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The Lean Corner

Find short, practical guides written for people running operations. Each cheat sheet focuses on one challenge and a clear next step. Use them to structure problem solving, daily management, and strategy deployment. Pick a topic, download the sheet, and try it with your team.

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Panneau SQCDP digital montrant les roues Safety, Quality, Cost et Delivery, avec des graphiques d’indicateurs sur les incidents de sécurité, le taux de rebut de l’usine et les réclamations clients quotidiennes

KPI Design for Operational Excellence: How to Choose Three Indicators That Actually Drive Decisions

Too many KPIs bury the signal. Use a 3-question framework to pick the indicators that drive daily decisions at each Tier, and avoid the 3 common mistakes.
Isometric illustration of five production sites in different colours (three warehouses, a conveyor line and an aircraft fuselage assembly), each with a team gathered around a digital board

You Have Five Sites Engaged in a Lean Programme and They Are All Doing It Differently

Rollout succeeded, standardisation failed. Learn how to audit what each site really does, re-standardise the non-negotiables, and build governance that holds.
Deux panneaux iObeya côte à côte : une matrice X Hoshin Kanri d’une usine pilote, et un panneau SQCDP Tier 1 avec les indicateurs Safety, Quality, Delivery et Cost, la relève d’équipe et le plan d’action

How to Connect Your Annual Strategy to Monday’s SQCDP Meeting

Hoshin Kanri runs in annual cycles, SQCDP in 24-hour ones. Learn the 4-step cascade that links a breakthrough objective to your Tier 1 board.
Illustration Obeya Methodology: the Complete Guide

Obeya Methodology: the Complete Guide

What is an Obeya room? Discover its origin, the 6 elements of an effective room, daily/weekly rituals, and physical vs. digital approaches.

Cost of Inaction in Manufacturing: What One Year of Delay Costs You

Discover how much a year of inaction really costs manufacturers, through 5 hidden cost categories and a framework to calculate your own numbers.
Illustration Hoshin Kanri: Connecting Strategy to the Shop Floor

Hoshin Kanri: Connecting Strategy to the Shop Floor

Discover how Hoshin Kanri connects annual strategy to daily shop-floor actions, through objective cascading, catchball, and visual management.

How to Calculate OEE and Use It to Justify a Digital Investment

Learn how to calculate OEE step by step, compare your score to sector benchmarks, and turn an OEE gain into a quantified digital investment case.
Thumbnail What Is Operational Excellence? The Complete Guide

What Is Operational Excellence? The Complete Guide

Operational excellence explained: definition, 5 pillars, real plant examples, key management rituals, and a 4-step approach to build your own OpEx program.
Thumbnail Daily Management System (DMS): the Complete Guide

Daily Management System (DMS): the Complete Guide

Definition, core components, escalation tiers, and a 6-step deployment method. Everything you need to know about DMS to drive manufacturing performance.
Illustration Improving Service Processes The Right Lean Tools at the Right Time

Improving Service Processes: The Right Lean Tools at the Right Time

Learn how Lean Office tools such as VSM, PDCA, A3, Swimlane, and Visual Management help improve service processes and operational performance.
Illustration Driving Performance with Lean Office

Driving Performance with Lean Office

Discover how Lean Office improves service performance by identifying waste and applying Lean principles. Part 1 of a two-part series.
Illustration The Daily Management Mini Guide

The Daily Management Mini Guide

Discover the Daily Management Mini Guide: QCD, SQCDP dashboards, 5/15/30 routines, and Obeya to drive performance and alignment every day.
Illustration Operational Excellence A Strategic Must Have ?

Operational Excellence: A Strategic Must-Have?

Discover why operational excellence has become a strategic imperative to improve business agility, resilience and long-term performance.

Daily Management System (DMS): A Guide to Operational Performance

Learn how a Daily Management System (DMS) improves operational performance through visual management, structured routines, and digital collaboration.
Illustration of 4 pillars to know inspired by Toyota

Operational excellence – 4 pillars to know, inspired by Toyota

Discover the 4 pillars of operational excellence inspired by Toyota: philosophy, process, people and problem solving for continuous improvement.
Illustration No lean transformation without cutural transformation

No Lean Transformation Without Cultural Transformation

Lean tools alone don’t transform organizations. Discover why cultural transformation is the key to sustainable Lean success.
Illustration Operational excellence:the history

The Origins of TPS

Discover the origins of the Toyota Production System: from Ford’s Model T to Toyota’s Just-In-Time and the rise of Lean Thinking.
Thumbnail Of How Do You Know If an Obeya Is Working

How Do You Know If an Obeya Is Working?

Learn how to recognize an effective Obeya, the key signs it works, and how it supports alignment and better decision-making.

Digitalized Management Routines for SMBs: Concrete Business Benefits

Learn how digitalized management routines help SMBs gain agility, improve action tracking, and align teams around real-time data.
Thumbnail 3 factors for a successful improvement project

3 factors for a successful improvement project

What makes a Kaizen workshop successful? Leadership commitment, clear objectives, and effective time management explained.

5 Essential Lean Tools to Improve Operational Excellence in SMEs

Discover 5 practical Lean tools SMEs can use to eliminate waste, improve processes, and achieve sustainable operational excellence.
Infographic explaining the importance of Gemba in Lean management, featuring a photo of Masaaki Imai and the cover of the book Gemba Kaizen. The visual highlights key ideas: Gemba as the place where truth is found; problems observed at Gemba often stem from insufficient support from support functions; going to see in order to truly understand; Gemba as the starting point of Kaizen; standards as learning tools; and Gemba as an essential management act based on respect, learning, and responsibility.

Why Conduct a Gemba Walk? A Pillar of Lean Management and Kaizen

Discover why Gemba walks are essential in Lean management. Learn how Gemba drives Kaizen, leadership, and continuous improvement.
Infographic titled “The Guide to Improving Efficiency in SMEs” outlining 10 Lean Management steps: (1) Start on the shop floor – Gemba, (2) Clarify the company vision – Hoshin Kanri, (3) Formalize objectives – OKRs, (4) Train teams in Lean, (5) Map and improve key processes – VSM, (6) Establish a management routine – SQCDPE, (7) Manage problems methodically – A3, (8) Standardize best practices – Standard Work/TWI, (9) Sustain momentum over time – Continuous Improvement, (10) Spread the mindset across the organization – TPS.

Operational Excellence: The Foundations for Improving Efficiency in SMBs

Learn how SMBs can improve efficiency with Lean, OKRs, process mapping and performance routines in a practical 10-step guide.
Infographic outlining four steps to prepare for the start of the year in a company: 1) reflect on the past year with a lessons-learned review (REX), 2) set a collective direction using Hoshin Kanri, 3) establish execution rhythm with OKRs, and 4) structure key projects using the A3 method. Designed by iObeya.

How to properly prepare for the start of the year: Kaizen, Hoshin, setting priorities

Learn how Kaizen, Hoshin Kanri, OKRs and A3 thinking help align strategy, set priorities and start the year with clarity.
infography Lean Corner sheet of Challenges-of-operational-excellence-within-the-aerospace-sector-

Why Lean Is the Foundation of Operational Excellence

Discover why Lean management is the foundation of operational excellence, driving continuous improvement, team empowerment, and customer value
Thumbnail of sheet about Obeya room in the age of Industry 4.0

What Is an Obeya in the Era of Industry 4.0?

Discover what an Obeya is, why digitalizing it matters in Industry 4.0, and how it strengthens alignment, collaboration, and Lean performance.
Infographic “Successfully Transitioning to Digital SIMs” illustrating the 5 key steps: (1) Start with a focused POC, (2) Rethink routines and indicators, (3) Use the right tool such as iObeya, (4) Train and support facilitators, (5) Scale progressively by leveraging successes. The image shows a progressive pathway with explanatory text blocks and a side section highlighting the value of a physical Obeya.

How (and Why) Should You Digitalize Your Short Interval Meetings (SIMs)?

Learn why and how to digitalize SIMs to boost performance, improve data reliability, and streamline multi-level operational management.
Thumbnail of sheet about Deploying Your Operational Excellence System Through Visual Management

Deploying Your Operational Excellence System Through Visual Management

Learn how visual management and Obeya systems enhance alignment, data visibility, and operational excellence across all organizational levels.
Thumbnail of the concise guide to problem solving

The Complete Guide to Choosing Your Problem-Solving Method

Discover how to choose the best problem-solving method : PDCA, A3, QRQC, DMAIC and the tools that support continuous improvement.
Thumbnail of Pillard of Operational Excellence

Pillard of Operational Excellence

Discover the definition of Operational Excellence and its 5 pillars. Learn how digital Lean with iObeya drives sustainable performance and engagement.
Thumbnail about the sheet Lean Corner 10 key indicators to monitor in the warehouse

The 10 Key Indicators to Track in Your Warehouse to Achieve Operational Excellence

Discover the 10 essential KPIs to measure and improve warehouse performance while engaging teams in operational excellence.

Industry 4.0 – A New Era for Operational Excellence

Discover how Industry 4.0 reshapes production, digital visual management, and performance to accelerate operational excellence

VUCA World and Operational Excellence

In a fast-changing VUCA world, Operational Excellence provides stability, agility, and continuous improvement for lasting business success.

Lean Diagnosis: How to Move Your Organization Forward?

Discover the Lean maturity model in 5 levels to assess your organization, identify its current state, and find practical levers to progress toward a sustainable Lean culture.
The KPI Tree is a visual management tool that structures performance hierarchically. This diagram provides an example of a KPI Tree to measure customer satisfaction.

KPI Tree: How to structure your indicators for better performance management?

Learn what a KPI Tree is and how to use it to connect strategic objectives, key success factors and KPIs. Discover examples, benefits and steps to improve performance management.
Infographic explaining the Tiered Daily Management System (TOP 5/15/30) to enhance strategic visibility across all levels, from frontline to leadership, with purposes, roles, duration, tools, and benefits.

How to Improve Operational Visibility with a Tiered Daily

Discover how a Tiered Daily Management System boosts visibility, speeds up decisions, and drives alignment across all levels of your organization.
Obeya infographic on digitalizing visual management and Obeya: paper limits (history, synchronization, access, errors, integration)

Should You Digitalize Your Visual Management and Obeya?

Learn why and how to digitize visual management and Obeya to overcome paper limits, support hybrid teams, and drive operational excellence.
Diagram explaining the QRQC methodology, a problem-solving framework to respond quickly to anomalies in the field and address them in depth via a structured approach.

How to structure your QRQC for quick problem resolution

Discover QRQC, an agile method for quickly detecting, analysing and resolving problems in industrial environments. Quality and responsiveness guaranteed.
Infographic illustrating the challenges of operational excellence in the energy sector

The Challenges of Operational Excellence in the Energy Sector

Learn how operational excellence boosts performance and reliability in the energy sector in the face of current and future challenges.
Visual displaying a 30-question checklist for choosing a collaborative solution

30 questions to choose a collaborative solution adapted to your needs

Discover 30 key questions to select the ideal collaborative solution and optimize your project management and team performance.
Practical cheet sheet at the top of the article illustrating the different types of Obeyas (Strategic, Manufacturing, Office) and their best practices for optimizing collaboration and performance

3 types of Obeya: Strategic, Production and Office

Learn about the three types of Obeya – Strategic, Production, and Office – and how to use them to improve collaboration and performance.

Obeya: How to improve your Short Interval Management (SIM)

Find out how the Obeya improves your Short Interval Control (SIC) by making your meetings smoother, more structured and more efficient.

What are the challenges of operational excellence in logistics?

Discover the challenges of operational excellence in logistics: cost optimization, customer satisfaction, digitalization and resilience of supply chains.
Infographic comparing Excel and Obeya. It highlights Excel's data-centric approach versus Obeya's team-centric approach, showing how both tools complement each other for business collaboration and data management.

iObeya vs. Excel: Visualize your data for better decision making

Learn how iObeya and Excel complement each other to improve data management, collaboration, and accelerate business decision-making.
Header image of Cheat sheet on Problem Solving

Empowering Teams Through Problem-Solving: 5 Best practices

Learn 5 essential practices to build problem-solving skills, tackle challenges, and empower teams to solve problems effectively and methodically.
An article header image featuring an infographic that presents the principles of SIC.

Short Interval Animations: Impactful Lean Method

Learn how to implement effective short interval animations to enhance communication, boost performance, and drive continuous improvement.
Infographic illustrating how digitalization reinforces the Hoshin Kanri method by facilitating the alignment of business strategy with operational actions.

Digitize Hoshin Kanri for More Effective Strategic Planning

Learn how digitalization is improving the Hoshin Kanri method, strengthening strategic alignment and operational efficiency in the enterprise.
Illustration of ten examples of visual management tools, including Kanban boards, Pareto charts, Andon charts, and digital dashboards

How to implement a visual management board

Discover how to implement effective visual management by following key steps to optimize communication and performance in the company.
Card of infographic illustrating the key concepts of the Just-in-Time inventory management system

Just-in-Time: A Practical Guide for Industry Professionals

Discover Just-in-Time and learn how to synchronize production and demand to reduce inventory and improve the responsiveness of production lines.
Card on the Hoshin Kanri process showing the key steps of strategic planning

How to align strategy and operation with Hoshin Kanri

The Hoshin Kanri Method aligns strategy and operations to turn your company’s vision into concrete, measurable actions
Visual presenting the reasons to digitize the Gemba Walk

Why digitize your Gemba Walk?

Find out why digitizing the Gemba Walk improves collaboration, data accessibility, and team responsiveness for better efficiency.
Visual Lean Product Development

How to Use Lean for New Product Development

Learn how iObeya optimizes your Lean Product Development to innovate quickly, reduce costs, and improve team collaboration.
Visual of the card of the lean supply chain

How can we gain efficiency thanks to the “Lean Supply Chain”?

Learn how Lean Supply Chain reduces waste, improves product quality, and optimizes workflows across the supply chain.
Card for article: 4 Effective Problem-Solving Methods to Optimize Your Processes

4 Effective Problem-Solving Methods to Optimize Your Processes

Discover 4 problem-solving methods to identify root causes and improve your processes: PDCA, 5 Whys, 8D and DMAIC.
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About the author

Operations Performance Consultant

These Lean cards were written by Clément Boniol from Fichly, in collaboration with iObeya.

Clément works at the intersection of operations and communication.
He documents practical knowledge from the field to make complex topics easier to apply.