What is Lean?
Lean or Lean Thinking is a method for organising complex systems so that they:
- become easier to manage
- produce things that work as they are intended, and
- take less time end to end.
It achieves this by applying a methodology which consists of a set of five principles:
- Specify value from the standpoint of the end customer
- Identify the value stream for each product family
- Make the product flow and eliminate waste
- So the customer can pull
- As you manage toward perfection
Lean Thinking in manufacturing aims to make large volumes of varied products quickly. It does this by combining the benefits of flow (assembly line production) with mass production.
Lean Thinking was originally developed by the Toyota motor company and has spread to many other manufacturing and service industries over the last two decades or so.
There is now increasing interest in its application in healthcare.