Before I got my job at Acme, if you had asked me what sort of interest I had in manufacturing I would have told you that I thought it would be cool to see how raw materials got transformed into finished products. I still think that’s cool and I wish I could spend time watching how the metal is made into the tool at Acme.

That’s not a vocational interest. That’s a tourist’s interest: come, see, marvel, leave. Since I’ve come and had my look, I have been fascinated not so much by the process of manufacturing, but the question of how to make that transformation easier. That sounds geeky and technical, but it is really a simple goal: cut red tape. If I could show you how to cook your supper faster, or wash your clothes faster, or likewise make any other task easier, safer, and more effective, how could you not be interested?

Particularly if I proposed to make your health care safer.

Read a very brief introduction to Lean thinking and the Walter Reed fiasco. Then read about the horrible red tape plaguing the medical services industry; and, if you are still interested, read a more detailed explanation of how Lean might be able to help.