Lean started out as a methodology for building quality cars and is now spreading across many other industries including business and healthcare.
Lean is process improvement methodology that focuses on delivering high quality and value to customers through the elimination of waste. Drawing from the Toyota Production System from Japan, the 1990 bestselling book “The Machine That Changed The World” first popularized the term Lean. The book tells the story of Toyota’s rise in the global car industry and outlines practices that made them successful. The authors used the word “Lean” to describe Toyota’s model of operating with less waste and using less inventory than traditional mass production car companies. Practitioners also refer to Lean by other names such as Lean Production, Lean Manufacturing, Lean Thinking and Lean Healthcare. They also sometimes intermingle this methodology with Six Sigma and refer to it as Lean Sigma or Lean Six Sigma.
Lean is not an acronym
Many people assume that the word lean is an acronym that stands for something. It is not. It simply represents the idea that this methodology leads to “less fat” or “waste” and more efficient business operations. Just like a “lean” person is healthy and muscular, a “lean” company is healthy and strong.
What are the basic tenants of Lean?
Respect for People — Leaders treat every employee with respect and dignity. They create a safe work environment and provide the necessary training and equipment. Employees who perform the work contribute the most valuable insights for improvement. Teams actively seek and consider everyone’s ideas, ensuring full engagement in continuous improvement efforts.
Standardization & Stability — Achieving high quality and customer value begins with a stable process, intentionally designed to deliver consistent, repeatable, and sustainable results. Establishing standard work simplifies tasks for operators and ensures uniform outcomes.
Just-in-Time Process Flow — The most efficient processes deliver exactly what is needed, precisely when it’s needed. Instead of relying on forecasts and inventory buffers, focus on creating smooth, uninterrupted workflows that eliminate delays and enable rapid, responsive delivery of products and services.
Customer Value — Every process should be built around maximizing customer value. We evaluate and eliminate steps that do not directly contribute to this value, as they represent waste. Prioritize what matters most to the customer.
Waste Elimination — Seven core types of waste—transportation, inventory, motion, waiting, overproduction, overprocessing, and defects—are responsible for most inefficiencies and quality issues. Careful observation and analysis identify and remove these wastes to enhance value delivery.
Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) — Small, incremental improvements made consistently and systematically—similar to the scientific method—are key to achieving excellence. When all employees actively participate in improvement efforts, transformative results follow.
Intelligent Automation & Mistake Proofing (Jidoka) — Beyond removing non-value-adding steps, apply automation with a human touch (autonomation) to prevent errors, accelerate processes, and enhance value. Mistake-proofing ensures quality is built into every step.
How do I learn more?
Interested in learning more about CI and process excellence? The Standard Continuous Improvement Certification available at www.ciutraining.com is an excellent place to start. In their courses you can learn the four fundamentals of continuous improvement and more. Click here to register now.