547: Why product leaders need to understand the hoshin kanri framework – with Mark Reich

Episode notes

Vertical and horizontal alignment in product management Watch on YouTube TLDR In this episode of Product Mastery Now, I'm interviewing Mark Reich, senior coach at Lean Enterprise Institute and former Toyota executive, to demystify hoshin kanri —a Japanese strategic framework that transformed organizations like Toyota and powered major innovations such as the Lexus launch. Mark outlines how hoshin kanri enables both top-down and bottom-up alignment, creating a culture where strategy and innovation are owned at every level of the organization. Introduction Product managers know they need to align their work with their organization's strategy. Often, it's not clear how to actually accomplish this. We need a strategic framework that can transform how your organization innovates to support strategic objectives. Hoshin kanri is such a framework and has worked for other organizations, including helping Toyota launch Lexus, one of the most successful automotive innovations in history. By the end of this conversation, you'll understand specific frameworks and tools, like catchball, for connecting your work to the organization's strategy.