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Productivity

Retro black-and-white photo of a robot handling a towering stack of office paperwork at a government desk, while two workers look on. A sign in the background reads

2 min read

Where AI Actually Saves Time in a Lean Six Sigma Project (And Where It Doesn't)

Craig Szelestowski: June 24, 2026

I've been tracking where AI saves time in Lean process improvement projects. Not the marketing claims - the actual hours, on real engagements, with...

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: February 12, 2026

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 Lean Yellow Belt Lean Green Belt Productivity Backlogs Capacity & Demand

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: December 12, 2025

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

Lean White Belt Lean Yellow Belt Lean Green Belt Time Management Interruptions & Focus Multitasking Productivity

Overhead view of a cluttered desk, seen through a pair of glasses. Outside the lenses, the papers and files look ordinary; through them, red dots flag hidden waste on an unread report and an overflowing file holder. A note reads 'Warning: once you see it, you can't unsee it.'

3 min read

The 8 Wastes of Lean - Learning to See What's Hidden

Craig Szelestowski: October 21, 2025

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.

Lean White Belt Lean Yellow Belt Lean Green Belt Lean Fundamentals Eliminating Waste Productivity 8 Wastes