Recent Posts by Christina Irwin

Issue 17 – Mar 2014

Issue 17 • Mar 2014 “We are not Normal People” – a study on the voice of the customer” http://justinjackson.ca/we-are-not-normal-people/ January 29, 2014 When it comes to building products, the biggest problem technical (and creative) people have is this: increasing the technical challenge while creating a product does not increase the chance for more sales. This surprises us.…
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Issue 16 – Nov 2013

Issue 16 • Nov 2013 Lean Training – What is most the common cause for Lean Transformation failure? I will not likely do this topic justice.  John Kotter, in his bestselling book Leading Change, delivers compelling evidence on why major change initiatives fail.  I recommend anyone that is pursuing a lean initiative to read this book.…
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Issue 15 – Sept 2013

Issue 15 • Sept 2013 Lean Training – Learn how to effectively collect Customer Demand Data One of the questions frequently received is how to effectively collect customer demand data.  While I had previously viewed this concept as obvious, I have learned that capturing demand data can be somewhat elusive if you don’t have a…
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Issue 14 – July 2013

Issue 14 • July 2013 Enhance your Lean Facilitation Skills Certification The ability to guide a team toward improvement is an essential skill of any quality improvement program leader. Navigating leadership, management, and the team through the scientific method and obtaining a real, sustainable result is a difficult job. Luckily, facilitating improvement is a skill…
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Issue 13 – Jan 2013

Issue 13 • Jan 2013 Training Toward Lean Bronze Certification Breakthrough Horizons is pleased to offer another public workshop on training toward Lean Bronze Certification through ASQ, SME, the Shingo Prize and AME. In sponsorship with Mount Sinai Hospital located in downtown Toronto, ON, This two and half day workshop will be held from 12-14…
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Issue 12 – Oct 2012

Issue 12 • Oct 2012 Implementing Pull by Steve Newlon A lean system desires that work flow nonstop through the entire value stream (VS).  In every VS, constant flow from one value-added step to the next typically doesn't exist.  This means a hand-off from station to station occurs.  Pull first directs us to examine this handoff.  Establishing a clear method…
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Issue 11 – July 2012

Issue 11 • July 2012 Applying Toyota Production System Techniques to Medication Delivery by Terry Newell and Cynthia Seaver; Process Engineers, Spectrum Healthcare Spectrum Health is the largest not-for-profit health care system in West Michigan with nine hospitals, 190 service sites and 1,938 licensed beds system wide. We have the largest children's hospital in West Michigan,…
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Issue 10 – May 2012

Issue 10 • May 2012 Niagara Health System Uses Lean Design Techniques in their new Health Care Complex By Claudia Danyluk and Ammarah Shahid, Lean Facilitators, NHS The Niagara Health System (NHS) is Ontario’s largest multi-site hospital amalgamation comprised of seven sites serving 434,000 residents across the Regional Municipality of Niagara. In 2009, the NHS…
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