet’s Bill
Most of a product’s environmental footprint is locked in shockingly early, when uncertainty is highest and knowledge is thinnest. This is where “who casts the biggest shadow?” becomes a crucial question for innovation and sustainability. The shadow of early...
Compressed Learning Cycles: Or, How to Stop Admiring the Problem and Start Outsmarting It
Image. At the left—traditional—long duration learning cycles (1:1), build the super-system in one Go and Sense-Analyze-Respond. At the right—compressed learning cycles (10:1), build multiple sub-system prototypes to learn what doesn't work week one. After 25+...
The Art of the Beginning. Don’t Trip at the Starting Line.
Image. At the top, short learning cycles, test to failure with cheap, sub-system prototypes. Learn efficiently what doesn't At the bottom, traditional long system iterations. Learn what doesn't work late. Worst case through customer complaints. Ah, the “Art of...
Schedule Is King: A Lean Product Development Perspective
Years ago, Professor Durward Sobek II from Montana State University came to my company to teach set‑based design. Like many Lean product development concepts, the mechanics were interesting—but the most powerful takeaway was a single sentence: “Schedule is King.” At...
Lean Product and Process Development: From Great Products to Great Value Streams
Lean Product and Process Development (LPPD) is not just about designing better products; it is about designing the entire system that creates and delivers value to customers. When organizations focus only on the product and leave the process for later kaizen, they...