Agile and lean office are so deeply interwoven that if you are doing agile you are doing lean, and vice-versa. Those considering process change will likely find the description of the interrelatedness interesting and enlightening. The question should I use Lean office instead of Agile office is based on a false premise because office environments are complex systems. There can be thousands of integration points as information flows along a value stream. As a result it is almost impossible to understand in detail how a change to one part of a value stream will impact the rest of the...

Have you ever thought about creating your own business startup? Perhaps you are a great programmer with an idea for the next Twitter or Facebook. Maybe you have an itch you need to scratch. Or maybe you just want to learn what it feels like to be an entrepreneur. Go for it This is a great time to build a startup, and there is no substitute for just doing it. If you are thinking about creating a startup, do your homework and learn about lean startup. Don't spend six months coding a product; prove that people want to buy it first. The most important business question is whether or not people...

Lean Procurement and supply chain management is for many companies. It is not just for manufacturers who practice lean management. It is also for non-manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers and others. During the past few years, companies have focused on supply chain improvements with initiatives centred on operational excellence and cost cutting. But have they worked? In today's on-demand environment, companies are facing growing challenges around market volatility, costs, long lead times and unpredictable forecasts. Your inventory management decisions can make or break your...

Supply chain competence affects your bottom-line in more direct ways than you might realize. In this book we reviewed the role of controlling cost of sales through supply chain competencies and its effect on the corporate financial statements. The balancing act of maintaining a high level of service and low costs is becoming harder for supply chain managers as businesses try to meet the growing customer mantra of "more for less." This pressure comes at a time when business is becoming more global, supply chains are lengthening, and competition is on the rise. Although this challenge is not...

South Korea has a motivated and highly educated workforce that leads the world in a range of high-tech disciplines. Seven per cent of the country's GDP is spent on education and 74 per cent of South Koreans undertake post graduate-level education. You will find workers in South Korea to be disciplined, hard working and keen to undergo training. South Korea greatly values its workforce highly and is keen to attract high-quality skills from overseas. It has recently relaxed restrictions on visas for overseas workers. The organisation Contact Korea has Korean Business Centres in 29 countries...

Sportsmen and women will descend on the Brazil in search of glory in both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympics Games and, like its sporting counterpart, business networking events will not all take place in Brazil's capital city, hundreds of business summits, conferences will be hosted across Brazil. CEO Guide to Doing Business in Brazil, is a book that provide business guide to Brazil's 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympics Games for those wanting to make the most of this opportunity. CEO Guide to Doing Business in Brazil will enable companies and...

Key part of CEO Guide to Doing Business in Russia is to make sure we realise a business legacy for companies all over the world before, during and after 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 FIFA World Cup. CEO Guide to Doing Business in Russia will enable companies and individuals to build their networks, understand how to do business in Russia and connect with business partners worldwide, this book will increase your opportunities to meet and engage with potential partners during both Russia 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 FIFA World Cup

A friend of mine asked a great question in response to one of my recent Lean books. His question was in essence how do you keep Lean initiatives moving ahead and not going the way of another flavour of the month program. We have all seen managers with the best intentions launch new initiatives that were supposed to be the wave of the future only to see them fizzle out after a few weeks or months. Lean initiatives are no different. Many organizations have tried Lean and either abandon it completely or don't take it very far. So what makes the difference between companies that tried Lean and...

Green Manufacturing (Paradigm Shift to Sustainable Capitalism) So, what are companies doing in the way of green manufacturing? Historically when people think of manufacturing they do not think of green manufacturing because the thought of manufacturing is large companies, putting numerous emissions into the air to manufacture their products; this thought is changing and changing fast. By reading this book, you as the consumer will realise that you have the power to make companies more eco-friendly through your individual stance; for manufacturers are now realising that people respect...

There are some people who think there is no place for 5s Lean at home. Just like those who say you can't bake without ovens The 5S process of Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain is a lean manufacturing process in use by the Toyota Production System for decades. The premise of 5S is to help organize and improve the work conditions of a workplace. Yet this process can also be used for home as well. These steps can help you get your home organized now and keep it that way in the future.