Table of Contents
Foreword (to the First Edition) Gary Convis ix
Acknowledgments xi
Preface: The Wonderful Wacky World of Lean xvii
Introduction The Toyota Way: Using Operational Excellence as a Strategic Weapon 1
A Storied History: How Toyota Became the World's Best Manufacturer 19
Part 1 Philosophy: Long-Term Systems Thinking
Principle 1 Base Your Management Decisions on Long-Term Systems Thinking, Even at the Expense of Short-Term Financial Goals 39
Part 2 Process: Struggle To Flow Value to Each Customer
Principle 2 Connect People and Processes Through Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface 61
Principle 3 Use "Pull" Systems to Avoid Overproduction 79
Principle 4 Level Out the Workload, Like the Tortoise, Not the Hare (Heijunka) 91
Principle 5 Work to Establish Standardized Processes as the Foundation for Continuous Improvement 109
Principle 6 Build a Culture of Stopping to Identify Out-of-Standard Conditions and Build in Quality 129
Principle 7 Use Visual Control to Support People in Decision-Making and Problem Solving 145
Principle 8 Adopt and Adapt Technology That Supports Your People and Processes 159
Part 3 People: Respect, Challenge, and Grow Your People and Partners Toward A Vision Of Excellence
Principle 9 Grow Leaders Who Thoroughly Understand the Work, Live the Philosophy, and Teach It to Others 181
Principle 10 Develop Exceptional People and Teams Who Follow Your Company's Philosophy 203
Principle 11 Respect Your Value Chain Partners by Challenging Them and Helping Them Improve 233
Part 4 Problem Solving: Think and Act Scientifically To Improve Toward a Desired Future
Principle 12 Observe Deeply and Learn Iteratively (PDCA) to Meet Each Challenge 255
Principle 13 Focus the Improvement Energy of Your People Through Aligned Goals at All Levels 291
Principle 14 Learn Your Way to the Future Through Bold Strategy, Some Large Leaps, and Many Small Steps 323
Part 5 Conclusion: Be Thoughtful And Evolve Your Enterprise
Grow Your Own Lean Learning Enterprise-Getting Ideas and Inspiration from the Toyota Way 351
Appendix An Executive Summary and Assessment of the 14 Principles 375
Glossary 383
For Further Reading 389
Index 393