Steady Work

by Karen Gaudet, Emily Adams

Transforming frontline operations in a retail chain the size of Starbucks is a story in itself. This book goes further, investigating how lean thinking addressed huge demand fluctuation in a retail environment across thousands of stores, and then how baristas and managers in Newtown, Connecticut used that system to get them through the worst week imaginable. It is a deeply personal story with global relevance.

Kindle Edition

Published March 2, 2020

Reviews

[Bob Wallner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been sitting in my to-read cue for a considerable amount of time. I've hesitated because my lean focus is specifically on manufacturing. What is a coffee empire going to teach me about lean implementation that I don't already know? After all these years and reading hundreds of books, I should have known better that it doesn't matter product or service line, there are always very big lessons to be learned and Steady Work delivers some incredible lessons on implementation and execution.

Karen discusses her lean transformation that takes place throughout Starbucks in New England, a region in which I happen to live in. Although I am not a Starbucks groupie, I do appreciate their product on occasion and was blissfully unaware of the metamorphosis that has occurred within the stores. From concept in Seattle to execution at the store level, Steady Work outlines the successes, challenges, and failures of trying to implement a standardized system to a customized product.

I love the concept of the playbook, a book of standard work that allows store managers, district managers, and regional managers to lead to a standard versus requiring every decision to be a custom decision. The story truly hit home for me when she discusses the "worst day ever" which turned into the worst week ever during the Sandy Hook elementary shooting just a couple of hours from my home. It's solidified in her mind, and in mine, that standardized work and two years of intense effort to implement provided real value. As she points out, it also gave corporate the confidence needed to allow her to manage the project without feeling that they needed to come in and micromanage.

One of the challenges I've always had is implementing standard work with new product development. Lead engineers or Engineering Managers will say you "can't standardize innovation". That is true, but you can certainly standardize the processes that are involved around the innovation. Each customer at a Starbucks has a different taste making each product individual or a "new product", creating the playbook around the operations allowed for effective efficient stores that still were able to supply a customized product.

I have to learn not to hesitate when a book is not "in my arena". Although I'm primarily a manufacturing guy, some of the best lean books I've read are not in manufacturing. They revolve around farming, healthcare, service, and now, of all things, coffee.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is a short narrative of Starbucks’ front line implementation of lean thinking in their stores. Karen was the regional director tasked to go and see the actual stores and train each one to see and solve problems to create more value for the customer. During the recession, Starbucks had to go back to where they create value, one cup to one person in one store at a time.

This book helps illuminate the value and capability of people. It also shows how problem solving via best thinking is far superior to cookie cutter “best practices.” You get to see the real challenges in training lean thinking to make each store efficient and unique.

It took about 4 hours to read and is a good soft intro into the power and purpose of lean thinking.

[Luke Gruber · Rating 3 out of 5]

We picked this book to read as a management team to help reinforce our pursuit of lean manufacturing concepts. It's an extremely simple read! I enjoyed seeing manufacturing concepts employed in a non-traditional manufacturing environment like a coffee shop!

It's a short book, and is very limited on the depth of the concepts.

[CK529 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provided enough information to consider a new approach to work especially when the volume of work is unpredicatable. Significant use of examples made it easy to read and at least get an understanding of the approach. Main points are highlighted throughout.

[nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toyota way led me here.

Good book. Nice bits of stuff I would like to put together.
Helps when reviewing how you do stuff. I am currently