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...
Lean White Belt
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,...
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 to define problems, understand customer value, map processes, identify waste, measure performance and...
3 min read
The 8 Wastes of Lean - Learning to See What's Hidden
Here's a startling fact: studies suggest that only 5-10% of process time adds value1 from the customer's perspective. The other 90-95%? Pure waste.
3 min read
Voice of the Customer - What Does Value Really Mean?
In the previous article we explored how to craft a strong problem statement. But here's another critical question: how do you know which problems are...