LEAN THINKING

The main objective of Lean Thinking is to provide value to customer rapidly making it flow from raw material to the end of the value stream.

The Principles of Lean Thinking

1. Specify Value: Specify value from the standpoint of the end customer by product family.

2. Identify Value Stream: Identify all the steps in the value stream for each product family, eliminating whenever possible those steps that do not create value.

3. Flow: Make the value-creating steps ocur in tight sequence so the product will flow smoothly toward the customer.

4. Pull: As flow is introduced, let customers pull value from the next upstream activity.

5. Perfection: As value is specified, valu stream are identified, wasted steps are removed, and flow and pull are introduced, begin the process again and continue it until a state of perfection is reached in which perfect value is created with no waste.

(Resource: Lean Thinking, James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones)