A3 Problem Solving, Toyota Kata, and Lean Training Opportunities

If you are a subscriber to our Lean Manufacturing Newsletter you may have heard about a book recommendation that we made.  Mike Rother's book Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results is truly a breakthrough book on the subject of thinking lean.  Its focus is on the pattern or cycle that Toyota utilizes for solving problems and achieiving the next target condition.  We talk a lot about kaizen, which means change for the better or continuous improvement.  Toyota Kata is all about the type of thinking that is necessary for truly implementing a culture of kaizen.

If you missed this book recommendation, you may have also missed our video on A3 Problem Solving.  The concepts found within Toyota Kata and the A3 problem solving process go hand in hand. Below is the video. 

Finally, a quick announcement: We still have room in our blended-learning Lean Manufacturing Certification Program as well as our instructor-led Lean Manufacturing Certification program.  The blended-learning program will take place July 17-19, 2012 in San Diego, CA, while the fully instructor-led program will begin on August 15th in Santa Ana, CA.  If you are interested in learning how to think lean, facilitate problem solving and kaizen teams, facilitate value stream mapping activities, and work toward creating value streams that provide defect-free products or services using one piece flow, please consider these programs.  Each include simulations, mapping activities, and other team activities aimed at learning to apply the principles of lean and kaizen.  To learn more about these and other programs we offer, visit Lean Manufacturing Training.