To date, most manufacturing companies have added six-sigma green/black belts/lean practitioners to help launch their lean manufacturing transformation.

Some companies achieved benefits beyond expectations but recently are experiencing cultural roadblocks and process obstacles. Most others have made the transformation but haven't experienced major gains in productivity nor quality.

In both cases, a lack of a continuous improvement of their initial lean transformation may be preventing empowered, self-directed, work teams from overcoming new and recurring process obstacles and cultural roadblocks.

As most of you know, I'm an affiliate of Transformance Advisers (TA) and re-commend their six-sigma belt and lean transformation programs. Without team members with these credentials, lean transformations are bound to fail to meet expectation.

However, in my 35 year manufacturing career (from the trenches to the front office)  I participated in three major, manufacturing company success stories. Lessons learned by continuously overcoming process obstacles and culture roadblocks led me to documenting my "10-Basics of Lean Manufacturing."

So, if your lean transformation requires continuous improvement, a study and implementation of my 10 basics would be an excellent start.

I have recently updated my back-to-basics, lean manufacturing, management development and team training products. The "WHAT TO DO" and most important the "HOW-TO-DO IT" for achieving a continuously improving lean manufacturing transformation.