36 Quotes by Karen Martin

When the team members have achieved a deep understanding of the current state and they are mapping on consecutive days, designing the future state often occurs organically- as long as people are open to challenging their existing silo-centric paradigms about how and where work should be performed

You want those closet to the work designing tactical-level improvements rather than leaders who are too far from the work to determine exactly what should be done to reach a target condition.

Depending on the organization, designing an improved state can also require thick skin, intestinal fortitude, and a hefty dose of courage.

People are typically more comfortable talking with others in their own environment; being asked to come to a conference room to help a leadership-heavy team evaluate work flow can evoke understandable anxiety and make them feel like they are on a witness stand. It is much more effective to go to them.

Value stream mapping often demonstrates that, at a macro level, there isn't as much variation as it "feels" like there is

You're a step ahead when you conclude the mapping activity with leaders from across the organization, show them how the team intends to make process, and obtain their public commitment to support the plan.

Organizations that skip this vital step of socializing the charter with leadership ... often have to navigate through and around obstacles that would otherwise not exist

Top down mandates from an executive sponsor or leader over a specific functional area are the antithesis of the type of consensus building that accelerates improvement.

How can you improve workflow if you don't understand how the work is being performed today?