Continuous improvement lean principle

The pursuit of perfection is a lean principle that engages the tools and thinking of continuous improvement to create value by eliminating wastes. Lean specifies nine deadly wastes as overproduction, transports, inventory, motions, waiting, over-processing, defects, knowledge and energy loss. These wastes are clearly related to sustainability competency. For example, consider environmental waste, as defined by the US-EPA (2007, p. 2) as... 

Lean is a production management philosophy and principle developed by Toyota aimed at adding value, reducing waste, and continuous improvement (Liker 2004). The introduction of lean principles to the constmction industry requires a... 

An important paradigm conceived during the CNC period is lean manufacturing, whose key principles are perfect first-time quality, waste minimization by removing all activities that do not add value, continuous improvement, and flexibility. 

Standards are the baseline from which all continuous improvement activities can be measured. An example I often use is that of an order picker in a Toyota distribution center. I am not sure if the facts I use are correct, but that is inconsequential because what is important is the concept. Standard work for order pickers is 12 picks every 15 minutes. If in any 15-minute period they do not make their standard, they have to signal their supervisor. The supervisor immediately responds and approaches the order picker not to ask why he did not work to standard, but instead to ask what process problem, or problems, prevented him from making standard. Was the inventory count incorrect Was the inventory in the wrong location These and other questions will be asked until the problem is solved. This short, simple example demonstrates three distinct principles of lean respect for people, standard work, and a continuous improvement culture. Having defined standards that everyone understands enables the other two principles. Unlike this example, the actual workday of many supervisors is one spent firefighting rather than focusing on continual Improvement. Moving from one problem to the next fills their days because standards are unknown or not communicated. 

Speaking abstractly, this fifth principle gives the basic principles of Lean Management a circle structure, which means that there will always be potential waste that may be identified and eliminated by the cycling use of the presented Lean-Management principles. Moreover, several Kaizen fundamentals have been specified to identify potential improvements, such as 3 Mu Muda, concretion of seven kinds of waste Muri, overwork of employees or machines respectively and Mura, unevenness considering production processes. Moreover, 5 5 is an approach to improve workplaces continuously in five steps. Finally, Poka-yoke is a systematic detection and prevention of mistakes. 

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