Colorado Lean Network

Newsletter May 2026

Heather Richter

Friday, May 8th, 2026

🌟 AT A GLANCE

Welcome to the May edition of the Colorado Lean Network newsletter! 

This month, our theme is “Blooming Solutions” — a reminder that strong, sustainable improvements grow from strong roots. We’re focusing on Root Cause Problem Solving, including the 5 Whys, Fishbone Diagrams, and practical ways to help your team dig deeper instead of treating symptoms.  You can jump to the article or explore our May case study and learn how these tools can boost team results.

We’re also excited to introduce our newest CLN Board Member, and we’re sharing a reflection from our April Virtual 5S Event, where members rolled up their sleeves and did some serious spring cleaning — Lean style.

Interested in hosting an upcoming Colorado Lean Network event, presenting on a topic with us, or sharing a tool you’ve found helpful?
Visit the Lend A Hand page here!

Quantifying Your Impact Want to better demonstrate the value of your improvement work?Join us for an interactive workshop led by Jessica Shoemaker, where you’ll learn how to confidently quantify the impact of your efforts. In this session, you’ll learn how to: Identify and calculate hard savings, soft savings, and cost avoidance. Apply simple, practical methods to measure impact, document and communicate results to showcase your contributions. Walk away with tools and examples you can immediately apply to highlight the financial impact of your process improvements.

Wednesday, May 20th
 1:00 – 2:30 PM MDT
 Sign up on Eventbrite to receive a link, (no registration fee required!)

REGISTER HERE!

Amazon Fulfillment Center Tour

Curious how lean principles operate at real scale? Join us for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of an Amazon Fulfillment Center.

 Wednesday, June 3 | 1:00–3:30 PM
 Thornton, CO
 $15 | Limited to 25 attendees (register by May 27)

Step inside a robotics-enabled, sortable fulfillment center and see how people, processes, and automation come together to move products with speed and precision.

After the tour, stick around for an optional meet-up at a nearby restaurant—an opportunity to connect, share insights, and reflect on what you’ve seen.

Whether you’re passionate about continuous improvement, operations, or simply curious about high-performing systems, this is a unique opportunity to learn from one of the world’s most advanced logistics environments.

REGISTER HERE!

Join the Colorado Lean Network for our free monthly Virtual Lean Coffee – a relaxed, engaging space for Lean enthusiasts and practitioners of all experience levels to connect, learn, and share ideas. Each session is discussion-based and participant-driven, but there’s no pressure to speak – you’re always welcome to simply listen in and learn. Whether you’re brand new to Lean or a seasoned practitioner, you’ll gain fresh perspectives, practical insights, and peer learning in a supportive, low-stakes environment. Come curious, bring questions if you’d like, or just tune in and absorb.

 Wednesday, May 13th
 12:00 – 1:00 PM MDT
 Sign up on Eventbrite to receive a link!

REGISTER HERE!

Meet Ashley, Our Newest Board Member!

We are excited to introduce our newest CLN Board Member: Ashley Buben. Ashley will hold the position of Director of Finance, with a focus on our upcoming Annual Summit – More Details to Come! Welcome Ashley!

Check out Ashley’s (and all of the Board’s) profiles here!

Just like plants need healthy soil to thrive, organizations need strong foundations to solve problems effectively. Root Cause Problem Solving (RCPS) helps teams move beyond quick fixes and uncover the underlying issues that truly need attention.

Here are the core tools that help teams “get to the root”:

1. The 5 Whys — Simple, Powerful, Revealing

The 5 Whys helps teams peel back layers of symptoms by repeatedly asking “Why did this happen?” It’s not about interrogating people — it’s about understanding processes.

Why it works:

Leads to targeted countermeasures

2. Fishbone Diagram — Visualizing the Causes

Also known as the Ishikawa Diagram, this tool helps teams categorize potential causes under branches like:

It’s especially helpful when problems are complex or multi‑factor.

3. A3 Thinking — The Story of the Problem

A3s help teams document:

It’s a structured way to think, not just a form to fill out.

Root Cause Problem Solving helps teams grow solutions that last — not weeds that keep coming back.

April’s Digital 5S Event Retrospective

We often think of 5S as a tool for the shop floor—or maybe an overstuffed kitchen cabinet. But one of the messiest spaces we navigate daily? Our digital world.

From desktops to shared drives to phones, Digital 5S helps reduce waste, ease mental load, and make information faster to find—no guesswork required.

What Happened on April 22
At our Lean in Practice: Digital 5S Working Session, facilitated by Heather Richter, participants explored how the 5S principles—Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain—translate into digital environments through clear structure and better habits.

Putting It Into Practice
Participants:

Result? Some pages passed. Others showed clear opportunities to improve.

What’s Next

We’re using your feedback to improve the CLN website. Watch for updates—and keep the ideas coming via the CLN Board or the “Lend a Hand” form.

Try It Yourself
Start small:

Then share your results on LinkedIn (tag CLN!) to be featured.

A Colorado precision‑machining company struggled with recurring defects on a high‑tolerance part. The team had tried multiple fixes — new tooling, extra inspections, operator reminders — but the problem kept returning.

The Approach

The team used a combination of 5 Whys, a Fishbone Diagram, and an A3 to understand the issue.

What They Found

The real issue? A subtle misalignment in the fixture caused by inconsistent setup steps.

The Countermeasure

The team standardized the setup process, added a visual alignment indicator, and updated their Standard Work.

The Results

Root Cause Problem Solving helped them stop treating symptoms and start solving the real problem.

As we move into May, we hope this month inspires you to dig deeper, ask better questions, and grow solutions that last. Root Cause Problem Solving helps teams bloom — not by chance, but by design.

Here’s to a month of clarity, curiosity, and continuous improvement.

Thank you for being part of the Colorado Lean Network. We look forward to connecting with you at our May and June events!

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