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Key Lean Terms

Learning Lean can be a challenge. There are countless Lean terms you have to understand. Plus hundreds of other terms from business, management, manufacturing, psychology, human resources--practically everywhere--have a continuous improvement spin to them. Figuring Lean out can be a challenge. But not anymore.

Our list of key Lean terms can get you started.

They come from our extensive (and still growing) list of in-depth Lean terms. This project started out destined to be a book, but got too massive, so it changed course to become an online directory of Lean terms. The full list of over 500 Lean terms is available in our complete Lean dictionary.

Key Lean Terms

See if we have any additional information about your Key Lean Term by entering it in our search function.

5 Whys

The 5 Whys problem solving tool helps you with root cause analysis. It gets you to the heart of a problem. When you identify an issue or an abnormal condition, ask why it occurred, but don’t stop there. Continue to ask why several more times. Try to go 5 questions Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

5S

One of the fundamental tools in any Lean toolkit is 5S. In a nutshell, it entails creating an organized, effective workspace that supports the processes being performed in the area. You Probably Already Use 5S at Home The original 5S terms come from Japanese words: Seiri (Sort): This step entails Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

7 Wastes

The 7 wastes is one of the most important continuous improvement terms you will hear. Most of the Lean tools, at their core, focus on reducing waste to improve flow. The seven wastes provide a systematic way to categorize problems and identify improvement priorities. When assessing a process, looking for Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago
A3 Thinking and PDCA

A3 Thinking

What is A3 Thinking? A3 thinking is a philosophical approach to problem solving that centers on a well-communicated team approach to using the PDCA cycle. The tool used to apply this way of thinking is known as the A3 report. Download our Free A3 Report Template A3 Thinking Background Whether Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Andon

An andon light is one of the most common forms of visual management that is used in Lean. It is a staple in the bag of Lean tools because it is highly effective at keeping operations running smoothly. In Lean, the term “andon” most often refers to a signaling system Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago
CLOSED MITT

CLOSED MITT

CLOSED MITT is an acronym used to categorize waste. It expands on the traditional 7 Wastes that are frequently used in Lean efforts. The origin of CLOSED MITT is unknown, but it has grown in use over the years. Since its early days, it has come into fairly common mention Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Continuous Improvement Culture

A continuous improvement culture is a shared value system that promotes the belief that what is good enough today is not good enough for tomorrow. Cultures do not change overnight. It takes time, patience, strong communication skills, and most importantly, trust between managers and their teams. A continuous improvement culture Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Cycle Time

In nearly all continuous improvement projects, it is important to know how long work takes to accomplish, known as the cycle time of the process. So, what is cycle time? Lean defines cycle time as the time it takes to do a process. It includes the time from when an Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Daily Management

Daily management is a structured approach to running an operation. In a nutshell, daily management is the constant application of the PDCA cycle to a production process. Daily management consists of: Planning: Daily management requires an understanding of what demand will be, and of the capabilities of the organization. It Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Design for Manufacturing

When companies operate in silos, different groups do what is best within the confines of their own world. Design engineers may create products that are appealing to the customer, look amazing, and may even be built like a tank with bulletproof quality. But this otherwise outstanding design may be extremely Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

DMAIC Cycle

The DMAIC cycle takes the DMAIC process one step further. It links the end of one project, the Control step, to the beginning of the next one (the Define step). The rationale behind linking DMAIC cycles together makes a lot of sense. When controls are applied to processes, deviations become Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Drum-Buffer-Rope

Drum-Buffer-Rope is a production theory derived by Dr. Eli Goldratt in his book, The Goal. In it, he advocates production according to the pace set by a single machine (the drum) with linked production (the rope). He also promotes keeping a buffer in front of the machine that acts as Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Flow Chart

A flowchart is a visual representation of the progression of an entity (product, person, information, etc.) through a process. A flowchart is a visual representation of the progression of an entity (product, person, information, etc.) through a process. Flow charts have two main uses. Process flow charts are used for Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Flow Production

Flow production is one of many names used to describe a system of production that predominantly follows Lean principles. It is recognizable by single units of work moving directly from one process to the next without stopping in queues. That state of streamlined motion is known as flow, and is Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Gemba

Literally translated, “gemba” means “the real place”. To experienced practitioners of Lean, this means the place where work is actually being done or value is being created. NOTE: You may also hear the term as genba, with an “N”. Those who focus more on the traditional manufacturing roots of Lean Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Hawthorne Effect

The Hawthorne Effect originated from experiments at the Hawthorne Works, owned by Western Electric, in Cicero, Illinois in the first half of the 1900’s. While there were a variety of experiments, the most commonly referenced study was about illumination. Researchers conducted a series of experiments to identify the optimal lighting Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Heijunka

Heijunka is the Japanese term for level-loading or production leveling. It is intended to smooth out the peaks and valleys of customer demand into something flatter to create conditions that make standardization easier. It also stabilizes the product mix to support Standard Work. Heijunka, pronounced High-June-Kuh, is a workaround for Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Hoshin Kanri

Hoshin kanri is a Japanese term meaning policy deployment or strategic planning. Hoshin kanri has a few characteristics to it: Stretch goals: Hoshin kanri requires leaders to develop stretch goals that may take a number of years to achieve. These goals should come from business opportunities or risks on the Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago
Jidoka Automatic Loom with Jidoka

Jidoka

The most common definition of jidoka is “autonomation”. It is Japanese in origin, as are many specialized words in Lean. The term traces its roots back to the early 1900’s at Toyota in Japan, then a textile manufacturing company. Sakichi Toyoda, an inventor and the founder of Toyota, developed a Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Kaizen Event

A kaizen event is a discrete continuous improvement project with a defined start and end point, usually done in a single week. A typical kaizen event consists of a day of training, a day of process walking and analyzing the information gathered, followed by two days of improvement activity. The Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Lean

In its original definition, Lean is a form of continuous improvement that springs from the Toyota Production System (TPS). The term “Lean” was popularized in the landmark book, Lean Thinking. It focuses on improving flow, with a heavy emphasis on reducing inventory. Nowadays, though, there is also a broader definition. Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Lean Office

For many people, the term “Lean”, immediately brings to mind Lean manufacturing and images of the shop floor. While it is true that the origin of Lean certainly stems from these roots, continuous improvement principles have taken hold in the office, and are spreading at breakneck speed. The Lean office Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Lean Six Sigma

Lean Six Sigma is the combination of Lean and Six Sigma into a single business philosophy. Lean is commonly thought of as a way to improve process speed. Six Sigma is primarily considered a quality tool. In truth, though, the two both share a lot of the same tools, and Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Line Stop

A line stop is exactly what it sounds like. A team member presses a button that prevents an assembly line from advancing. This typically happens for one of two main reasons. Someone discovered a quality issue. Someone was not finished with their work. Other reasons might include maintenance problems, misplaced Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Muda (Waste)

Many Lean terms can trace their origins to Japan. Muda is one of those terms. It really translates to “wasteful activity”, but in common practice most people equate muda to waste. Since one of Lean’s main goals is reducing waste to improve flow, it is no surprise that muda has Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Ohno, Taiichi

Taiichi Ohno (February 29, 1912-May 28,1990) is considered by many to be the father of the Toyota Production System. He eventually rose to the rank of executive vice president in the company.

While Ohno had many innovative ideas and published several landmark books (see them and other books about him here), perhaps his biggest creative leap was integrating the American supermarket system of resupply into the automotive industry. He was able to lay the foundation for kanban systems, pull, and one-piece flow by changing the way components were supplied to production processes.

By Jeff Hajek, ago

One-Piece Flow

One-piece flow is the method of production in which operators or machines work on single units and pass them along to the next process when requested. The most common example of one-piece flow is the assembly line. An operator at each station works on a unit. All of this work-in Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Overproduction

Overproduction is one of the seven wastes of Lean. It is the act of making a product or performing a service before the downstream customer asks for it. Overproduction is one of the leading causes of excess inventory. Overproduction is prevalent in push systems where upstream processes build according to Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Pareto Chart

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, comes from observations made by a 19th century Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto. It simply says that just a small number of causes (the critical few), determines the majority of the effects. For example, several difficult clients might take up most Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

PDCA Cycle

The PDCA cycle is a structured problem-solving approach. It is also known as the Deming cycle, after Dr. W. Edwards Deming, the man credited with popularizing the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. The 4 Steps of the PDCA Cycle include: The plan step of the PDCA cycle entails setting objectives and gathering the Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Poka Yoke

A good definition of poka yoke is simply “mistake proofing”. Of note, the term is of Japanese origin and is one of the handful of the more commonly used Japanese terms that have become mainstream in Lean circles. Poka yokes keep processes from producing errors. Preventing errors obviously improves quality, Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Policy Deployment

Policy Deployment is the (usually) annual process of reviewing the strategic goals of an organization and aligning the company’s resources towards meeting those goals. Hoshin Kanri is the Japanese term that means roughly the same. The literal translation, like many foreign words, is open to interpretation, but many versions seem Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Respect for People

Spend any time around Lean, or any other continuous improvement methodology, for that matter, and you will undoubtedly hear the term “Respect for People.” It is a simple concept that should act as a moral compass in how people do business. The fact is that a company does not have Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Right-Sized Machine

Production processes require assets to run them. You generally have choices. You can use a big machine that costs a lot of money but has tremendous functionality and flexibility. These machines, because of their cost, end up being used in several processes or for several products to defray the cost. Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Run Chart

A run chart is a tool used to show a change in a value over a period of time. It depicts a time-ordered series of data plots with time on the X-axis (horizontal) and the value of the data on the Y-axis (vertical). Run charts are particularly powerful because they Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Separate Man from Machine

People should not be standing watching machines or pulling levers. They are far more intelligent than that. Give them jobs that use that intelligence and sever their ties to machines. Focusing on this premise, that workers are more than just machines, shows great respect for people, one of the central Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago
Standard Work Flow

Standard Work

In Lean, Standard Work is the cornerstone of any continuous improvement effort. It locks in gains and provides a foundation for future advances. It helps companies reach their improvement targets, but also provides a stable, reasonable working environment for frontline employees. Learning how to standardize a process using this tool Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago
Takt Time Calculation

Takt Time

Takt time is the required pace of production to meet customer demand. It is calculated by dividing the working time available, generally for that shift, by the customer demand during that time period. Despite its apparent simplicity, it is one of the most misunderstood terms in continuous improvement. It is Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Toyota® Production System

The Toyota® Production System began in earnest in post-World War II Japan as a way of managing operations in a challenging economic time. The Toyota Production System really began as a synthesis of Henry Ford’s operations and those of the U.S. supermarket system. Taiichi Ohno, often credited as the founder Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

U-Shaped Cell

A U-shaped cell is exactly what it sounds like—a work area that is organized in the shape of a ‘U’. The U-shaped cell allows an operator to finish her work in virtually the same location that she started, eliminating the waste of walking back from the end of a line Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Value Stream Map

A value stream map (VSM) is a drawing that depicts the flow of material and information along a value stream. A value stream is the linked series of processes that brings a product from raw materials into the hands of the customer, or that provide a service to a customer. Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Visual Control

A visual control builds on 5S. It uses organization and standardization to make an abnormal condition stand out. In a Lean environment it does three things: A visual control shows the current condition quickly. A visual control shows what the standard is quickly. A visual control links to an action. Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Zero Defects

Zero defects is a philosophy of Lean. It simply means that every process should be designed so that it is impossible to produce poor quality. The underlying premise, which is true in nearly every case, is that the cost of preventing problems is lower than the cost of fixing them. Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago