ABSTRACT
The key point made in discussing the second half of the definition is the key to beating the trade-off, “You can have it good, fast, or low cost; pick any two” is simplicity. Fewer steps mean fewer chances to screw up, less time moving between operations, and lower costs due to fewer parts, setups, and tooling. In fact, one starting point for Lean concepts was 1908. The result of Frederick Taylor’s scientific method was one of the entry points into another major precursor of today’s Lean Enterprise, the work of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. The founders of the Toyota Production System created a philosophy and set of tools designed to continuously engage all levels of the organization in an ongoing quest to increase the percentage of value-added work and to reduce everything else. The final element of our “cook’s tour” of Lean has to do with sustaining Lean principles and practices over time.
