Lean In

The term “lean” is everywhere these days.  What does lean mean exactly, and how do you apply it to your organization or your team?  Reflect back to how the term first came to be known:  It was from a new manufacturing process put into place by the Toyota Production System and was centered on making obvious what adds value by reducing everything else.   What was reduced was waste in the form of seven areas:  transportation, inventory, motion, waiting, overproduction, over processing and defects.  Today lean is influenced by smart technology, connected products, and the reduction of wasted capacity.  Consumers are savvy and have had a big taste of the convenience of lean products, devices, services, and systems.  The bottom line is that lean = smart value.  When applying these principals to your firm, your products and solutions, where can you cut waste without compromising quality, and deliver it at a value that drives consumers to purchase what you are selling because it contributes to their success? 

Ann Banning - Wright