What’s Lean?
On hearing the word “lean”, we might get the picture of a fit, thin athlete, or low-fat cheese or meat. In relation to organizations, the concept of Lean relates not only to a physical condition, but also a mental one. It’s a mindset, a set of ideas, principles and values (thinking tools) that helps an enterprise be strong and efficient. It’s achieved chiefly by reducing or/and avoiding waste. In Lean, waste is something that has very little or no value for a customer. Unlike Scrum or XP, Lean doesn’t provide any specific practices to follow. Lean was primarily introduced into automotive manufacturing in 1988 by a group of researchers, so it isn’t a new concept.
Less is more
The main principle of Lean is to eliminate waste, which entails focusing on the work that really matters to the customer/client. Leans puts stress on quality, and not quantity. A Lean-driven company needs less effort to make or design products, requires less investment, and uses fewer supplies.
Lean principles
Lean is a broad term, constituting a holistic approach, in which “less” is a key word. “Less” means we get rid of anything that has no value to the customer. The creation of value is a process, though. The steps we take depend on the area we work in. Before a product goes to production, it usually goes though marketing, design, delivery, and so on.
