ABSTRACT
One of the Lean guidelines is to schedule only one point in the value stream. Work flows downstream from this point to the customer, and before this point we pull from shared resources. The point at which we schedule work is called the pacemaker. You can think of the pacemaker as the gas pedal in your car. It sets the rate for how fast the engine will drive the wheels, which in turn determines how fast the car will go. In a Lean value stream, the pacemaker determines the speed at which the value stream will operate. The pacemaker will regulate production through the value stream. Increasing the speed of the pacemaker should result in more products being produced through the value stream. Slowing the pacemaker means that fewer products will be produced.
