Reviews of the Kaizen Sketchbook
Kaizen Sketchbook" is an important, necessary and unique addition to Lean
literature. Marypat Cooper complies
three decades of experience into a densely-packed compendium of knowledge and
practice on operational excellence in both factory and office.
The book flows from her own eyes; it is no academic theory book.
Her notes on what works and what doesn't work abound.
She addresses concisely and clearly all the tools of Lean.
Better, she intersperses discussions of tools with the posture the Lean
leader needs to take during their implementation.
This
book is not one you will read and then set on the shelf. You will use it as a
handbook, repeatedly drawn out for guidance on specific topics.
The book is wonderfully illustrated with simple, clear drawings and
photos. As such, it touches both
the left and right brains of the reader.
It is no accident the book is spiral bound, to lay flat on a workbench as
a guidance. It is no coffee-table
showpiece; rather it is a lunch-pail carrying, hard-working book, designed to
get dirty, dog-eared and marked up.
Cooper walks what she talks; even the production of this book is in a
high-value, high flow, waste-minimization manner, preserving the environment
while bringing delight to the end reader.
I
highly recommend this book for anyone pursuing process excellence.
Director of Operations
Cook
Biotech Inc.
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The fact that there are so many Lean transformation attempts demonstrates a general interest in Lean, as a way of improving the business performance. Unfortunately, just a small percent of those attempts deliver the expected results, and even though there are several causes behind this situation, the lack of implementation know-how stands out. This is exactly what the book covers – and does it extremely well, filling a gap in the current literature. Let me explain: Legitimately, most of the authors mention the fact that every transformation needs to suit the business – therefore every transformation is different – and, because of that, they recommend steps or principles to follow. This approach helps in intellectually grasping the concept, but leaves the question “how do I actually do it? ” still open. This book has a different approach. Recognizing the particularities of each transformation deployment, it describes at the very detailed level the vital standard element necessary in each: Kaizen, and the framework that makes it effective: Policy Deployment and VSM. With all of these in hand, the only thing missing is … actually doing it! As being fortunate enough to work with the author, I can assure you: reading this book is like talking to Marypat.* * *
When the opportunity to embark on the lean journey knocked on my door years ago, I had some important tools: a good teacher, commitment from the higher management and some good books. Supported by the passion we had for Lean, we went through successes and difficult times .The more passionate of us were digging for knowledge in a wide variety of books, some good, some not so good, trying to collect information’s on various subjects. The process was helpful but time consuming and sometimes misleading. We were missing a good field guide. This book fills the void, it covers all the aspects necessary to a successful Lean journey. It is easy to navigate and is based on real life experiences. The Kaizen Sketchbook helps the new or the more experienced Lean agent have quick access to an exhaustive source of tools needed for continuous improvement. Considering that Lean is a people system, this field guide links with the human touch. Spreading the Lean culture is now easier with this tool. Enjoy the Kaizen sketchbook in what I call the “Joy of sharing”, with everybody.