 Monday, June 8th, 2026 🌟 AT A GLANCE Upcoming Events Lean Coffee Amazon Facility Tour – Live Event “Respect for People – The Social Pillar of Lean” – Virtual Event Turn Up the Heat with Clarity: How Visual Management Keeps Teams Cool Under Pressure Reflection on May’s Virtual Event: Quantifying Your Impact Precision Meets Process: How a Colorado Tech Manufacturer Cooled Down Chaos with Visual Factory Tools Welcome! David Kiefner, CLN’s Newest Board Member addition  Welcome to the June edition of the Colorado Lean Network newsletter! As summer kicks off and temperatures rise, we’re turning up the heat on one of Lean’s most powerful concepts: Visual Management. This month’s theme — “Turn Up the Heat on Clarity!” — highlights how Visual Factory tools and Obeya Rooms help teams stay cool, aligned, and focused even when the pressure is on. You can jump to the article or explore our June case study to bring more clarity and flow to your team. We’re also continuing our spotlight on our new CLN Board Member and sharing a reflection from our May Virtual Quantifying Your Impact Event, where participants engaged in real case study examples of evaluating and measuring value-add in different ways. And of course, June brings another Monthly Lean Coffee and ongoing opportunities through our Lend a Hand page.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! UPCOMING EVENTS  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, June 10th ⏰ 12:00 – 1:00 PM MDT đź’» Sign up on Eventbrite to receive a link! REGISTER HERE!  Amazon Facility Tour (Round 2) Join the Colorado Lean Network for an inside look at an Amazon Fulfillment Center and see their processes and operations in action!An event so nice we decided to run it twice! Our first round sold out and had great feedback so we are offering a second tour! Join the Colorado Lean Network for an exclusive behind the scenes tour of an Amazon Fulfillment Center. The tour will begin at 1:00 pm and run through 2:30 pm, offering a firsthand look at operational processes and lean principles in action.Following the tour, we will gather at a nearby restaurant for appetizers and to discuss what we saw. This is a great opportunity to reflect on key takeaways, share insights, and connect with fellow attendees in a relaxed setting. Attendance at the post tour gathering is completely optional, so feel free to join for as much or as little as fits your schedule This event will be capped at 25 people and registration will close 7/10. Our first tour sold out so don’t wait!🗓️ Wednesday, June 15th ⏰ 1:00 – 3:30 PM MDT đź’» Sign up on Eventbrite to receive a link! REGISTER HERE!  Your most expensive operational problem isn’t a system or process. It’s the human interactions that determine whether anything works:Respect for People – The Social Pillar: The Multiplier that Compounds Operational PerformanceThe most expensive friction in your operation may not be in your systems or processes. It may be in the daily interactions that determine whether problems surface, decisions move clearly, accountability holds, and improvement actually takes root.This session explores the social side of Lean: what drives human friction, what it costs your operation and your people, and how building Respect for People into everyday ways of working can multiply performance, engagement, and growth at scale.You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of the conditions that support continuous improvement and the behaviors that power execution, trust, ownership, and engagement. The gap between your current state and what your operation is capable of may be smaller than you think, but it depends on how people are treated while the work gets done. 🗓️ Wednesday, July 22nd ⏰9:00 – 10:30 AM MDT đź’» Sign up on Eventbrite to receive a link! REGISTER HERE! Meet David, Our Newest Board Member!  We are excited to introduce our newest CLN Board Member: David Kiefner. David will hold the position of Co-Chair Education and Events with a specific focus on in-person events. Welcome David! Summer is here — and with it comes a great reminder that clarity keeps things cool. When teams can see the work, they can understand the work, and when they understand the work, they can improve the work.This month, we’re focusing on two essential elements of a Visual Factory: 1. Visual Controls — Your Process Sunscreen Visual controls protect teams from confusion, rework, and unnecessary heat. Examples include:Color‑coded kanban cardsAndon lightsFloor markingsVisual SOPsWIP limits Why they matter:Reduce cognitive loadImprove flowMake abnormalities obviousSupport faster decision‑making 2. Obeya Rooms — The “Big Room” for Big Alignment Obeya (Japanese for “big room”) is a central space where teams gather to review:KPIsProject statusRisks and blockersImprovement plansCross‑functional alignment Why they matter:Break down silosSpeed up communicationImprove transparencyStrengthen team ownership When the heat is on, Obeya Rooms help teams stay aligned and focused. |
May’s Digital Quantifying Your Impact Event Retrospective Thank you to everyone who joined our May Virtual Quantifying Your Impact Event! Hosted by Jessica Shoemaker, Continuous Improvement Program Manager with Keysight Technologies, Inc. and Colorado Lean Network Member since 2021. Attendees dove into truly understanding value-add techniques and participated in interactive break-out sessions to apply and discuss the tools and methods shared. Key Takeaways The goal of CI is better process and shorter lead times; cost savings are a natural outcomeThere are three types of savings: Hard Savings (direct profit impact) Soft Savings (efficiency and labor gains) Cost Avoidance (spending prevented) Always calculate savings on an annual basis using the formula relevant to each typeSmall improvements matter – across large organizations, small savings add up quicklyQuantifying your savings highlights the impact of your workFor more learning, networking and sharing of ideas and best practices like this, check out our upcoming events..!  A Colorado‑based electronics manufacturer struggled with inconsistent communication between production, engineering, and supply chain teams. The result? Hot‑spot bottlenecks, last‑minute schedule changes, and constant firefighting. The Approach The organization implemented a Visual Factory system supported by a weekly Obeya Room meeting. What They Did Introduced color‑coded kanban cards for material flowAdded visual WIP limits at each workstationCreated a daily production dashboardEstablished a cross‑functional Obeya Room with: -KPI boards -Risk registers -Countermeasure tracking -Standard meeting cadence The Results Delivery accuracy improved by 12%Schedule changes decreased by 30%Cross‑functional communication improved significantlyTeams reported greater clarity and less stress Visual management didn’t just improve performance — it cooled down the chaos. Closing Thoughts As summer heats up, remember that clarity is the coolest tool you can give your team. Visual management — from kanban to Obeya Rooms — helps teams stay aligned, reduce stress, and keep the work flowing smoothly even when the temperature rises. Here’s to a June filled with visibility, alignment, and Lean‑powered coolness.Thank you for being part of the Colorado Lean Network. We look forward to connecting with you at our June and July events! |
Newsletter June 2026
