Origin Thinking™ is one operating system, not a pile of programs. It is built to avoid Fake Lean: continuous improvement without real respect for or faith in people.
We put structure around problem solving and daily sustainment, and we put equal structure around leadership behavior. Until both change together, every Lean rollout is the same movie with a new title.
Each piece can stand alone, but they are built as one loop. Method and tools help you find the right answer, the leadership deck shapes how you lead through the change, and PROVE Loop™ plus the Tier 2 Help Chain keep improvements from sliding back into firefighting.
Most organizations treat problem solving, leadership development, and daily management as three separate efforts:
The result is a broken loop. Solutions fade. Leaders revert. Huddles become status reports.
Origin Thinking™ is a single operating system that closes that loop. It connects:
The core method for complex, recurring problems when guessing and quick fixes have already failed. Built on Clarity, Cause, and Control, it takes you from vague complaints to a clear gap, real causes, and a practical standard you can test in live work.
A focused set of OPS Tools™ straight from the book. OPS Perception Builder™, SIPOC Lite, Go and See notes, problem breakdown KPI trees, Cause Maps and fishbone templates, Impact vs Effort Matrix, Detailed Action Plans, pilot plans, and more. Each tool supports a specific move in the method so teams can see the same problem at the same time instead of filling out a giant workbook.
The Origin Leadership Focus Deck™ (used inside the system as the OPS Leadership Focus Deck™) is an 18 card leadership tool for quarterly one to ones. Leaders sort the cards, choose one behavior to strengthen for the next 90 days, and write a short plan tied directly to real work. The focus lives in normal development notes and shows up in how the leader runs Go and See, huddles, and PROVE Loop™ checks, without turning the card itself into a public scorecard or performance rating.
A short daily sustain routine at Tier 1, backed by a Tier 2 Help Chain. Under each metric, leaders run PROVE Loop™ in less than 5 minutes total: restate the gap, mark yesterday’s result, report what they saw at the work, set status Green, Yellow, or Red, and choose the next move or escalation. Red is a win because it catches drift early and keeps problems from sliding back into firefighting.
The Origin Thinking™ system and PROVE Loop™ standards are in active use and still evolving. Instead of posting every working draft as a public download, we share updates when they are ready to help real teams.
If you want to see the PROVE Loop™ tools as they ship into OPS Tools™, join the Origin Thinking™ newsletter. You will get occasional updates on new worksheets, checklists, and examples, not daily noise.
You will join the same Origin Thinking™ list used for OPS Tools™ and book updates.
If you are wrestling with how to connect your boards, huddles, and problem solving method, you can share a snapshot of your current system and start a conversation.
Email Dustin about PROVE Loop™
Capacity is limited and responses may be brief, but every question helps shape future tools.
I am currently in a full time operational excellence role, so my time for direct support is limited. When I do take on work, I keep it tight and practical. The options below are not currently offered.
A focused virtual session to review your current daily management and problem solving flow. Before the call, you share photos or screenshots of your Tier boards and a short description of how you run huddles and escalations. On the call, we walk through what is working, what is not, and where Origin Problem Solving™, OPS Tools™, the Origin Leadership Focus Deck™, and PROVE Loop™ could fit.
Within a few days you receive a short summary with three to five specific recommendations and a sketch of a simple next step you can try with your team.
In select cases, I help teams design and install the full PROVE Loop™ Tier 1 and Tier 2 system on site. That work includes tailoring the board layouts, huddle scripts, and Help Chain to your operation and wiring in the Origin Leadership Focus Deck™ so leadership behavior is part of the daily rhythm.
Right now, capacity for on site work is very limited. Over time, I plan to offer a small number of implementations for teams who want to run the full Origin Thinking™ system, not just individual tools.
Most teams do not need another poster or slogan. They need a clear method, a few practical tools, and leaders who keep showing up when things get hard.
Start with the book, pull a few OPS Tools™, then bring in the Origin Leadership Focus Deck™ and PROVE Loop™ when you are ready to run a full Origin Thinking™ system with Tier 1 and Tier 2 boards.