Living Lean: Zeke's Tree

Abstract

This case is part of the "Living Lean" series, which presents accessible, everyday scenarios for a Lean process-improvement journey. In this episode on decision analysis, a father helps his son weigh possible responses to a forgotten vocabulary list.

Excerpt

UVA-OM-1433

Rev. Nov. 26, 2013

Living Lean: Zeke's Tree

Zeke walked home from the bus and negotiated his backpack through the front door. His father, Elliott, a business school professor, put aside some papers he was grading and made sure the fifth-grader did the three things he always did when he got home: take his shoes off and leave them by the door, empty out his lunchbox at the sink, and lay his school books on his desk. Elliott encouraged Zeke to complete his homework right away; it made the remainder of the day easier for everyone, and Zeke had an easier time finishing everything up when it was still fresh in his mind.

Illustrations by Michael Twery.

Elliott: Hi Zeke! How was your day?

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Keywords: decision tree, process analysis