Take the Value-Stream Walk: Presentation by Jim Womack

This presentation was recorded at the 2011 IW Best Plants Conference (www.iwbestplants.com)
Hear James Womack talk about purpose, process, and people as the keys to implementing and sustaining a true lean management system and as the essential metrics for evaluating lean efforts. He will note that the best lean tool a manager can have is a good pair of shoes for walking his or her value streams. The reason: Managers and executives must learn to think "horizontally" across functions in order to understand and improve the flow of value to customers. This means un-learning the traditional "vertical" thought process based on organizational charts and optimizing departments.
A good practical way to learn horizontal thinking is to take a walk -- a value-stream walk -- on a regular basis. Womack will provide practical tips and a framework, based on his years of learning by walking real-world value streams, for what managers and executives should do when they take value-stream walks.

[@LeanSixSigmaTrainingLtd]

I have so much respect for Jim Womack and his teachings. Thank you for publishing this video. I presently try to teach these same principles to classes in England, specifically in North of England ( near Newcastle ). I regret that most of my time is spent in classrooms and not at the place of value creation however I do my best to help my students to understand the principles discussed by James Womack on Lean management and Lean production and hopefully they take my non-value-add teaching and take the Gemba Walk and help to increase the value-addition in their organizations.

[@pixelrabbit261]

Don't make excuses for what you do. Are you sure you're not creating value? Are the customers not the students? Teaching does add value! After all you're providing a service. What does your Gemba look like? If you really want to be a traditional "value adder" get yourself a job screwing widgets together or bolting two bits of metal onto an engine. I've done that and it sucks :)

[@TristanBailey]

Such clarity and pointing that most capitalist businesses and the nature of business protects the status quo and ads layers to manage the people not improve the value creation that is the power of the workers at the bottom.

[@MrTimothyphelan]

Very good reading the book now. I hold a position where I do Gimba walks.

[@andrewogrady7505]

Pity the camera person did not show the slides, massive muda.

[@bondniko]

I wish there were more concrete examples

[@TristanBailey]

I will try and find a place to assign a worker with no authority to improve a process by listening and fixing and getting trust from the colleagues (which would give authority but I guess not blessed)

[@sambell624]

This is great rare business non fiction

[@wildpett]

Because the dollar is sinking ) That was 10 years ago, look at the USD now

[@CesarBelmonte1]

Super knowledgeable guy unfortunately spent over 1hr with countless sarcastic comments. Too bad. I was really hoping for a more insightful speech.