The role of monetary rewards in lean systems is controversial. Some lean advocates oppose using monetary incentives, arguing that they are ineffective and counterproductive. Others see compensation ...

A monthly overview of things you need to know as an architect or aspiring architect. Unlock the full InfoQ experience by logging in! Stay updated with your favorite authors and topics, engage with ...

Despite the common allegation that lean improvement methods, based on the Toyota production system, must lead to layoffs at hospitals or health systems, the reality is quite different at several ...

There is a dark side of lean management. Although the benefits of it are enormous, the failure rate for lean programs can be very discouraging. After recently attending a lean management conference, I ...

For many large and midsize manufacturers, the challenge of enabling the corporatewide enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to mesh with their lean initiatives on the plant floor requires a ...

In an era of economic unpredictability and tight margins, chief financial officers are under mounting pressure to do more with less. Nearly half of C-suite executives have considered budget cuts for ...

Lean manufacturing is a production system that eliminates waste through all steps in the process to build a product. Companies using lean systems work to reduce costs, inventory and cycle time -- the ...

The command-and-control hierarchical organization of large companies is rapidly giving way to a more biological metaphor, one in which a corporate nervous system senses important signals from the ...

In the first four parts of this lean energy management (LEM) series we have laid out the logic for adoption of lean management techniques common to other manufacturing industries like automotive and ...