Lean thinking/just-in-time

Lean thinking designs work around customer value, end-to-end flow, pull and continuous improvement. Just-in-time (JIT) is one operating method within that system. Waste reduction matters, but inventories are buffers whose necessity depends on variability and risk—not an evil to eliminate indiscriminately.

When to use it

Lean can improve repetitive and variable work when leadership accepts its core commitments:

• Define value through customer and stakeholder outcomes.
• Observe the real process and respect the people who perform it.
• Improve the whole value stream rather than one local metric.
• Expose problems gradually and build the capability to solve them.

Origins

Lean thinking grew from the Toyota Production System, associated with Taiichi Ohno and many colleagues, suppliers and workers. Later researchers used “lean” to describe the wider system. Its roots also include earlier flow production, quality management and Japanese post-war learning; it is not a technique created by one person in isolation.

What it is

The traditional “seven zeros” express directional ambitions:

1. Zero defects
2. Zero excess lot sizes
3. Zero unnecessary setups
4. Zero avoidable breakdowns
5. Zero excess handling
6. Zero avoidable lead-time
7. Zero unmanaged surging

Literal zero is not always economically or physically attainable. The purpose is to expose causes and improve the system while retaining safety, resilience and required control.