LEAN AGILITY Blog

Practical methods and leadership strategies for government and public sector leaders working to reduce waste, clear backlogs, and build stronger teams.

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Lean White Belt

A man in a shirt and tie stands resigned in a vintage 1970s government office, ankle-deep in an inflatable pool overflowing with papers and files. A pipe above the pool with a sign reading 'New Requests' pours in a steady stream of water, while a 'Capacity' label sits on the pool's side, surrounded by filing cabinets, a rotary phone, and stacks of paperwork..

1 min read

How Backlogs Are Born and How to Make Sure They Never Come Back

Craig Szelestowski: Feb 12, 2026, 9:30:00 AM

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...

Photograph of a woman in business attire spraying a fire extinguisher at a small fire on a folder on her desk, while two more small fires burn unattended on stacks of paper on desks behind her, in a cluttered vintage office. A whiteboard on the wall tallies four categories:

2 min read

Failure Demand: The Work That Should Never Exist

Craig Szelestowski: Feb 4, 2026, 11:45:00 AM

If you asked most managers where their team's capacity is going, they'd tell you: answering emails, processing requests, attending meetings,...

Lean White Belt Introduction to Lean Lean Yellow Belt

Close-up photograph of a row of dominoes on a wooden conference table. The first domino lies flat, already fallen, while the second domino, painted bright orange, leans mid-tip against the next grey domino, setting off a chain reaction down the row into a softly blurred office background with window blinds and leather chairs.

1 min read

Building Your Team the Smart Way - First Followers and the Art of Creating a Movement

Craig Szelestowski: Jan 26, 2026, 9:15:00 AM

One of the most common mistakes Lean practitioners make is spending enormous entry trying to convince every skeptic in the room. They host...

Lean White Belt Introduction to Lean Lean Yellow Belt Change management

Overhead view of a cluttered office desk showing five abandoned tasks: an unfinished email on a laptop, a paper titled 'Backlog Report_FINAL_v87' with a pen trailing off mid-sentence, a rotary phone with a half-dialed number, a cold cup of coffee, and a sticky note reading 'Call back Ma—' cut off mid-word. A small sign in the center reads 'Progress?' and an empty chair sits pushed back from the desk.

3 min read

Why Multitasking Hurts Productivity (and What To Do About It)

Craig Szelestowski: Dec 12, 2025, 4:00:00 PM

Multitasking looks impressive—juggling emails, meetings, and deliverables—but it’s a productivity illusion. What we’re really doing is...

Lean White Belt Introduction to Lean

Two identical dartboards mounted side by side. The left board has a tight cluster of darts in the bullseye, while the right board is completely untouched. A sign below reads 'Bullseye. Wrong board.'

2 min read

What Makes a Good Problem Statement?

Craig Szelestowski: Oct 9, 2025, 6:30:00 AM

Are you solving the right problem? Here's an uncomfortable truth: many improvement projects fail not because of poor execution, but because they...

Lean White Belt Lean Yellow Belt Exploratory