With 14 new definitions touching on management, healthcare, startups, manufacturing, and service, the 5th edition of the Lean Lexicon, is the most comprehensive edition yet of the handy and practical glossary for lean thinkers. The latest Lexicon, updated in 2014, contains 60+ graphics and 207 terms from A3 Report to Yokoten. The Lexicon covers such key lean terms as andon, jidoka, kaizen, lean consumption, lean logistics, pull, plan-for- every-part, standardized work, takt time, value-stream mapping, and many more. The new terms are: • Basic Stability • Coaching • Gemba Walk • Huddle • Kamishibai Board • Kata • Leader Standard Work • Lean Management • Lean Management Accounting • Lean Startup • Problem Solving • Service Level Agreement • Training Within Industry (TWI) • Value-stream Improvement Unlike most other business glossaries in print or online, the Lexicon, introduced in January 2003, is focused exclusively on lean thinking and practice. Like the past four, the fifth edition of the Lean Lexicon incorporates terms and improvement ideas from our customers. We continue to welcome suggestions from the growing lean community in its traditional industries and beyond.

Lean Project Delivery and Integrated Practices in Modern Construction is the new and enhanced edition of the pioneering book Modern Construction by Lincoln H. Forbes and Syed M. Ahmed. This book provides a multi-faceted approach for applying lean methodologies to improve design and construction processes. Recognizing the wide diversity in the landscape of projects, and encompassing private and public sector activity, buildings and infrastructure, the book expands upon the detailed coverage of integrated project delivery and new lean tools and techniques to include: Greater emphasis on the importance of creating a lean culture and the initiatives required to transform the industry; Expanded discussions of the foundational writings in lean construction theory; Exploration of the synergies between "lean" and "green" initiatives; Specific procedures for modifying planning and scheduling activities to improve the performance of the project team; Expanded sections on quality, and topics that have become a part of the lean lexicon, such as Choosing by Advantages, "line of balance"/location-based scheduling, virtual design teams, takt time planning and set-based design; Discussion questions for beginners and advanced lean practitioners; and Improved cross-referencing within the text to help the reader navigate the frameworks, techniques and tools to support the application of lean principles. The techniques described here enhance the use of resources, reducing waste, minimizing delays, increasing quality and reducing overall costs. They enable practitioners to improve the quality of the built environment, secure higher levels of customer/owner satisfaction, and simultaneously improve their profitability. This book is essential reading for all those wanting to be at the forefront of construction management and lean thinking.

"About as close you can get to the perfect cerebral thriller: searingly smart, ridiculously funny, and fast as hell. Lexicon reads like Elmore Leonard high out of his mind on Snow Crash." —Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians and The Magician King “Best thing I've read in a long time . . . a masterpiece.” —Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of Wool Stick and stones break bones. Words kill. They recruited Emily Ruff from the streets. They said it was because she's good with words. They'll live to regret it. They said Wil Parke survived something he shouldn't have. But he doesn't remember. Now they're after him and he doesn't know why. There's a word, they say. A word that kills. And they want it back . . .

This workbook explains in simple, step-by-step terms how to introduce and sustain lean flows of material and information in pacemaker cells and lines, a prerequisite for achieving a lean value stream.A sight we frequently encounter when touring plants is the relocation of processing steps from departments (process villages) to product-family work cells, but too often these "cells" produce only intermittent and erratic flow. Output gyrates from hour to hour and small piles of inventory accumulate between each operation so that few of the benefits of cellularization are actually being realized; and, if the cell is located upstream from the pacemaker process, none of the benefits may ever reach the customer.This sequel to Learning to See (which focused on plant level operations) provides simple step-by-step instructions for eliminating waste and creating continuous flow at the process level. This isn't a workbook you will read once then relegate to the bookshelf. It's an action guide for managers, engineers, and production associates that you will use to improve flow each and every day.Creating Continuous Flow takes you to the next level in work cell design where you'll achieve even greater cost and lead time savings. You'll learn: where to focus your continuous flow efforts, how to create much more efficient work cells and lines, how to operate a pacemaker process so that a lean value stream is possible, how to sustain the gains, and keep improving.Creating Continuous Flow is the next logical step after Learning to See. The value-stream mapping process defined the pacemaker process and the overall flow of products and information in the plant. The next step is to shift your focus from the plant to the process level by zeroing in on the pacemaker process, which sets the production rhythm for the plant or value stream, and apply the principles of continuous flow.Every production facility has at least one pacemaker process. The pacemaker processes is usually where products take their final form before going to external customers. It’s called the pacemaker because how you operate here determines both how well you can serve the customer and what the demand pattern is like for your upstream supplying processes.How the pacemaker process operates is critically important. A steady and consistently flowing pacemaker places steady and consistent demands on the rest of the value stream. The continuous flow processing that results allows companies to create leaner value streams.[Source : 4e de couv.]

The Creating Level Pull workbook shows you how to advance a lean transformation from a focus on isolated improvements to improving the entire plantwide production system by implementing a lean production control system. "The workbook is unique because it is a step-by-step case study on how to implement a level, pull-based production control system," said author Art Smalley. This is a new step towards 'system kaizen that is not yet well understood outside of Toyota.The lean efforts at most companies focus on "point kaizen" (e.g., reducing set up times, implementing 5S, etc.) that improves a small portion of the value stream running from raw materials to finished products. Or they focus on "flow kaizen" that improves the entire value stream for one product family. Creating Level Pull shows how companies can make the leap to "system kaizen" by introducing a lean production control system that ties together the flows of information and materials supporting every product family in a facility. With this system in place, each production activity requests precisely the materials it needs from the previous activity and demand from the customer is levelled to smooth production activities throughout the plant.[Source : 4e de couv.].

Non-value adding activities are otherwise known as ‘waste’ in the lean construction lexicon. The aim of this collection is to build a common understanding of the role and contribution of value-adding activities in achieving stipulated objectives and continuous improvement in construction projects, and to contrast this with waste. Although the lean approach to construction projects has been widely covered, this is the first book that explicitly provides the link between value and waste in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. This internationally researched collection seeks to create a paradigm shift, which will shape work processes and future directions for how value is conceptualized and operationalized in both the project management and business aspects of construction. The readers will gain an understanding of: The value-adding paradigm in construction How to make value-supporting decisions Waste identification and control in practice With contributions from South Africa, Brazil, Norway, and the USA, the implications of this book are globally relevant. This is essential reading for all higher level students of construction management and economics, and all professionals interested in value management.

Lean Process Creation teaches the specific frames—the 6CON model—to look through to properly design any new process while optimizing the value-creating resources. The framing is applicable to create any process that involves people, technology, or equipment—whether the application is in manufacturing, healthcare, services, retail, or other industries. If you have a process, this approach will help. The result is 30% to 50% improvement in first-time quality, customer lead time, capital efficiency, labor productivity, and floorspace that could add up to millions of dollars saved per year. More important, it will increase both employee and customer satisfaction. The book details a case study from a manufacturing standpoint, starting with a tangible example to reinforce the 6CON model. This is the first book written from this viewpoint—connecting a realistic transformation with the detailed technical challenges, as well as the engagement of the stakeholders, each with their own bias. Key points and must-do actions are sprinkled throughout the case study to reinforce learning from the specific to the general. In this study, an empowered working team is charged with developing a new production line for a critical new product. As the story unfolds, they create an improved process that saves $5.6 million (10x payback on upfront resource investment) over the short life cycle of the product, as well as other measurable benefits in quality, ergonomics, and delivery. To an even greater benefit, they establish a new way of working that can be applied to all future process creation activities. Some organizations have tried their version of Lean process design following a formula or cookie-cutter approach. But true Lean process design goes well beyond forcing concepts and slogans into every situation. It is purposeful, scientific, and adaptable because every situation starts with a unique current state. In addition, Lean process design must include both the technical and social aspects, as they are essential to sustaining and improving any system. Observing the recurring problem of reworking processes that were newly launched brought the authors to the conclusion that a practical book focused on introducing the critical frames of Lean process creation was needed. This book enables readers to consider the details within each frame that must be addressed to create a Lean process. No slogans, no absolutes. Real thinking is required. This type of thinking is best learned from an example, so the authors provide this case study to demonstrate the thinking that should be applied to any process. High volume or low, simple or complex mix, manufacturing or service/transactional—the framing and thinking works. Along with the thinking, readers are enabled to derive their own future states. This is demonstrated in the story that surrounds the case study.

In this book, author Sadao Nomura taps into his decades of experience leading and advising Toyota operations in a wide variety of operations to tell the story of radical improvement at Toyota Logistics & Forklift (TL&F). This book tells in great detail what the author did with TL&F, how they did it, and the dramatic results that ensued. TL&F has long been a global leader in its industry. TL&F is part of Toyota Industries Corporation, which was founded by Toyota Group founder Sakichi Toyoda almost 100 years ago. Sakichi Toyoda is legendary in the Lean community as the originator of the all-important "JIDOKA" pillar of TPS, which ensures 1) built-in quality and 2) respect for people through ensuring that technology works for people rather than the other way around. Although TL&F seemed to be performing well, insiders knew that, as the founding company of the Toyota group, it needed to do better, especially in the quality performance of its global subsidiary operations. But improvement would not be easy in a company that already prided itself in its history as an exemplar in providing highest quality products and services. In 2006, TL&F requested assistance from Sadao Nomura. The initial request was for Mr. Nomura to support quality improvement in three global operations that had become part of TL&F through acquisition: US, Sweden, and France. Improvement was expected at these affiliates, but the dramatic nature of the improvement was not. Further, the improvement activities were so powerful that they were also instituted at the parent operations in Japan. Over a period of almost ten years, the company with the name most associated with product quality experienced quality improvement unparalleled in its history. "Dantotsu" means "extreme," "radical," or "unparalleled."

Lean production is the gold standard in production systems, but has proven famously difficult to implement in North America. Mass production relies on large inventories, uses "push" processes and struggles with long lead times. Moving towards a system that eliminates muda ("waste") caused by overproduction, while challenging, proves necessary for improved efficiency. Often overlooked, value stream mapping is the essential planning stage for any Lean transformation. In Mike Rother and John Shook's essential guide, you follow the value stream mapping undertaken for Acme Stamping, for its current and future state. Fully illustrated and well-organized, Learning to See is a must-see for the value stream manager.