Thursday, October 5, 2023:

Post Conference Workshops

How to Create Visible Knowledge

Dantar Oosterwal,  Argo-Efeso Consulting Group

Durward Sobek, Montana State University

This workshop gives you practical tools described in the fabulous book Visible Knowledge for Flawless Design. Learn the key elements of this forgotten art.

The description of the book says: “Visible knowledge is a tool nearly lost in the West, but it has been used to great effect by Toyota in its 50-year march from non-competitiveness to its current status as the second largest automobile company in the world. It is key for the 50% growth in market share Toyota plans for this decade despite worldwide overcapacity in the auto business. This book presents the reader with a systematic approach to create, capture, and display knowledge in a way that allows development teams to optimize the design of their products and production processes. Visible knowledge not only applies to knowledge management, but provides a means of collaboration to facilitate better decision-making in the development process. This book has evolved out of a manuscript that Allen Ward, the foremost U.S. expert on lean product development, was writing at the time of his untimely death. It is not intended to be a treatise of Lean product development methods. Quite the opposite-it is focused on one small piece, "visible knowledge." It is, however, one technique that Dantar Oosterwal and Durward Sobek have found to be very effective at Harley-Davidson and other places, and a tool that can make a difference whether used by itself or as a starting point for a larger journey into Lean product development. In completing this work, Oosterwal and Sobek kept the aim true to Allen's original intent. The preface and first three chapters are essentially Allen's original intellectual contribution. They have made editorial changes to improve readability and clarity of explanation. Throughout, they have attempted to preserve Allen's voice in the writing, even keeping the narrative in first person as it was originally written. They have also added a fourth chapter that highlights some practical ways to apply the ideas presented in earlier chapters, illustrated with case examples from their experience.”

In the morning session of the workshop you will learn valuable methods to capture, visualize and re-use knowledge. During the afternoon Dantar and Durward will coach and guide you of how to do this at home, in your own environment and with your own captured knowledge.

Dantar Oosterwal, Sr. Vice-president at Argo-Efeso consulting group, is highly regarded as a global thought-leader in Lean Innovation & Product Development systems as well as an advisor, speaker and award-winning author. He has a passion for learning and applying lean product development systems to impact improvements of business performance. Dantar has championed many large and global operational improvement initiatives as well as developed and led Lean Innovation transformations for organizations resulting in profound improvements to both top-line revenue and bottom-line efficiency.

He has been awarded the Shingo Prize for his work in Lean Innovation by the Shingo Institute, the Outstanding Corporate Innovator award from PDMA and several product patents. Dantar has served as the Global Vice President of Innovation at Sara Lee and Product Development & Product Planning Leader at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. His consulting experience spans a diversity of industries ranging from raw materials (mining and chemicals) to high-tech defense systems.

Dantar is the author of The Lean Machine and co-author of Visible Knowledge for Flawless Design.

Durward K. Sobek II is a Professor at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT, and Program Coordinator of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering. He holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an A.B. degree in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College.

Dr. Sobek has been researching lean product development and lean healthcare for nearly two decades, focusing on how organizations can increase their performance capacity through the application of lean principles. He is a co-founder of the Lean Product and Process Development Exchange, Inc., and has published numerous articles in publications such as Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. He is also co-author of three books: Lean Product and Process Development, 2nd edition, Understanding A3 Thinking: A Critical Component of Toyota's PDCA Management System and Visible Knowledge for Flawless Design.

LPPD and Agile, Hardware / Software Interaction

Geoff Neiley, Rapiscan, American Science & Engineering

Peter Palmér, Scania

This brand new workshop treats the question: What happens when you are on a clear LPPD journey and suddenly Agile appear as a silver bullet? and how to take advantage of the challenge.

​We will start by describing the current situation at two stable companies working with LPPD (Rapiscan and Scania) and discuss the possibilities, threats and problems that agile brings to the table, both for software as well as hardware development. We will share many practical examples and solutions, both those who worked and those who didn´t and what we can learn from both.

During the workshop we will discuss the different variants of agile and concentrate on the different principles behind. Starting with the agile manifesto and it´s principles, scrum, modern agile and more up and including LESS and SAFe.

We will compare the values and principles from the agile world and look into the similarities and differences and try to reach a common understanding on to how to treat an agile way of working comparing to the way of working with Lean Product and Process Development.

Geoff Neiley has been in the mechanical engineering field for 25 years, starting at NESLAB Instruments designing water chilling systems. After he spent 15 years working for BTU International where he began to see the reap the values of concurrent engineering.

3 years after joining AS&E in 2011, the leadership team introduced the concept of Lean Product Development. Geoff joined the leadership team reading many Lean PD books, inviting Lead PD practitioners to AS&E and attending LPPDE for several consecutive years. AS&E has roundly embraced the concurrent engineering aspects of Lean PD focusing greatly of Set-Base Innovation and cross-functional collaboration with our supply chain and manufacturing team. Today he is still learning and experimenting with lean processes and enjoys the pride felt in the team by enabling cross-functional to achieve challenging, rewarding goals.

Peter Palmér has extensive experience in lean management in both production and product development, as well as experience of leadership in other cultures. With 18 years of experience within production, engineering and quality followed by 20 years in various management positions in product development Peter has many stories to tell. Since the beginning of the 1990es he has been closely involved with the Scania Way development journey both in Sweden and South America.

He is a frequent speaker at international and national conferences on the subject about LPPD and leadership. Peter has been working closely with LPPDE since the organization's start 2008 including seven years on the LPPDE board with a second period started 2023. Through LPPDE Peter has organized and chaired or co-chaired many conferences in Europe and in the US. Since the end of 2020 he runs the monthly LPPDE Virtual Summits, a four hour learning exchange with four different speakers. He is a member of various LPD-networks and has co-developed LPD training courses with Chalmers Professional Education and The KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

Lunch for workshop participants

Workshop Track 1 - Afternoon Half-day

How to Create Visible Knowledge – Practical Deep Dive on Your Problems

Dantar Oosterwal,  Argo-Efeso Consulting Group

Durward Sobek, Montana State University

This workshop gives you practical tools described in the fabulous book Visible Knowledge for Flawless Design. Learn the key elements of this forgotten art.

The description of the book says: “Visible knowledge is a tool nearly lost in the West, but it has been used to great effect by Toyota in its 50-year march from non-competitiveness to its current status as the second largest automobile company in the world. It is key for the 50% growth in market share Toyota plans for this decade despite worldwide overcapacity in the auto business. This book presents the reader with a systematic approach to create, capture, and display knowledge in a way that allows development teams to optimize the design of their products and production processes. Visible knowledge not only applies to knowledge management, but provides a means of collaboration to facilitate better decision-making in the development process. This book has evolved out of a manuscript that Allen Ward, the foremost U.S. expert on lean product development, was writing at the time of his untimely death. It is not intended to be a treatise of Lean product development methods. Quite the opposite-it is focused on one small piece, "visible knowledge." It is, however, one technique that Dantar Oosterwal and Durward Sobek have found to be very effective at Harley-Davidson and other places, and a tool that can make a difference whether used by itself or as a starting point for a larger journey into Lean product development. In completing this work, Oosterwal and Sobek kept the aim true to Allen's original intent. The preface and first three chapters are essentially Allen's original intellectual contribution. They have made editorial changes to improve readability and clarity of explanation. Throughout, they have attempted to preserve Allen's voice in the writing, even keeping the narrative in first person as it was originally written. They have also added a fourth chapter that highlights some practical ways to apply the ideas presented in earlier chapters, illustrated with case examples from their experience.”

In the morning session of the workshop you will learn valuable methods to capture, visualize and re-use knowledge. During the afternoon Dantar and Durward will coach and guide you of how to do this at home, in your own environment and with your own captured knowledge.

Dantar Oosterwal, Sr. Vice-president at Argo-Efeso consulting group, is highly regarded as a global thought-leader in Lean Innovation & Product Development systems as well as an advisor, speaker and award-winning author. He has a passion for learning and applying lean product development systems to impact improvements of business performance. Dantar has championed many large and global operational improvement initiatives as well as developed and led Lean Innovation transformations for organizations resulting in profound improvements to both top-line revenue and bottom-line efficiency.

He has been awarded the Shingo Prize for his work in Lean Innovation by the Shingo Institute, the Outstanding Corporate Innovator award from PDMA and several product patents. Dantar has served as the Global Vice President of Innovation at Sara Lee and Product Development & Product Planning Leader at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. His consulting experience spans a diversity of industries ranging from raw materials (mining and chemicals) to high-tech defense systems.

Dantar is the author of The Lean Machine and co-author of Visible Knowledge for Flawless Design.

Durward K. Sobek II is a Professor at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT, and Program Coordinator of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering. He holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an A.B. degree in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College.

Dr. Sobek has been researching lean product development and lean healthcare for nearly two decades, focusing on how organizations can increase their performance capacity through the application of lean principles. He is a co-founder of the Lean Product and Process Development Exchange, Inc., and has published numerous articles in publications such as Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. He is also co-author of three books: Lean Product and Process Development, 2nd edition, Understanding A3 Thinking: A Critical Component of Toyota's PDCA Management System and Visible Knowledge for Flawless Design.

Workshop Track 2 - Afternoon Half-day

Innovation Performance: The Good, The Bad and The Worthy

Larry Navarre, Kettering University

This workshop will guide the development of a system to improve Innovation Performance. Attendees will actively define measurements, structure a measurement process, and plan implementation of the system. Innovation performance has a reputation for failure. Our organizations expect us to do better. Participants can choose to use their own organization as context, or use the example case of BrauHaus Frankfort, a fictitious craft brewery. This workshop will engage you to lead innovation to be worthy of your organization’s resources in three interactive modules:

• Defining Your Critical Few Measurements
  • Innovation Performance Mythology and Reality
  • Why Performance is Poor, and How to Make it Worthy
  • What are the Typical Innovation Measurements
  • Defining Your Critical Few Innovation Measurements
• Creating Your Innovation Performance Process
  • Innovation as a System
  • Pulling Performance by Leveraging Lean Processes
  • Defining Your Innovation Performance Process
• Implementing Improved Innovation Performance
  • Leading Like a Chief Entrepreneur
  • Defining Your Innovation Performance Improvement Plan

Larry Navarre is a full-time Lecturer at Kettering University teaching courses in innovation development, supply chain management, project management, and business analytics since 2008.  Larry has earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Kent State University (Kent, Ohio) and a Master of Science in Management degree from Purdue University's Krannert Graduate School of Management (West Lafayette, Indiana).  Larry has 20 years of management experience in the steel, machinery, and plastics industries.  His management responsibilities have spanned from Production Supervisor to Director of Global Product Management and Asian Operations. He has worked internationally with customers, suppliers, and colleagues in 20 countries.  Larry is also a managing owner of two family-owned small businesses managing commercial real estate.