KPI Fireside: A Continuous Improvement Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Dr. Alan Barnard—decision scientist, CEO of Goldratt Research Labs, and one of the world’s leading experts on the Theory of Constraints—to explore how organizations can solve the right problems, not just the most obvious ones. Drawing on decades of research, consulting, and direct work with Dr. Eli Goldratt, Alan shares practical insights into how TOC helps companies focus their improvement efforts where it matters most.

🔻 Why most systems fail by solving the wrong problems first

🔻 How the Theory of Constraints reveals the real bottleneck blocking progress

🔻 The five types of constraints every system must manage

🔻 Why “focus” beats “fix everything” in continuous improvement

🔻 How to apply TOC principles to flow, decision-making, and strategy

🔻 Why finding the constraint is the first step to making better, faster decisions

Whether you're leading improvement initiatives, scaling a business, or simply trying to move faster without chaos, this episode delivers a practical, thought-provoking framework for solving the right problems—and unlocking exponential impact.

🔗 Learn more about Dr. Barnard: https://goldrattresearchlabs.com/

🔗 Connect with Dr. Barnard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralanbarnard/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Keith Norris is joined by Randy Kesterson, executive coach, transformation leader, and author of The Basics of Hoshin Kanri, to explore how companies can finally make their strategy stick—by linking it to execution, culture, and change management that works.

🔻 Why most strategic plans fail (and how to focus on what really matters)

🔻 The power of Hoshin Kanri to align teams and cut through initiative overload

🔻 What leaders miss when they treat Lean as a tool—not a business enabler

🔻 How to overcome resistance to change with ADKAR and real buy-in

🔻 Why cultural change needs structure, not slogans

🔻 How to deploy strategy across teams without another binder on the shelf

Randy shares lessons from decades leading operations across aerospace, defense, and manufacturing—plus how change management and Hoshin Kanri helped him bridge the gap between strategy and execution in both corporate and consulting roles.

🔗 Learn more about Randy: https://www.kestersongroup.com

🔗 Connect with Randy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randykesterson/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Keith Norris is joined by Jared Ragozzine, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, to explore how companies can turn everyday frontline ideas into real, measurable wins—and build a culture of continuous improvement that actually sticks.

🔻 Why suggestion boxes and Kaizen events aren’t enough to sustain improvement

🔻 How the A6 card helps teams capture, prioritize, and act on quick wins

🔻 The key to unlocking frontline engagement (without becoming the bottleneck)

🔻 What leaders must do to support CI—from approving time to doing a Gemba walk

🔻 Why visual management beats spreadsheets when it comes to momentum

🔻 How to build real CI habits with simple rituals, not massive rollouts

Jared shares practical strategies and real-world stories from nearly a decade of coaching teams—from startups to multi-site manufacturers—and shows how a simple 4x6 card is helping frontline employees everywhere turn their ideas into lasting impact.

🔗 Learn more about Engage Forward: https://engage-forward.com

🔗 Connect with Jared on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredragozzine

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Keith Norris is joined by Kevin Clay, founder of Six Sigma Development Solutions and author of Why They Fail, to explore why most Lean and CI efforts fall short—and how to build a culture where they actually thrive.

🔻 Why most Lean initiatives fail (and how to avoid the common traps)

🔻 The mistake of training belts without building the right infrastructure

🔻 What executives must do to make CI stick—from KPIs to project prioritization

🔻 Why “Go find a project” is a sign of failure

🔻 The role of a “project hopper” and how to align improvement with business goals

🔻 How CI drives real career growth—and how to build programs that last

Kevin shares hard-earned insights from decades of experience training thousands of professionals across industries—from the Army to aerospace—and helps us see how small changes in structure, mindset, and leadership can transform outcomes.

📚 Buy Kevin’s book Why They Fail: https://sixsigmadsi.com/why-they-fail/

🔗 Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssdsi/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Keith Norris is joined by Andrei Anca, author of Lead From Any Seat, to unpack what actually makes CI work—and why most companies get it wrong.

🔻 Why you don’t need a title to lead improvement

🔻 How CI programs lose momentum and how to fix it

🔻 The difference between problem pointers, finders, and solvers

🔻 Why most metrics are misleading—and how to measure what matters

🔻 How AI and change management will shape the future of CI

🔻 The one root cause mistake nearly every team makes

Andrei shares real-world stories and tactics you can use today—whether you're in finance, ops, manufacturing, or tech.

📚 Get the book + free templates: ⁠www.leadfromanyseat.com⁠

🔗 Connect with Andrei on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreianca/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – ⁠linkedin.com/in/keithnorris⁠

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this kickoff episode of KPI Fireside, host Keith Norris sits down with Lean Accounting expert Nick Katko—author, consultant, and pioneer in connecting finance with continuous improvement.

🔻 Why Standard Costing Falls Short

🔻 The Box Score Breakdown

🔻 Common Pitfalls in Lean Journeys

🔻 The ROI of Lean & Creating Capacity

🔻 Advice for Finance Pros & CI Leaders

💡 Whether you're new to Lean or deep in your CI journey, this episode will shift how you think about operations, accounting, and leadership. Tune in for a thoughtful and practical discussion packed with real-world insights and decades of experience.

🌐 Learn more: ⁠https://www.kpifire.com/⁠

🔗Connect with Nick Katko on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkatko/

📱 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kpi-fire

📸 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kpifire/

In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Dr. Will Miller, Associate VP for Continuous Improvement and Institutional Performance at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, to explore what it really takes to lead meaningful change inside complex, high-stakes environments.

🔻 Why people don’t resist change—they resist being changed

🔻 How to lead innovation in a bureaucracy-heavy environment

🔻 What higher ed can teach us about tailoring CI to your audience

🔻 Why culture clashes derail change—and how to avoid them

🔻 Metrics that matter (and how to stop tracking the wrong stuff)

🔻 The secret to making compliance feel empowering, not draining

Whether you’re coaching faculty, managing a team, or trying to modernize a legacy system, this episode will help you lead smarter and change better—without losing the people you need most.

🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/

🔗 Connect with Will Miller, PhD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willmillerphd/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Keith Norris is joined by Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth—visual workplace pioneer, Shingo Institute faculty fellow, and author of Visual Workplace and Work That Makes Sense. Together, they dive deep into the world of “visuality,” the often misunderstood backbone of operational excellence that enables clarity, flow, and empowerment at every level of the organization.

🔻 Why visuality is not just a tool—but a strategic intervention

🔻 The real difference between visual management and visual performance

🔻 How organizations unintentionally rob people of purpose (and how to give it back)

🔻 The “I-driven” workplace and the two core questions behind meaningful work

🔻 How flow, critical thinking, and “teaching without answers” transform teams

🔻 Why metrics without leadership are just decoration—and what real leaders must do

Dr. Galsworth shares practical wisdom and field-tested insights to help leaders, coaches, and operators unlock the power of visual thinking—and transform their workplaces into environments that communicate clearly and drive continuous improvement.

🔗 Learn more about the Visual Workplace: https://visualworkplace.com/

🔗 Connect with Dr. Gwendolyn Galsworth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gwendolyngalsworth/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Andreas Mader—CEO of Aperia Corporation and longtime Lean transformation leader—to explore how real improvement happens: not through perfection, but through progress.

From global manufacturing to executive coaching, Andreas shares stories and insights on building CI cultures that sustain, developing leaders who stay curious, and creating systems that don’t just improve processes—but people.

🔻 Why sustainment is the missing piece in most CI programs

🔻 The one mindset shift that makes improvement stick

🔻 How to create simplicity in the face of complexity

🔻 What it really means to lead through service

🔻 Why being better every day beats being perfect someday

🔻 The difference between solving a problem and owning it

Whether you're on the shop floor or in the C-suite, this episode is a reminder that real change starts with a single question: how can we be better tomorrow than today?

🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/

🔗 Connect with Andreas Mader on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akmader/

🔗 Explore Aperia Corporation: https://aperia.com/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Keith Norris sits down with Jesse Rendon, CI leader and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, to unpack what it really takes to turn frontline employees into empowered agents of change.

Jesse shares how he went from loading trucks to building enterprise-wide CI systems, and why believing in people’s potential is more powerful than any tool or certification.

🔻 How to turn operators into problem solvers

🔻 Why coaching beats training every time

🔻 What happens when leaders truly listen to their teams

🔻 The role of “Lean Squads” in scaling improvement

🔻 Why your frontline knows the solutions—but only if they’re invited

🔻 How to build belief, not just compliance

Whether you’re leading from the boardroom or the shop floor, this episode is a blueprint for building cultures that improve from the inside out.

🔗 Learn more about KPI Fire: https://www.kpifire.com/

🔗 Connect with Jesse Rendon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-rendon-lssbb/

🎙 Hosted by Keith Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithnorris/

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere you get your podcasts.