lean tools

25 Of The Most Widely Used

LEAN TOOLS

A Practical Overview For Business Owners

5S FUNCTION #1

DESCRIPTION 5S was created to help eliminate
all waste resulting from a poorly
All about organizing the work area: organized work area, as well as
to maintain it once all five steps
• Sort have been taken.

(eliminate everything not needed) One immediate
ROI of 5S:
• Set In Order
Workers no
(organize all remaining items/tools) longer need
to look for
• Shine lost or
misplaced tools.
(clean and inspect entire work area)

• Standardize

(create standardized procedures)

• Sustain

(continue to apply those standards)

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Andon FUNCTION #2

DESCRIPTION Acts as a live, real-time
communication tool for the
Andon is a Visual Feedback System plant floor and brings immediate
created for the facility floor that attention to problems at the
constantly monitors and indicates time they occur – allowing the
production status, as well as signals to be instantly addressed and
others when assistance is needed. corrected.
Properly supported, it also
empowers operators to stop the
production process when necessary.

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Bottleneck Analysis #3

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

This analysis is used to identify Improves throughput by
exactly which part(s) of the recognizing and then
manufacturing process is limiting the strengthening the weakest link in
overall throughput and helps the manufacturing process.This
leadership to take steps in improving can be mechanical or human in
the performance of that part of the nature.
process.

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Continuous Flow #4

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

A type of manufacturing whereby Eliminates many forms of waste
the work-in-process can smoothly such as:
flow through all production - Inventory
stations with minimal (or no) - Waiting time
buffers being placed - Transport
between each step - Redundant movement
of the manufacturing
process. and much more.

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Gemba (The Real Place) #5

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

This philosophy is meant to The Gemba helps to promote a
remind leadership to leave the deeper and more thorough
sometimes autonomous arena understanding of real-world
of the office, instead advocating
spending time on the facility manufacturing issues.
floor – amongst the workers, This first-hand observation by
the place where real action leadership, on the floor where
occurs. things are happening, as well as talks
with plant floor employees keep
leadership involved and informed.

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Heijunka (Level Scheduling) #6

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

Level scheduling is a form of Lead times are positively influenced
production scheduling that since each product or variant is
purposely forces manufacturing to manufactured more frequently in
take place in much smaller batches smaller batches.
via a sequencing, or mixing of This reduces overall
product variants within the
same immediate inventory levels as well, due to
manufacturing working with more frequently
process. produced, smaller batches.

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Hoshin Kanri (Policy Deployment) #7

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

This lean policy helps one to align Hoshin Kanri ensures that progress
the goals of the company (their towards the agreed upon strategic
Strategy), with the
plans of middle goals remains consistent
management (the and thorough when
Tactics) and the deployed.
work performed This leads to
on the plant floor eliminating the typical
(Action taken). waste that comes from
poor communication
and/or inconsistent
direction.

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Jidoka (Autonomation) #8

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

This lean tool requires that one After deployment of Jidoka,
design the equipment to partially employees can frequently monitor
automate the manufacturing multiple stations (reducing overall
process, rather than fully automate labor costs) while many quality
(partial automation is typically issues can be detected immediately
much less expensive than full
automation) and to automatically (improving overall quality of
stop the floor when the throughput).
defects are detected.

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Just-In-Time (JIT) FUNCTION #9

DESCRIPTION Highly effective in
reducing inventory
Pulling all parts through the levels.
production phase, based on Improves cash
customer demand instead of globally flow and reduces
pushing parts through production space requirements
based on projected demand which by keeping
may be harder to anticipate. JIT inventory levels
relies much on other lean tools, such low and tightly
as Continuous Flow, Heijunka, managed.
Kanban, Standardized Work and Takt
Time to be effective.

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KAIZEN (Continuous Improvement) #10

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

A strategy where employees work Combines the collective talents of a
together proactively to achieve company to create an engine for
regular, incremental improvements in continually eliminating waste from
the manufacturing process. manufacturing processes.

Before After

Dazed Happy
and confused and productive

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KANBAN (Pull system) #11

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

A method of regulating the flow of Eliminates waste from inventory and
goods both within the factory and overproduction. Can eliminate the
with outside suppliers and need for physical inventories
customers. Based on automatic (instead relying on signal cards to
replenishment through signal cards indicate when more goods need to
that indicate when more goods are be ordered).
needed.

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KPI (Key Performance Indicator) #12

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

Metrics designed to track and The best manufacturing KPIs:
encourage progress towards critical
goals of the organization. Strongly • Are aligned with top-level
promoted KPIs can be extremely
powerful drivers of behavior – so it strategic goals (thus helping to
is important to achieve those goals)
carefully select
KPIs that • Are effective at exposing and
will drive
desired quantifying waste (OEE is a good
behavior. example)

• Are readily influenced by plant

floor employees (so they can drive
results)

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Muda (Waste) FUNCTION #13

DESCRIPTION Eliminating muda (waste)
is the primary focus of lean
Waste is anything in the manufacturing.
manufacturing process that
does not add value from the
customer’s
perspective.

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Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION #14

Framework for measuring Provides a benchmark/baseline and
productivity loss for a given a means to track progress in
manufacturing process. eliminating waste from a

Three categories of loss manufacturing process.
are tracked: 100% OEE means perfect
production (manufacturing
• Availability only good parts, as fast as
possible, with no down
(e.g. down time) time).

• Performance

(e.g. slow cycles)

• Quality (e.g. rejects)

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PDCA (Plan, Do, Check,Act) #15

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

An iterative methodology for Applies a scientific approach to
implementing improvements: making improvements:

• Plan (establish plan and expected • Plan (develop a hypothesis)
• Do (run experiment)
results) • Check (evaluate results)
• Act (refine your experiment;
• Do (implement plan)
• Check (verify expected results try again)

achieved)

• Act (review and assess; do it again)

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Poka-Yoke (Error Proofing) #16

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

Design error detection and It is difficult (and expensive) to find
prevention into production all defects through inspection, and
processes with the goal of correcting defects typically gets
achieving zero defects. significantly more expensive at each
stage of production.

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Root Cause Analysis #17

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

A problem solving methodology Helps to ensure that a problem is
that focuses on resolving the truly eliminated by applying
underlying problem instead corrective action to
of applying quick fixes that the “root cause”
only treat immediate of the problem.
symptoms of the problem.

A common approach is to
ask why five times –
each time moving a step
closer to discovering the
true underlying problem.

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Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED)

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION #18

Reduce setup (changeover) time to Enables manufacturing in smaller
less than 10 minutes.Techniques lots, reduces inventory,
include: and improves customer
responsiveness.
• Convert setup steps to be external

(performed while the process is
running)

• Simplify internal setup (e.g. replace

bolts with knobs and levers)

• Eliminate non-essential operations
• Create standardized work

instructions

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Six Big Losses FUNCTION #19

DESCRIPTION Provides a framework for attacking
the most common causes of waste
Six categories of productivity loss in manufacturing.
that are almost universally
experienced in manufacturing:
• Breakdowns
• Setup/Adjustments
• Small Stops
• Reduced Speed
• Startup Rejects
• Production Rejects

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SMART Goals FUNCTION #20

DESCRIPTION Helps to ensure that goals are
effective.
Goals that are:
Specific,
Measurable,
Attainable,
Relevant, and
Time-Specific.

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Standardized Work #21

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

Documented procedures for Eliminates waste by consistently
manufacturing that capture best applying best practices. Forms a
practices (including the time to baseline for future improvement
complete each task). activities.
Must be “living” documentation
that is easy to change.

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Takt Time FUNCTION #22

DESCRIPTION Provides a simple, consistent and
intuitive method of pacing
The pace of production (e.g. production. Is easily extended to
manufacturing one piece every 34 provide an efficiency goal for the
seconds) that aligns production with plant floor (Actual Pieces / Target
customer demand. Calculated as Pieces).
Planned Production Time /
Customer Demand.

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Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION #23

A holistic approach to maintenance Creates a shared responsibility for
that focuses on proactive and equipment that encourages greater
preventative maintenance to involvement by plant floor workers.
maximize the operational time of In the right environment this can be
equipment. very effective in improving
TPM blurs the distinction between productivity (increasing up time,
maintenance and production by reducing cycle times, and eliminating
placing a strong emphasis on defects).
empowering operators to help
maintain their equipment.

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Value Stream Mapping #24

DESCRIPTION FUNCTION

A tool used to visually map the flow Exposes waste in the current
of production. Shows the current processes and provides a
and future state of processes in a
way that highlights opportunities roadmap for improvement
for improvement. through the future state.

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Visual Factory FUNCTION #25

DESCRIPTION Makes the
state and
Visual indicators, condition of
displays and manufacturing
controls used processes
throughout easily
manufacturing accessible and
plants to improve very clear –
communication to everyone.
of information.

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Lean Visual Resources

Posters

Posters Banners
5S DVDs
Floorsigns
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Top 25 Lean Tools







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