Powering Gemba Walks with Artificial Intelligence | Follow for posts on Continuous Improvement and Innovation

Hi - I'm Ivan, an industrial engineer with 7+ years of experience in Operations Management and Kaizen.

I serve two main groups of people:

1. Executives tired of broken processes burning money - I show them how to fix it and recapture 15-30% in Muda

2. Founders in Continuous Improvement who know their stuff but can't crack LinkedIn - I show them how to turn it into a legit revenue channel

(send me a direct message for more info)

I started writing on LinkedIn in October 2023. Since then, I have been sharing actionable, educational, and entertaining content to support LinkedIn community members in their Kaizen journey. It helped me grow my audience from 9,000 to 100,000 followers in 2024.

I have been posting around:

	• Continuous Improvement
	• Lean Manufacturing
	• Growth Mindset
	• Innovation

Including insights on 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Leadership, Industry 4.0, and Problem Solving. 

Now I'm building Gemba Walk AI to make every Gemba Walk part of a learning system, where collective insights drive faster, better decisions than any single expert could achieve.

For free weekly tips, subscribe to The Kaizen Geek newsletter.

Ivan Carillo

You've got the organizational pyramid upside down.
 
Most organizations look like this:
 
-CEO 
-VPs
-Managers 
-Supervisors
-Frontline Workers
 
But successful Kaizen companies flip it:
 
+Frontline Workers
+Supervisors
+Managers
+VPs
+CEO
 
Why does this matter?
 
Traditional Thinking:
"Management knows best"
 
Kaizen Thinking:
"Those doing the work know best"
 
In the flipped pyramid:
 
+Decisions flow UP from the Gemba
+Leadership serves those who serve customers
+Managers become obstacle removers, not order givers

Powering Gemba Walks with Artificial Intelligence

If your processes are broken, stop blaming people.

(do this instead)

To solve a problem, 
you must first become aware of it.

Here's yours: your standardization sucks.

Taiichi Ohno once said:
"Without standards, there can be no Kaizen."

Yet most "standards" are..

→ 47-page documents nobody reads
→ Outdated procedures from 2019
→ Tribal knowledge in someone's head

Standardization is something different.

I learned this watching a subway crew in Asia last year:

→ 9 minutes to clean an entire train.
→ 50+ people doing it identically.
→ Zero supervision needed.

Their secret?

Visual standards everywhere.

→ Floor marks for equipment placement
→ Colour codes for cleaning sequences
→ Shadow boards for every tool

Not robots.
Empowered humans with solid methods.

When problems occur, they ask:

"How did the standard fail?"
Not "Who failed?"

P.S. Can a new employee follow your standards on day one?

If not, you don't have standards.

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Founder

Advisor

Writer

Amazon

Junior Research Assistant

Powering Gemba Walks with Artificial Intelligence  | Follow for posts on Continuous Improvement and Innovation

English

Italian

Don't overcomplicate things.
Choose Wisely.
Build Simple.
Think Lean.

Never invent rules from the Ivory Tower. 

Go to the Gemba instead.

When British colonizers faced a cobra problem in Delhi, they had a 'brilliant' idea: 

Pay people for every dead cobra.

It worked. At first.

Then someone realized: 
Why hunt cobras when you can farm them?

Cobra farms sprouted up. 
The government stopped the bounty. 

The farmers released their snakes. 
Delhi ended up with MORE cobras than before.

This is the Cobra Effect. And it happens in your plant too.

You create a metric. 
Your team hits the target. 
The real problem gets worse.

Why? 

People game bad metrics instead of solving problems.

I've seen it hundreds of times on the Gemba:

-operators hiding defects to hit quality targets
-teams rushing through audits to meet completion rates
-supervisors closing tickets without fixing root causes

PS: What's the worst metric gaming you've seen?

Kaizen vs. Innovation 

Both are essential, but they serve different purposes. 

Kaizen:  

+Incremental improvement  
+Low risk  
+High involvement  
+Low investment  
+Immediate results  
+Continuous process 

Innovation:  

+Breakthrough change  
+Higher risk  
+Specialized teams  
+Larger investment  
+Delayed results  
+Periodic events 

Best companies don't choose between them. 

They use Kaizen to optimize current operations  
and Innovation to create new value. 

Kaizen builds the foundation that makes Innovation possible. 
Innovation creates the leap that Kaizen then refines. 

Together, they form a powerful system for sustainable growth.

Do you wanna start your Continuous Improvement journey?

Learn to see the 3M's of Lean.

Most leaders can't see waste.
Because they don't know the 3M's:

The 3M's of Lean refer to  

+Muda
+Mura
+Muri

Three Japanese terms used in the Toyota Production System (TPS).

These concepts are key to identifying why your processes are broken:

1/ Muda → Waste

What customers won't pay for.

Muda can be further classified into:

→ Type I: Muda which cannot be eliminated immediately
→ Type II: Muda which can be eliminated quickly through Kaizen

Example: 

I watched a nurse walk 2.7 miles per shift.
Not caring for patients. Just fetching supplies.

That's Muda.

***
2/ Mura → Unevenness

Mura can be seen as variation in quality, cost, or delivery.

It often leads to Muri and Muda.

Example:

Monday: Skeleton crew drowning
Friday: Full staff standing idle

Creating both overtime costs AND wasted wages.
That's Mura.

***
3/ Muri → Overburden

Unreasonable stress or burden placed 
on workers and processes.

Muri often results in safety and quality issues.

Example:

Expecting 60 minutes of work
in 45-minute windows.

Guaranteeing mistakes and burnout.
That's Muri.

P.S. Which M is killing your operation?

Look closer. It's all three.

Companies waste millions on complex automation while ignoring 5S. 

(which could solve 80% of their efficiency problems) 

This doesn't mean automation is wrong. 
But it should build upon, not replace, solid 5S basics. 

5S is a systematic method for workplace organization. 
It uses 5 principles starting with 'S':  

1/ SEIRI (Sort) 
 ↳ Remove unnecessary items 
 ↳ Keep only what's needed 
 ↳ Eliminate clutter 

2/ SEITON (Set in Order) 
 ↳ Organize remaining items 
 ↳ "A place for everything" 
 ↳ Label and mark locations 

3/ SEISO (Shine) 
 ↳ Clean thoroughly 
 ↳ Regular maintenance 
 ↳ Inspect while cleaning 

4/ SEIKETSU (Standardize) 
 ↳ Create consistent procedures 
 ↳ Document best practices 
 ↳ Visual management 

5/ SHITSUKE (Sustain) 
 ↳ Maintain the system 
 ↳ Regular audits 
 ↳ Make it habitual 

Most teams stop at Shine.

Clean up. Celebrate. Move on.

But without standards, there's no way to maintain it. 
Without discipline, it's just another "program."

Programs come and go. 
5S should be daily practice.

Most people are standing in the wrong line.

Look at this image ↓

Where do you stand when change hits?

Five doors. 
Five lines.
Five responses to change.

Two are packed: resist and complain. 
These lines never get shorter.

Acceptance? A few people. 
Advocacy? Even fewer.
Leadership? Nearly empty.

This is about human nature.

We gather where it feels safe.
But impact lives in the empty lines.

Fast, Cheap, Good - Pick two.

(trade-offs are inevitable)

"We need it fast, under budget, and perfect."

Everyone knows it's impossible. Nobody says it.

Three months later: 

The project is late, over budget, or broken.

You can't have everything.

The worst project managers? 

They promise all three. 
Then they blame the team when it doesn't work.

The most common tendency? Falling into the blame trap. But Deming proved this decades ago:


85% of performance problems come from broken systems and processes. Only 15% stem from workers themselves.

Yet when something goes wrong, we immediately ask: "Who messed up?" Wrong question.

The right question: "What in our process allowed this to happen?"

When you blame people for system failures, you fix nothing. You destroy morale and ensure the same problem happens again.

Your people want to do good work. Give them a process that makes it possible.

PS. Gemba Walks make processes visible. 

I wrote Gemba Moonwalker, a 55-page ebook that can help you build your Kaizen culture (one walk at a time).

Download it here, it's free: https://lnkd.in/dj8wmpQS

Data already shows what is about to break, but you are too distracted to look elsewhere (and that's why same problems keep coming back)

Credit to Oleksandr Khimiak (give him a follow)

Problems keep coming back because your team members ignore what the data is already showing them.

Your machines send five signals before problems escalate:

1/ Sequence deviations

The cycle completes, but the order or timing shifts. This is your earliest warning of instability.

2/ Rising servo power draw

Load increases slowly. No alarm trips. Then suddenly you're firefighting.

3/ Micro-stops

60 seconds here, 30 seconds there. Over a shift, you've lost hours in performance loss.

4/ Parameters drifting inside tolerance

Everything stays "in spec." But quality gradually drops, or throughput falls.

5/ Manual interventions

Every workaround leaves a fingerprint in your process, even when operators don't write it down.

This data exists in your systems right now. But teams stay in reactive mode. 

They lack tools to turn signals into insights. So they rely on opinions in root-cause meetings. 

PS. What signals is your team missing?

47 times I walked past it. Third week at the plant. Same operator, same station same routine. Everything looked "normal." Then my mentor asked:


"What do you see?"

"An operator doing his job well."

He smiled. "Count the steps."

That's when it hit me:

Worker picking up part → 3 steps
Getting tool → 7 steps
Processing part → 0 steps (machine does the work)
Returning tool → 7 steps
Placing finished part → 5 steps

22 steps total. 
Only 1 activity added value.

So, obviously, this layout sucks.

PS. What waste are you walking past every day?

Think about this morning. How much time did you spend searching for your phone, a file, or a tool? That's Muda.

Looking for things adds no value. It wastes skills and creative potential. Every minute searching creates frustration and dissatisfaction.

Now multiply one person's search time by the number of people who search and how often they search. By every day of the year.

That's the real cost of disorganization.
Every minute searching: 
→ Adds zero value 
→ Wastes talent 
→ Creates frustration

And it's costing you more than you think.

Disorganization costs you money, talent, and opportunity every single day. Your team wastes hours that could solve real problems instead.

PS. What did you spend 10 minutes looking for today?

Everyone wants to jump straight to solutions. But you can't improve what you don't understand. Before building your continuous improvement culture, answer this:


Where exactly are you now?

Rate your organization (0-10) on:

→ "We" vs "Me" mindset
→ Accountability vs Blame
→ Continuous Learning vs Know-It-All
→ Standardization vs Chaos
→ Prevention vs Fire-Fighting
→ Data-Driven vs Gut-Feel

The gaps you find are your roadmap.

Innovation isn't a way to justify your salary. Listen to your customers. Identify their real pain points. Then solve their problems. Here's how:
  

Start with what your customers actually need. Don't innovate for the sake of novelty. Turn customer input into innovation instead. 

Here are the main steps I suggest you follow:

Listen first → Talk to customers before building anything new.

Solve real problems → Focus on what's broken or missing. 

Use what work → Don't rebuild from scratch when proven solutions exist.

Hire expertise → Bring in people who've already solved similar problems.

Innovation is about making things work better for the people who use them.

PS. You have another way besides Innovation to improve:

Kaizen →  Small improvements through ongoing human effort, teamwork, and training.

If you like Kaizen, you'll enjoy my weekly newsletter.

Join here: ivancarillo.com

KISS emphasizes simplicity over complexity. Here is the core idea: 


Simpler solutions are more robust, easier to understand, and less prone to errors.

Simplicity should be your key design goal. This means prioritizing essential features and avoiding over-engineering.

Use KISS in problem-solving, software engineering, product design, and beyond. 

Remember:

Straightforward approaches consistently outperform complex ones.

You can order sushi by menu
 
Or you can say “I trust you”.
 
Credit to Marco Zima Simonella (give him a follow)
 
Original post below:
 
My family loves sushi.
Even my kids scream “sushiii” every Friday.
It’s our little tradition.
 
This week we shifted it to yesterday.
You can skip a Friday.
But not a full week.
 
Especially after we spent the Christmas week in Sicily without sushi!
 
We ordered delivery and I picked the different sushi types for the whole family.
 
And it made me think of omakase.
The classic Japanese way to eat sushi.
 
It politely says:
I trust you.
 
That trust is not just handed out.
Sushi chefs spend 10s of years mastering the skills and earning it.
 
Promotions work the same way.
You can get the title but trust comes later.
You earn it by mastering the skills of leadership.
 
Until people can finally say:
I trust you.

Turning product managers into leaders in conflict and ambiguity | Global Product Leader

The future belongs to community builders who understand that value comes from real connections between people. Here are the communities I will be part of in 2026:
 

We're heading toward a world flooded with low-quality AI content. As more people spend time with synthetic chat that feels human (but isn't quite), the ability to be in a virtual space and in real life with other human beings is only getting more valuable. Especially people who are on the same path.
 
With every new person who joins a community of people on the same path, new stories emerge. Things they've tried, things they've done that could be incredibly valuable to you. That is only possible when human beings come together with human beings.
 
These are the communities I am betting on to strengthen my new identity in 2026:
 
Nomads.com → I travel a lot since I left my corporate career. I realised that I like to travel slowly so that I can establish new habits where I am and make local friends. They call it slowmading. Pieter Levels' community is interesting. The guy has a way of looking at life that I like, so I hope to find more people here who vibe the way I do.
 
Modern Maker → My friend Jacob Pegs excudes incredible energy, and the people who interact with him know it.  I have been part of his community for over a year now, but not very actively in 2025. When I went back to read their conversations, I was really impressed. I will be more present this year (https://lnkd.in/dDdTUa7Y)
 
MicroConf Connect → Rob Walling books are the best I have found on the subject of bootstrapped SaaS. It feels natural to me to become part of his community. I haven't signed up yet, but I'm sure I'll find some good vibes there.
 
Kaizen Community → I plan to build my community in 2026. I want to give leaders who are building a Kaizen culture the opportunity to share their experiences. I haven't set anything up yet, but you can express your interest in joining here: https://tally.so/r/VLGV5E
 
PS. You can still stand out with content, but you'll by being more human.

Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired magazine, distilled decades of wisdom into his book 'Excellent Advice for Living'. Here are my favourite pieces of advice from him:
 
1/ Prototype your life. Try stuff instead of making grand plans.
 
I walked away from my corporate life with no backup plan. I don't have all the answers to move forward, and that's ok. I am letting curiosity guide me. Every day, I do more of what I love and less of what drains me. Action beats planning. Start before you're ready. Build something real, even if it's messy. 
 
2/ Don't measure your life with someone else's ruler.
 
When I joined Amazon, I told myself: "senior manager in 7 years." I worked harder than anyone around me to hit that target. For a while, it worked. Then I realized I was following someone else's playbook. Your definition of success is the only one that matters. Stop comparing yourself to others. What brings them joy might bore you to tears. 
 
3/ A major part of travel is to leave stuff behind. The more you leave behind the further you will advance.
 
I'm minimalist, but I still struggle to let go—especially of relationships that no longer serve me. It's painful but necessary. Leave room in your bag for what you'll discover. The lighter you travel, the faster you move.
 
4/ Gratitude will unlock all other virtues and is something you can get better at.

I'll explore the science of gratitude ore in 2026, as I don't practise it enough. Most people practice gratitude wrong. Listing what you're grateful for produces weak results. The real power comes from receiving gratitude or witnessing others receive genuine thanks. Find one meaningful story where gratitude was genuinely given and received, then revisit it for 1-5 minutes regularly.
 
5/ Perhaps the most counterintuitive truth of the universe is that the more you give to others the more you’ll get. Understanding this is the beginning of wisdom.
 
I firmly believe in this. And I've experienced it directly on here. Sharing Kaizen tips created opportunities I couldn't have engineered through a conventional path. Reciprocity and contribution create returns, but often in unexpected forms and on longer timelines than pure transactions.

PLEASE
 
Stop providing vague or no feedback. 
 
That's hurting your team.

Image credit to Edoardo Pallaro (give him a follow)
 
Yeah, ‘you need to improve’ or ‘Great job’ isn't enough.
It never actually was.
 
According to Zippia, 72% of people find their work
more satisfying if their company have a feedback culture. 
 
What’s the difference?
 
Vague:
 
"You need to be more creative with your proposal."
 
Actionable Feedback:
 
"Try adding diagrams in your proposal. It will add more appeal."
 
Here are 5 ways you can give actionable feedback:
 
1/ Be Specific. And Clear
 
 ↳ Avoid vague statements 
 ↳ Use clear, and objective language 
 ↳ Clearly outline the actionable steps
 
2/ Focus on Behaviours
 
 ↳ Use non-judgemental language to make your point
 ↳ Separate the individual from the action
 
3/ Offer a Path Forward
 
↳ Encourage them to develop a growth mindset 
↳ Rather than being stuck on wrong, give them a way to move forward 
 
4/ Create a Safe Space
 
↳ Be transparent. And talk openly
↳ Demand the same from them 
 
5/ Keep It Regular
 
↳ Integrate actionable feedback into your people management style
↳ Schedule 1:1 meetings to address key concerns.
  
P.S: What’s your approach to feedback?

I spent 14 years at giants like Chrysler and Unilever.

And one thing drove me crazy:

We were running million-dollar improvement programs on $15 Excel sheets.

(It made zero sense)

We had smart operators. We had motivated leaders. We had the ideas.

But we had nowhere to put them.

1. Ideas got lost in email threads.
2. Feedback loops broke down.
3. Motivation faded because nobody saw results.

So I co-founded Leansuite.

Not because I "love" software. But because I hated the admin grind.

Here is the breakdown of what we actually built:

1. The Suggestion Module: Turns frontline ideas into validated savings.
2. The Digital SOPs: No more dusty binders. We track execution in real-time.
3. The LMS: Ensures every operator is actually certified for their station.
4. The "Tribal Knowledge" Bank: We capture the best tricks and share them globally.

We are trusted by leaders like Whirlpool to validate millions in savings.

(Ask me about that case study, the numbers are wild)

So...

Stop managing your future with tools from the 1990s.

If you are tired of the spreadsheet chaos, let's talk.

2 ways to engage:

1. DM me "DEMO" to see the platform.
2. Book a chat here: https://calendly.com/angadsingh63/discovery-call

Let's build a system that listens.

Cheers!
Angad

Angad S.

The further you sit from the work, the more certain you become.

I see this everywhere.

A CEO tells me exactly what's wrong with the operation.

Hasn't been on the floor in four months.

An operator at the machine says:
"it's complicated."

Because it actually is.

Here's what happens.

Distance makes everything look simple.

You're looking at dashboards, not reality.

Numbers are clean.
Problems are obvious.
Solutions are clear.

Then you walk the floor.

And suddenly, nothing makes sense.

The problem you thought was simple?
Six variables nobody documented.

The solution that felt obvious?
Breaks three other things.

The data that looked clean?
Misses the entire rework loop.


Last week, a VP told me
their biggest bottleneck.

Complete confidence.

We walked to the floor.
Stood there for twenty minutes.

The bottleneck wasn't even close.

He'd been solving the wrong problem
for six months.

Excel told him one story.

Gemba told him another.


This is why "go and see" isn't about being nice.
It's about not being wrong.

Proximity doesn't make you feel good.
It makes you humble.

You realize
how much you don't know.

Distance lets you stay confident.

Gemba destroys your certainty.

Most leaders avoid it for exactly this reason.
When did you last spend real time at gemba?

Not a tour.
Not a walkthrough.

Standing there.
Watching cycles.
Asking questions.

If it's been more than a week,
you're already drifting.

Your operators know what's broken.

The real question is:

Are you close enough to hear them?

Or too far away to care?

Changing the way you think about Lean & Continuous Improvement | Co-founder @ LeanSuite | Software trusted by fortune 500s to implement Continuous Improvement Culture | Follow me for daily Lean & CI insights

You’re learning Lean backwards.

Starting with Six Sigma. Stats. 
Week-long classes. Four-month DMAIC projects.

Then wondering why nothing changes.

Here’s why: You’re using complex tools for simple problems.

Most issues don’t need deep statistics. They need these seven basics.

Master these first. Everything else builds on them.

1. 5 WHYYour fastest problem solver. 
Ask “why” five times and reach the root cause in minutes. 
No training. No software. Just curiosity.
Use it for: Any issue you can dig into in under 30 minutes.

2. GEMBA WALK
Your reality check. Go see the work. Ask questions. 
Show respect. Reports hide the truth. Dashboards lag. The floor never lies.
Use it for: Daily leadership routine. Seeing what’s really happening.

3. STANDARD WORK
Your consistency anchor. Write down the best way. 
Train from it. Improve it. 
Without standards, change is chaos.
Use it for: Any process that repeats.

4. KAIZEN (RAPID IMPROVEMENT)
Your momentum builder. Tight scope. 
Small team. Fast results. Three days beats six months every time.
Use it for: Specific problems with clear boundaries.

5. VALUE STREAM MAPPING
Your waste radar. Sketch the whole flow. 
See where time actually goes. 
Turns invisible waste into something you can see and fix.
Use it for: Before any major change. It shows where the real pain is.

6. SMED (SINGLE-MINUTE EXCHANGE)
Your flexibility unlock. Cut changeover time. 
Separate internal from external tasks. Long changeovers force big batches. 
Fix them, and everything speeds up.
Use it for: When changeovers slow you down.

7. ANDON SYSTEM
Your quality shield. Visual alerts. 
Stop the line when a problem shows up. Respond immediately. 
Let people act. Defects can’t hide.
Use it for: High-volume lines where small defects multiply fast. 

These aren’t the only tools you’ll ever need. 
But they’re the ones you need first.

Simple to learn. 
Fast to use. 
Big impact right away. 

They set the stage for everything else.

The order matters. 

5 Why before Six Sigma. 
Gemba before control charts. 
Standard work before statistical process control.

Fundamentals beat fancy every time.

So tell me. Which of these seven does your plant actually use? 

Drop the number below.
Activate to view larger image,

Co-Founder

Process Manager, Business Operations

Manufacturing Excellence Manager, World Class Manufacturing

Chrysler Group LLC

Hindi

There are only two ways to run a process:
force the pace, or let demand set it.

Most teams don’t consciously choose.

The system quietly chooses for them.

When people talk about “flow”, they’re usually describing one of two designs:
Push or Pull.

Here’s the difference.

1/ How work starts
Push → Work is released based on plans, targets, or forecasts
Pull → Work starts only when there is real downstream demand

2/ Pace of work
Push → Speed is imposed by the system
Pull → Speed is set by capacity and actual demand

3/ Work in progress
Push → More WIP, more waiting, more handoffs
Pull → Limited WIP, faster flow

4/ Pressure on people
Push → Constant urgency, firefighting, overload
Pull → Clear priorities, steadier rhythm

5/ Risk profile
Push → Overproduction, rework, burnout
Pull → Short-term shortages, long-term control

When systems are designed to push,
people compensate with effort.

That looks like productivity. It isn’t. 

It’s a design problem.

P.S. If this challenged how you think about productivity, a repost might challenge someone else’s system too.

Toyota gave their machines a brain. We gave ours a "Green Button."
(And we tape it down so it never stops)

Most factories run on a simple, dangerous rule: 
"If the machine is moving, we are making money."

Wrong.

If the machine is moving, but the alignment is off... 
You aren't making money. 
You are building a conveyor belt to the scrap yard.

This is the real difference between Toyota and the rest of us.

It’s simple logic.

Scenario A (Most Plants):
1. Machine runs blindly for 8 hours.
2. Inspector checks the bin at 5 PM.
3. Result: 500 bad parts.
4. Action: "Overtime this weekend to fix it."

Scenario B (The Smart Way):
1. Machine detects a wobble at 8:05 AM.
2.Machine kills its own power OR (even better) 
we give operator the power to stop the machine.
3. Operator fixes the wobble.
4. Result: 1 bad part. 499 perfect ones.

The problem is fear.

We are terrified to see a machine stopped.
1. It looks like failure.
2. It ruins the "Utilization Report."
3. It makes managers nervous.

But here is the hard reality: 

A stopped machine screams "Fix me!" 

A running machine whispers "I'm hiding a secret."

Toyota stops when the problem starts. 

We stop when the customer complains.

Give your operators (and your machines) the permission to stop.

Speed is useless if you're driving in the wrong direction.

(Repost ♻️ if you are tired of the "Don't Stop" culture)

P.S. Does your team have the guts to pull the Andon cord? Be honest.

You’re making Lean harder than it needs to be.

And it’s killing your momentum.

Most plants think Lean transformation means:

→ Hiring pricey consultants
→ Six-month Six Sigma projects
→ Deep statistical dives on everything
→ Huge system overhauls

So they freeze.

Because that sounds exhausting.

Here’s the truth:

Most of your problems don’t need complex tools.

They need basic execution.

The stuff right in front of you:

- Tools missing from workstations
- Air hoses blocking walkways
- Instructions nobody can follow
- Workbenches buried in clutter

None of that needs a Black Belt.

It needs someone to fix it.

Start small.

Go after wins that take days, not months.

5S your first workstation → 2 days
Create visual work instructions → 1 day
Organize tool storage → 3 hours
Run a 5 Why on your biggest complaint → 30 minutes

Cost? Almost nothing.
Team? 1–3 people.
Impact? Immediate.

That’s how momentum starts.

Quick wins → Confidence → Participation → Culture shift

But most plants take the long route.

They send people to week-long Six Sigma training.

Then assign a 4-month DMAIC project.

On a problem that needed better labeling.

That’s like using a chainsaw to cut butter.

Wrong tool. Wrong problem. Wrong approach.

Here’s the reality:

5% of problems need high complexity (Six Sigma, DOE, stats)
15% need medium complexity (DMAIC, PDCA)
80% need low complexity (5S, visual management, common sense)

Start at the bottom.

Grab the easy wins.

Stack them up.

Build confidence, then momentum, then culture.

Your Lean journey doesn’t start with perfection.

It starts with one operator organizing a station.

One supervisor fixing what everyone complains about.

One small win that proves improvement works.

Stop waiting for:
❌ The perfect consultant
❌ The perfect training
❌ The perfect moment

Start with:
✅ One obvious problem
✅ One simple tool
✅ One quick win

Lean is momentum.

Progress, not perfection.

Action, not analysis.

What’s one low-hanging fruit you could pick this week?

Drop it below. 👇

The fastest changeovers aren't about speed. 

They are about preparation.

F1 crews swap 4 tires in 2 seconds not because they move faster than you. 
But because they start working before the car even stops.

Look at your current changeovers:

- Machine stops.
- Then you look for tools.
- Then you grab fixtures.
- Then you adjust settings.

You are doing prep work while the machine sits idle. 

This is the cardinal sin of manufacturing.

The Fix? The "Internal vs. External" Rule.

Ask one question for every step: "Does the machine need to be stopped for this?"

If YES: It is Internal. (Do it fast).

If NO: It is External. (Do it while the machine runs).

Your 2 hour changeover is lying to you.

- Finding tools (20m) → Do it before.
- Getting fixtures (15m) → Do it before.
- Adjusting settings (30m) → Do it before.
- Cleaning up (20m) → Do it after.

Result: Your 2 hour changeover just dropped to 35 minutes. 

Same people. Same tools. 
Just better choreography.

The fastest changeovers aren’t about speed. 
They’re about preparation.

Watch your next changeover. 
If the machine is stopped and the operator is walking to get a wrench... you are burning money.

What is the biggest time-waster you see during changeovers? Drop it below.

We turned a powerful Lean tool into a janitorial service.

And it's costing us millions.

(I see this in almost every audit)

We obsess over clean floors.
We color code the brooms and tools.
We hit 95% on the audit score.

But we're still bleeding cash.

Here's the reality of a "5S First" strategy:

You're using 5S to organize your waste.

When you focus on "Clean" before you focus on "Flow," 

you get this:
- Perfectly stacked inventory that shouldn't even be there
- Shiny floors. Broken process. 3 weeks to do 4 hours of work.
- Operators walk 2km for a tool. But hey, the shadow board is pretty.

This only works temperability for an important (VP) visit.

Here's the correct order of operations:

1. Map the entire process
2. Remove the bottlenecks
3. Use 5S to maintain

5S is a maintenance tool.

It keeps a good process good.

But if you apply it to a bad process?

You just have a shiny bad process.

Start with Flow.
End with 5S.

(Repost if you prefer Flow over just shine ♻️)

P.S. What's your plant's lead time vs. your 5S score?

The gap usually tells the whole story.

Your dashboard says "Success." 

The floor screams "Chaos."

(We prefer the dashboard because it’s comfortable)

We build entire cultures around hiding the mess. 

We celebrate the "Hero" who fixes the breakdown, instead of asking why it broke. 

We chase the "Green Metric" even if it kills the flow.

That is not excellence.

True improvement requires you to look at the ugly parts of your process.

I listed 10 uncomfortable truths in the graphic that most managers try to avoid.

Stop pretending the problem doesn't exist. 
The first step to fixing it is admitting it.


(Repost if you choose Truth over Theatre)

P.S. Which number on this wheel makes you the most uncomfortable? For me, it's # 5.

Visual management should be driven by right behavior. 

(Most managers get this wrong)

The boards are spotless. 
The charts are crisp. 
Every box is updated by 8:00 AM.

But there is zero progress.

It's not (right) management.

Here is something you need to understand:
20+ metrics on one board means nobody reads it.

You have attractive charts, but no names attached. = ZERO Progress.

Managers think "updating the board" is the work and fixing the problem gets ignored.

Board is visible to managers, but invisible to the workers who actually do the job.

Same data. Same format for 3 years means information is Just... existing.

Real visual management should make you uncomfortable.

It should shine a light on the problems you’d rather avoid. 
It should force accountability. 
It should demand action.

Most plants don't actually want that. 

They want to look like they are improving without facing the pain.

So ask yourself: Are your boards driving action? 
Or are they just expensive wallpaper?

(Repost if you are tired of the "Show")

P.S. When was the last time a number on the board actually caused a fight?

If you actually want to copy something, copy this framework to get their results.

Most plants copy Toyota's tools. Few copy their thinking.
I have said this time and again

There is a massive difference.

Everyone wants the results. Nobody wants the discipline.

The secret isn't the Andon cord. The secret is Kata.

Here is the difference between "Events" and "Habits":

The Traditional Way: Run event → Implement solution → Celebrate → Forget. Result: You build dependency on consultants.

The Kata Way: Ask questions → Run experiment → Learn → Repeat daily. Result: You build problem-solvers.

The 4 Questions that change everything:
- What is the target condition?
- What is actually happening now?
- What obstacle are you addressing?
- What is your next experiment?

Notice the pattern. No solutions. Just experiments.

I watched a plant try this last year. Managers hated it.
They said: "Just tell me the answer. I don't have time to guess."

That is exactly why their improvements die.
They want the solution without the capability.

Toyota wins because they practice this thinking every single day.
While everyone else waits for the next "Improvement Event."

Kata is simple. But it demands discipline.

Speed doesn't come from moving faster.

Speed comes from waiting less.

Your machines are running at full speed. Your team is sweating. But your product is sitting in a queue.

That isn't flow. That's just friction.

For decades, we've been fed a lie: "An idle machine is a waste."

So we chase 100% utilization. We run massive batches to avoid changeovers. We pile up inventory to "keep the boys busy."

This is called Capacity Thinking.

It looks efficient on a spreadsheet. But on the floor, it creates a traffic jam.

Think of a highway.

Capacity Thinking puts a car in every single inch of available road space. That's 100% utilization.

The result? A parking lot. Nothing moves.

Flow Thinking is different.

The goal isn't to keep the machine busy. The goal is to keep the product moving.

The shift is uncomfortable:

Capacity Thinking: Maximize the machine.
Result: High WIP, long lead times.

Flow Thinking: Maximize the flow.
Result: Low WIP, fast cash.

Here's the twist: To go faster, you often have to lower your utilization.

You have to leave space on the highway so traffic can actually move.

This is how Toyota dominates. This is how Dell killed the competition.

This is why the best plants chase lead time, not utilization.

Busy doesn't mean effective.

Fast flow beats high capacity. Every time.

Ask yourself: Are you managing a highway or a parking lot?

Save this for the next time someone asks for "higher utilization."

Your quality program will fail.

Not because your team doesn't care.

Because your leaders aren't showing up.

Juran figured this out decades ago.

Every quality revolution that worked had one thing in common:
Upper management actually participated.
Not in meetings.
In the work.

Here's what I see everywhere:

CEO launches quality initiative. Big speech. Lots of energy.
Then goes back to the corner office.
Calls that "leadership."
It's not.

Real participation looks like this:
You're on the floor when problems happen.
Not hearing about them in reports.

Seeing them yourself.

You're asking operators what's broken.
Not telling them what to fix.
You're removing obstacles they point out.

Not asking them to work around them.
You're at gemba daily.
Not reviewing gemba summaries weekly.


I can predict your quality level by watching where your leaders spend time.

Leaders in conference rooms all day → Quality stays bad.
Leaders at the line every day → Quality gets better.

Works every time.


Last week, a VP told me quality is his top priority.
I asked when he last stood at a workstation.

"I walked through the plant two weeks ago."

Walked through.

That's tourism, not leadership.

Your operators already know what's broken.

They've known for months.
They're waiting for someone with authority to care enough to fix it.
That someone is you.

But you're not there.

Quality doesn't improve because of slogans.

It improves because leaders show up.

Daily.

At the work.
Not to inspect.

To understand.
To remove barriers.
To make it possible.


Juran was right. No exceptions.

P.S. When did you last spend real time at gemba?

Your operators are ignoring your metric boards.

And they are right to do it.

(I see this mistake in 90% of plants)

Most plants treat visual management like a scrapbook. 

They cover the walls with OEE scores, project trackers, and last month’s pie charts.
Then they wonder why the team walks right past them.

Here is the hard truth:

You are showing them history. They are trying to survive the present.
Visual Management has a strict hierarchy. If you skip the bottom, nobody cares about the top.

The 4 Levels of Visibility:

Level 1: The Vital Signs (Safety & Quality) 
Emergency stops. 
Active hazards. 
Defects happening right now. 

Why: Because lives and liability matter more than your efficiency score.

Level 2: The Pulse (Production Status) 
Are we winning or losing today? 
What is down right now? 

Why: Today’s output pays for tomorrow’s strategy.

Level 3: The Health (Trends)  
OEE patterns. 
Downtime by shift. 
Scrap rates. 

Why: This tells management where to focus resources.

Level 4: The Future (Improvement Projects)
Active projects. Kaizen results. Strategy. 

Why: Strategy only works after you have stabilized the chaos.

The Problem?

Most plants do this backward.

They start with Level 4 (Pretty project boards). 
While Level 1 (Safety/Quality) is invisible.

Operators ignore your board because nothing on it helps them survive the shift.

So fix the order:
Make hazards impossible to miss.
Show real-time status.
Then worry about the trends.

Start at the top. The rest will follow.

(Repost if your board needs a makeover ♻️)
P.S. Be honest. Does your board show "The Pulse" or just "History"? Let's chat. 👇

Make sure you are not optimizing your waste in the name of improvement.

(I see this constantly)

Teams spend weeks making the inspection process faster. 
They get better data. 
They improve the speed. 
They are proud of the results.

But they just spent weeks making their waste more efficient.

What we forget in the process is that,
Customers pay for parts that work. 

They do not pay for inspection.
Inspection is waste. 

It is not "necessary non-value added." 
It is just waste.

Here is the only definition that matters: 
Value = What benefits the customer. 
Everything else = Waste.

Most of your plant is likely just Organized Waste:
1. Material Handling: This is a symptom of poor layout.
2. Batch Processing: This is a symptom of broken flow.
3. Inspection: This is a symptom of quality issues.
4. Rework: This is a symptom of a process that is not capable.

You are celebrating improvements to the waste.

Here is the difference in thinking:
Average plants ask: "How do we inspect faster?" 
Toyota asks: "Why do we need inspection at all?"

Then they eliminate it.

Different thinking. Different results.

The next time you start a project, ask one question: "Does the customer pay for this activity?"

If the answer is No... 

Don't optimize it. Eliminate it.

Stop rewarding the people who put out fires.

Start rewarding the systems that prevent them.

We love to celebrate the "save."

We clap when Sarah stays until 8 PM to fix the schedule.

We cheer when Mike skips lunch to keep the line running.

But take a step back.

That isn't success. It's people compensating for a broken design.

You know you're running on Courage instead of Systems when:

• The machine only runs if Mike is standing next to it.
• The shipment only makes it because the supervisor drove it to the dock.
• The quality is only good because one operator manually double-checked it.

That is not sustainable.

Courage runs out. People burn out. They leave.

The solution? Make the work boring.

The goal isn't to hire more heroes who can survive chaos.

The goal is to build a system where heroes aren't necessary.

The plant that runs on Sarah’s willpower fails when Sarah quits.

The plant that runs on Systems works whether Sarah is there or not.

The ultimate test is simple: What happens when your best person goes on vacation?

• If things break: You have a dependency.
• If things hum: You have a system.

Courage is what you need when a plan fails.

Consistency is what you need to make sure the plan works.

Be honest. Is your success coming from the process... or the panic?

Drop it below.

I preach “Preventive Maintenance” every single day.
But I forgot to preach it at home.

(And now I’m seeing one of my loved ones suffer)

I’ve been sitting in a hospital room with my sister
for the last 24 hours.

Watching the monitors.
Listening to the beeps.

She’s the type who runs at 110%.

Always helpful.
Always working.
Always “on.”

And just like a machine that runs at max capacity
without a break…

Eventually, something gives.

It’s a heavy realization to have
while staring at a hospital ceiling.

I spend my life teaching strangers
how to protect their equipment.

I tell them:
“You cannot run this machine forever without downtime.”

I tell them:
“If you don’t schedule maintenance,
the machine will schedule it for you.”

But I didn’t push that message hard enough
with my own family.

We applaud the hustle.
We celebrate the late nights.
We ignore the warning lights
because we think we’re invincible.

We aren’t.

You can buy a spare part for a CNC machine.
You cannot buy a spare part for your health.

So here’s my lesson from this hospital chair:

Don’t just lead your team.
Lead your family.

Remind them to pause.
Remind them to rest.
Remind them that health
is the only asset that actually matters.

Get well soon, sis.

– Angad

Never forget to remind someone you love to slow down

You think you're fixing the plant.

But actually, the plant is fixing you.

The true win is who you become along the way.

You start Lean thinking it's about reducing waste. Cutting cycle time. Improving OEE.

And it is. You'll get those results.

But that's not the real reward.

The real reward is the transformation of your own character.

You start seeing waste everywhere. Not just in the machine, but in your own schedule.

You start asking "why" five times instead of accepting the lazy answer.

You start going to see the problem (Gemba) instead of managing from a comfortable chair.

You start respecting the operator more than the title.

The results matter. The savings are real.

But the transformation that happens to you? That's the real prize.

Once you see waste, you can't unsee it.
Once you understand flow, you can't go back to pushing.
Once you respect people's knowledge, you can't go back to barking orders.

Lean changes your plant. But it changes you first.

And that's why those changes stick.

The reward for your work isn't what you get. It's who you become.

A different kind of leader. A different kind of thinker.

That stays with you long after the project ends.

What has your Lean journey changed about you?

Drop it below

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