Where lean product development experts and practitioners share their stories
Finding joy in lean
A journeyI am a trained scientist. Science taught me to be curious about learning, and to always ask “what else is possible?”. The stories of great scientists, enlightened men and women, who, in the face of adversity, trusted in the raw evidence of their scientific...
“Seeing” waste in Product Development: Knowledge Management
One of the biggest challenges in applying Lean to Product Development is the ability to “see” waste. Manufacturing has traditionally led in Lean implementation, possibly because it is much easier to identify waste in manufacturing. Inventory can be seen. Wasted motion...
Two Dominant problems in Innovation – How to Revitalize Innovation
In my daily work, improving innovation in globally leading companies, I experience two dominant problem areas –innovation level decreasing and overloading of innovation resources. These seem to be systemic and my thinking is that they are based on some ‘traps’. Trap...
In Lean PD, aim for quick kills; but not too quick
One of the most compelling features of lean product and process development is the use of set-based approaches to arrive at the best options for new products. This can be applied to the whole product or to a product feature. Explore the whole design space to find as...
Wright Brothers Eliminate Knowledge Gaps
We visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, NC two summers ago. It was fascinating to see the actual site and the monuments for each of the first 4 flights. My family truly enjoyed the museum. It has been said that the Wright Brothers were...
Somewhere beyond right and wrong, there is a garden….. I will meet you there.
This quote from Jalal ad-Din Rumi, a Perzian philosopher and poet that lived from 1207 – 1273, describes what is at the heart of eastern religion. In Buddhism it is called Dharmakaya, the field of emptiness where all things are exactly ‘as it is’. No ideas, no...