People who already work in Lean, such as operators, leads, engineers, continuous-improvement staff and managers, and who want to use AI assistants well. You don't need to know any AI, and you don't need to write code.

Yes. The lessons, the knowledge checks and the certificate are free. An AI assistant account is separate and is yours to choose, and each lesson says what it needs.

Do I need an account?

To read Lesson 1, no. To read every lesson in full, take the checks, earn points and badges, save your progress and earn the certificate, yes: a free account with your email.

Which assistant do I need?

Claude is the worked example, because the free toolkit of skills is written for it. The ideas, and most of the exercises, carry over to ChatGPT, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. Plans and menus change often, so each lesson says what it needs and the date that was last checked.

Will I be asked to share company data?

No. Every exercise uses invented files, or a problem you describe yourself once Lesson 2 has shown what is safe to share. Only your quiz answers and your progress are saved on this site.

Do I need to know Lean?

Some. The course assumes you know waste, standard work, the 5 whys and OEE, and keeps Lean light. If you're new to it, the free Lean for Beginners: Cannabis course teaches the basics with cannabis examples.

I'm Paul Ducey, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt who builds the free toolkit of AI skills for Lean work. More about me .

Learning Center · a free course · all ten lessons open · one featured each Monday from October 12

AI at the Gemba.

Ten lessons for people who already know Lean and want to use an AI assistant well, without being fooled by it. No AI background needed. All ten lessons are open, and one is featured each week. Each has a hands-on exercise and a knowledge check. You learn what to paste and what not to, how to brief an assistant, how to catch the mistakes it makes, especially in numbers, how to write your own skill, and how to roll it out in a way that keeps the trust of the people doing the work. Pass the checks and the final test, and you earn a certificate of completion. It's free.

Get a note each Monday See the ten lessons

Free account

Your board

Free accounts open with Lesson 1 on Monday, October 12. Until then, everything on this site is open to read.

Four steps, every week

How it works

1Read the lesson. Plain words, with the Lean job first and the AI idea second. Lesson 1 is open to anyone. A free account opens every lesson in full.
2Try it yourself. Every lesson has an exercise you run in your own assistant, on practice files from an invented plant called Harbor Packaging. Nothing from your own work is sent to this site.
3Take the knowledge check. Five questions about situations you could meet at work, graded for you, with a reason for every answer.
4Save your progress. A free account keeps your checks and your place, earns you points and badges, and counts toward your certificate.

One lesson featured each Monday

The ten lessons

All ten lessons are open now, and a final test follows. One is featured each Monday with a post, so you can follow along or go at your own pace. Every lesson has a hands-on exercise, then a knowledge check.

01Week of Oct 12Start here: what an assistant is, and isn'tWhat an assistant does and doesn't do, why it sounds sure when it's wrong, and how to read a finished-looking answer without being fooled.Read it → 02Week of Oct 19What's safe to pasteThree buckets for what you can share, what the plan and its settings change, and how to scrub a messy export before it goes anywhere.Read it → 03Week of Oct 26Brief it like a new hireGive a bright newcomer the context to do the job: what to include, an example, and permission to say "I don't know."Read it → 04Week of Nov 2Ask why, then go and seeWhy an assistant agrees with you, why an explanation is only a story until someone checks it, and how to use it on a problem statement and a 5 whys.Read it → 05Week of Nov 9Make the computer do the arithmeticA model writes plausible digits. Get downtime and OEE from a stop log with code that actually runs, and see what an average hides.Read it → 06Week of Nov 16Maps, estimates and sourcesA guess reads like a measurement. Tag what is estimated, ask for sources, and decide what to automate and what to augment.Read it → 07Week of Nov 23Write your own skillTurn a procedure you know into standard work an assistant can follow, and keep out what doesn't belong in it.Read it → 08Week of Nov 30Chain skillsA job with several stations: handoffs, checks between them, and why errors multiply down a chain.Read it → 09Week of Dec 7Guardrails, and testing what you wroteWhat an instruction can't guarantee, what a hidden instruction in a file can do, and how to test a skill and test it again after a model changes.Read it → 10Week of Dec 14Roll it out with respect for peopleIntroduce it without losing the trust of the people doing the work: what to decide first, who owns it, and where analysis turns into surveillance.Read it → ★Week of Dec 14The final testFifteen questions. Pass with 12 of 15, then get your certificate.Read it →

Free, and verifiable

The certificate

Pass every lesson's knowledge check and the final test, with 80% or better, and you get a certificate of completion with your name, the date and a number. Anyone can type that number into this site to confirm it's real. There's a button to add it to your LinkedIn profile. Look up a certificate number.

What it is, and isn't

It's a certificate of completion for this course. It shows you finished the work. It is not a professional certification, academic credit, a Lean Six Sigma belt, or a credential from or an endorsement by any AI company, and it doesn't claim to be one.

Questions

Before you start

?Who is it for? People who already work in Lean, such as operators, leads, engineers, continuous-improvement staff and managers, and who want to use AI assistants well. You don't need to know any AI, and you don't need to write code.
?Is it really free? Yes. The lessons, the knowledge checks and the certificate are free. An AI assistant account is separate and is yours to choose, and each lesson says what it needs.
?Do I need an account? To read Lesson 1, no. To read every lesson in full, take the checks, earn points and badges, save your progress and earn the certificate, yes: a free account with your email.
?Which assistant do I need? Claude is the worked example, because the free toolkit of skills is written for it. The ideas, and most of the exercises, carry over to ChatGPT, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. Plans and menus change often, so each lesson says what it needs and the date that was last checked.
?Will I be asked to share company data? No. Every exercise uses invented files, or a problem you describe yourself once Lesson 2 has shown what is safe to share. Only your quiz answers and your progress are saved on this site.
?Do I need to know Lean? Some. The course assumes you know waste, standard work, the 5 whys and OEE, and keeps Lean light. If you're new to it, the free Lean for Beginners: Cannabis course teaches the basics with cannabis examples.
?Who writes it? I'm Paul Ducey, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt who builds the free toolkit of AI skills for Lean work. More about me.

Featured each Monday from October 12

Get a note each Monday

Leave your email and I'll send one short note each Monday about that week's lesson.