2 min read
The AI Investment Trap
Once you build a chatbot for a bad process, something interesting happens. The chatbot develops a constituency. It has a project team, a budget line,...
2 min read
The Slide They All Photographed
How do you know which slide is the one people care the most about? Easy - it's the one they take pictures of.
2 min read
I Built an AI Agent in 10 Minutes. Here's Why That Matters for Process Improvement
Last week I opened up Microsoft 365 Copilot, clicked "Create Agent," and pasted a 10-item checklist for staffing request completeness. Then I tested...
2 min read
Where AI Actually Saves Time in a Lean Six Sigma Project (And Where It Doesn't)
I've been tracking where AI saves time in Lean process improvement projects. Not the marketing claims - the actual hours, on real engagements, with...
2 min read
Five Questions to Ask Before you Build a Chatbot
Chatbots are the new shiny object. Many process improvement presentations I’ve sat through lately include a recommendation for a chatbot somewhere....
2 min read
Chatbots: Are We Automating What Should be Eliminated?
A team in HR builds a chatbot to walk hiring managers through a 14-field hiring request form. It takes three months and a meaningful chunk of their...
1 min read
How Backlogs Are Born and How to Make Sure They Never Come Back
The backlog is the great shame of the public service. It fills staff with dread, leaders with pressure and clients with frustration. Every team that...
2 min read
Failure Demand: The Work That Should Never Exist
If you asked most managers where their team's capacity is going, they'd tell you: answering emails, processing requests, attending meetings,...
1 min read
Building Your Team the Smart Way - First Followers and the Art of Creating a Movement
One of the most common mistakes Lean practitioners make is spending enormous entry trying to convince every skeptic in the room. They host...
3 min read
Why Multitasking Hurts Productivity (and What To Do About It)
Multitasking looks impressive—juggling emails, meetings, and deliverables—but it’s a productivity illusion. What we’re really doing is...
3 min read
Root Cause Analysis - The 5 Whys Technique
Over a series of previous posts, we've learned todefine problems, understandcustomer value,map processes, identifywaste,measureperformance,...
3 min read
Gemba Walks - Going to See for Yourself
We've learned tomap processes,spot waste, andmeasure what matters. One problem with all those tools? They can keep you at your desk, staring at data...