Lean 911

As Lean Horizons celebrates its 25th anniversary, founder Mark DeLuzio reflects on a quarter century of transformation work across six continents and dozens of industries. In this special episode, Mark examines the evolution—and in some cases, the dilution—of Lean thinking since the early days of the Toyota Production System's global expansion. How did a management system built on scientific think...

A CNC machine crashed on the shop floor. Nathan Corliss walked out as a young supervisor, angry and ready to blame the operator. What happened next became one of the most important leadership lessons of his career. Mark DeLuzio and Nathan talk about the moment that forced Nathan to confront his own behavior as a leader, and how the scars on his knuckles became a permanent reminder to pause, reflec...

This is an unedited replay of a previous Lean 911 episode, originally published on January 13, 2023. We're bringing it back because the issue still causes Lean transformations to stall, drift, or flatline. One of the most misunderstood parts of Lean, Standard Work, is often dismissed as unnecessary. So many companies contend that they are "doing" Lean, but leave Standard Work by the wayside. In th...

In this episode, we dive into the rise, dominance, and controversy surrounding Six Sigma — the corporate improvement system that promised near-perfect quality and became a management obsession across America. From Motorola's statistical revolution to Jack Welch's aggressive rollout at General Electric, Six Sigma evolved from a useful quality tool into what some critics call a full-blown corporate...

Manufacturing Engineers pride themselves on precision, but what if the biggest waste is hiding in plain sight—inside the equipment itself? In this episode, we challenge the status quo: excess feeds, slow speeds, and bloated cycle times that no one questions. Even worse, capital equipment is often purchased without alignment to Lean principles—locking in inefficiency for years. Learn how to look at...

In this powerful episode of Lean 911, Mark DeLuzio sits down with former Air Force fighter pilot and Danaher sales leader Randy Fitzhugh to unpack the real science behind value selling and why most organizations get it wrong. Drawing from his elite military background and executive experience, Randy reveals how sales is a disciplined, repeatable process. Together, they break down the four pillars...

Lean management teaches that standards are the foundation of safety, quality, and improvement . In aviation, those standards take the form of checklists, redundancies, procedures, and strict cockpit protocols designed to prevent human error. In this episode, we examine the tragic aircraft accident that claimed the life of Greg Biffle and his family , and what it reveals about the danger of ignorin...

Mark DeLuzio, the Father of Lean Accounting, tells his experience and observations on how traditional cost accounting will derail a Lean Transformation. In many organizations, Lean transformations don't fail on the shop floor—they fail in the finance office. In this episode, "The CFO vs. Lean: The Fight That Gets Lean Leaders Fired," we examine a pattern that plays out in companies across industri...

In this episode, you'll be able to take away why many "logical" workplace measures and incentives can drive behavior that conflicts with Lean principles, and why comparing work decisions to everyday home-life decisions can make Lean concepts easier to understand and teach. You will hear about various examples, including grocery shopping and volume discounts, which highlight purchase price variance...

A shop floor comment stops everyone in their tracks: the work finally matches what the customer actually needs. That is the spark behind Accidentally Aligned , and it opens a bigger issue most leaders dodge: alignment does not come from posters, audits, or a new playbook. It comes from how leaders behave when the process is broken, and the numbers are ugly. Mark and today's guest, Jason Neal, get...

Most Lean efforts do not stall because people hate improvement. They stall because the system was never built to support it. This episode gives you a fast, practical lens for evaluating whether your organization is built to sustain improvement. You will learn how to recognize common traps that keep Lean efforts stuck, why certain measurement habits create the wrong behavior, and how to distinguish...

Mark DeLuzio discusses how the 2-Bin Kanban is meant to ensure the operator does not run out of parts.  Find out why it should not be used to structure your primary Kanban system.

Mark DeLuzio discusses the confusion that exists in the Lean Community, and the Lean Consulting industry and academia are primarily to blame. Returning to Lean Basics and ignoring distractions like Kata, Gemba Walks, Lean certifications, and other consulting “innovations,” which are designed to sell books and consulting services.

Mark DeLuzio discusses the absence of engineers from the Gemba in both manufacturing and design. He also discusses the sin of engineering, which he calls "Catalogue Engineers."  

Mark DeLuzio discusses how the TPS House is not a set of tools, but a way of thinking, and that the tools of Lean support these principles. Starting with the tools before understanding the principles has proven to be the downfall of many companies starting a Lean transformation.

Mark DeLuzio discusses the dangers of cost-based pricing as well as the various issues encountered when doing so. He introduces the merits of market-based pricing instead.

Mark DeLuzio discusses the dangers of focusing on the lagging indicator of productivity and suggests we turn our attention towards improving our processes, which will, in turn, drive improved productivity.

Mark DeLuzio discusses the institutionalized waste of Mura and Muri, and if left unchallenged, it will derail a Lean transformation.

Mark DeLuzio discusses the errors made when architecting the Danaher Business System and the things he would do differently today.

A lean office can either accelerate transformation or quietly undermine it. The difference often comes down to trust, leadership alignment, and a clear sense of purpose. Drawing on his time as the architect of the Danaher Business System, Mark shares hard-earned lessons about what makes a lean office succeed and where so many stumble. From CEOs treating their lean teams as spies to audits that des...

Many Lean transformations commence without understanding why, and the communications to employees are poor or nonexistent. Mark DeLuzio talks about this failure mode and why it is essential to answer the question, “What’s in it for me?”

Mark DeLuzio discusses the rules and mindset needed to be an effective critical thinker, which is essential to effective problem-solving. Every Lean coach needs to know how to solve problems effectively. Unfortunately, this knowledge is not widespread. Learn the skills required to take your problem-solving abilities to the next level.

If your Lean transformation feels like it's stuck, your compensation system might be part of the problem. In this episode, Mark tackles a question from Finland about how incentives influence behavior, often in ways that completely undercut Lean principles. He shares how traditional pay structures and metrics, especially those tied to cost and output, often reward the wrong actions. You'll hear exa...

Mark DeLuzio discusses the intangibles that made all the difference to the success of the Danaher Business System. He also discussed the main ingredients of DBS, the 5Ps: Purpose, Principles, People, Plan, Process.

Some metrics were never meant to survive in a Lean world. OEE and absorption accounting might sound smart on paper, but they push the exact behaviors that wreck flow, bury quality issues, and inflate inventory. The result? A system that looks efficient but delivers chaos. Mark DeLuzio breaks down how these outdated measures keep companies locked in batch production and bad habits. He shares firsth...