University of Iowa Lean
LEAN PRINCIPLES
In the book Lean Thinking by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones, Free Press; Copyright 1996, 2003; five basic principles are outlined characterizing lean thinking:
Value
- Value is created by the producer but judged from the perspective of the client
- Listen to the “voice of the client” in order to meet their requirements with the value-added tasks
- Involves recognizing and eliminating waste from the client’s processes
For the definitions and important discussion of value and the eight forms of waste go to Waste Identification.
Value Stream
- All the activities that create customer value in the product or service
- Starts with initial information or a request, and ends with delivery to the customer
Flow
- The continuous sequence of value-added tasks along the value stream
- Processes are capable and predictable, with minimal waits and queues, and have no backflows or rework
Pull
- The customer should “pull” the product, not have it “pushed” on them, which is usually the case
- Produces at the consumption rate of the next process
- Nothing is produced until the customer signals a need
- Synchronization with customer needs enables waste to be eliminated
- The goal is to create Pull!
Perfection
- The ideal process has no waste
- Provides pure value to the consumer by incorporating all value-added steps along the way
- This is an element specific to each company, not a market, so don’t compare yourself to competitors
- REMEMBER: Lean is a journey, not a destination