In 2011, Dr. Pat Greco began as the superintendent of the Menomonee Falls School District in Wisconsin. She faced no shortage of problems: a suspension rate seven times higher than the state average, performance gaps across income and race, cost overruns, and a failure to meet performance goals defined under the No Child Left Behind Act among others. […]
To help women get out of human trafficking and prostitution, Robin Seyfert, founder of Friends of Basha, describes her journey using lean methods when she had no prior manufacturing or business experience. Basha Boutique began through partnerships with Children’s Uplift Programme (CUP) and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). MCC was providing similar services for women wanting […]
Written by Brion
The James P Womack Scholarship and Philanthropy Fund provides scholarships to students to fund hands-on problem-solving experience at charity organizations under the guidance of an Lean Enterprise Initiative (LEI) coach. The fund’s first partnership is with Oakland University in Michigan. Two student interns (Monisha Vasudeva and Sagar Bajaj) are learning and implementing lean principles at […]
Written by Brion
by Brion Hurley An interview with Lynn McCullough and Joe Wojniak about their improvement work at TRU Hospice Thrift Shop in Boulder, Colorado. TRU Thrift Shop sells donated household items and clothes to raise money to provide hospice care services for those in need. Despite some initial resistance to the process changes, they were able […]
Written by Brion
Brion Hurley gave a presentation on how to improve employee engagement through structured management systems from Lean. The talk was given at the Deconstruction and Reuse Conference (hosted by Build Reuse) in Pittsburgh, PA. He shared experiences working with reuse nonprofit organizations like ReStore and The Rebuilding Center. He gave recommendations to organizations on how […]
Written by Brion
by Brion Hurley After Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, Washington, D.C., teacher Liz McCartney and lawyer Zack Rosenberg wanted to help. Their efforts took them to New Orleans where they founded the nonprofit St. Bernard’s Project to rebuild homes and help victims recover from natural disasters. As the nonprofit and the […]
Written by Brion
Ron Pereira discusses with Ben the inspiring ways he and his team use lean at Lunet Zorg, an organization that provides services for people with intellectual disabilities. He gives advice for those who work with people with disabilities, how they use Lean in his organization, and how lean has personally impacted him. Listen to the […]
Written by Brion
This is a podcast conversation between Maryana Iskander, CEO at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, and Ann Mei Chang, Executive Director of Lean Impact at Lean Startup Co., focused on the pioneering work of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator in South Africa and their efforts to tackle the global youth unemployment crisis. In Maryana and Ann Mei’s […]
Written by Brion
by Brion Hurley Joe Hnat presents the volunteer program he setup at Collins Aerospace (formerly Rockwell Collins) in Melbourne, Florida. He worked with his facility using lean principles and methods to find space for an employee garden on campus and make it successful. The fruits and vegetables grown in the garden by employee volunteers are […]
Written by Brion
For every election, the Election Operations Center hires over 1,000 temporary employees to help with election functions. Both processes have a combined total of 30 steps that a new hire must complete, and this is all for a 1-3 days assignment. Meghan Taylor is a Senior Clerk at LA County’s Election Operations Center (EOC), and […]
Written by Brion