Author: Nick

Standardization is often misunderstood in organizations pursuing continuous improvement. It’s not about creating rigid rules or bureaucracy—it’s about building a foundation that makes improvement possible, measurable, and sustainable. Without clear, repeatable processes, efforts to improve are inconsistent and difficult to sustain. Standardized processes allow teams to identify inefficiencies, replicate best practices, and measure outcomes objectively.…

Lean thinking can feel abstract when introduced through factories, value stream maps, or Japanese terms. For many people, the easiest way into the Lean circle is not a plant or an office—but a fast-food restaurant. Few systems make flow, waste, and human pressure as visible as a fryer full of fries. Fries as a Lean…

Introduction: Lean Is About Judgment, Not Just Automation Lean was never about removing people from the process. It was about making problems visible, improving flow, and developing human judgment at the gemba. As artificial intelligence and machine learning enter industrial control systems, Lean leaders face a critical choice: will AI be used as a guardian…