Lean Manufacturing Course

Lesson 1 • Core Lean Principles

Introduces the five lean principles: value, value stream, flow, pull, and perfection. These principles serve as the decision-making framework throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Understanding the Eight Wastes

Identifies and defines the eight categories of waste (muda) that lean targets for elimination. Waste recognition is the prerequisite skill for all improvement activities.

Lesson 3 • Origins and Evolution of Lean

Traces lean from the Toyota Production System to global adoption. Provides historical grounding that contextualizes every subsequent lean tool and principle.

Lesson 1 • Designing the Future-State Map

Teaches the eight future-state questions to guide map redesign toward flow and pull. The future-state map becomes the implementation blueprint for improvement projects.

Lesson 2 • VSM Implementation Planning

Converts the future-state map into a structured action plan with owners and timelines. Links VSM analysis to real project execution covered in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • VSM Symbols and Notation

Covers standard icons for processes, inventory, information flows, and push/pull arrows. Accurate notation is essential for communicating maps across teams.

Lesson 4 • Analysing Flow and Bottlenecks

Applies takt time, process capacity, and queue analysis to pinpoint constraints. Analysis results directly inform future-state design decisions.

Lesson 1 • Visual Management Integration

Extends 5S into broader visual controls: andon lights, production boards, and colour coding. Visual management makes abnormalities immediately detectable without verbal communication.

Lesson 2 • Standardise and Sustain

Establishes visual standards, audit schedules, and accountability systems to lock in gains. Standardise and Sustain prevent regression to pre-5S conditions.

Lesson 3 • Sort: Eliminating the Unnecessary

Defines the Sort step and the red-tag process for removing unneeded items. A disciplined Sort creates the clean baseline required for all subsequent 5S steps.

Lesson 1 • Sustaining Kaizen Gains

Addresses common regression causes and countermeasures including updated standards and audits. Sustained gains require deliberate management attention beyond the event itself.

Lesson 2 • Creating Standardised Work Documents

Teaches construction of job instruction sheets, combination tables, and standardised work charts. Accurate documents enable consistent training and deviation detection.

Lesson 3 • Running a Kaizen Event

Provides a step-by-step framework for planning, executing, and reporting a kaizen workshop. Structured events produce faster results and stronger team engagement than ad hoc efforts.

Lesson 4 • Kaizen Philosophy and Types

Distinguishes point kaizen, flow kaizen, and system kaizen and explains when to apply each. Understanding kaizen types ensures the right improvement approach is selected.

Lesson 1 • Calculating Kanban Quantities

Applies demand rate, replenishment lead time, and safety stock formulas to size kanban loops. Accurate sizing prevents both stockouts and excess inventory.

Lesson 2 • Supermarket Design and Management

Teaches physical layout, min-max levels, and replenishment triggers for supermarket locations. Well-designed supermarkets are the physical backbone of a pull system.

Lesson 3 • Kanban Types and Design

Covers production, withdrawal, and signal kanban cards and their appropriate use cases. Correct kanban type selection determines system reliability and simplicity.

Lesson 4 • Kanban System Maintenance

Addresses loop audits, card count reconciliation, and demand-change recalculation. Ongoing maintenance prevents kanban systems from drifting into push behaviour.

Lesson 1 • TPM Pillars and OEE Fundamentals

Introduces the eight TPM pillars and the Overall Equipment Effectiveness metric. OEE provides the quantitative baseline for all maintenance improvement activities.

Lesson 2 • Autonomous Maintenance

Trains operators to clean, inspect, lubricate, and detect abnormalities on their equipment. Operator ownership of basic maintenance reduces breakdowns and builds equipment knowledge.

Lesson 3 • Planned and Preventive Maintenance

Covers maintenance scheduling, failure mode analysis, and spare parts management. Planned maintenance shifts teams from reactive firefighting to proactive reliability management.

Lesson 1 • First-Time Quality Metrics

Defines first-pass yield, rolled throughput yield, and defects per unit as quality scorecards. These metrics connect quality performance to lean flow and cost outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Error-Proofing (Poka-Yoke) Design

Teaches contact, fixed-value, and motion-step poka-yoke methods with design criteria. Effective error-proofing makes defects physically impossible or immediately detectable.

Lesson 3 • Root Cause Analysis for Defects

Applies 5-Why, fishbone diagrams, and Is/Is-Not analysis to identify true defect causes. Accurate root cause identification prevents recurrence rather than just correcting symptoms.

Lesson 4 • Jidoka and Built-in Quality

Explains jidoka as the ability to detect abnormalities and stop production automatically. Built-in quality prevents defect propagation and separates human work from machine monitoring.

Lesson 1 • Sustaining a Lean Culture

Addresses the organisational, behavioural, and systemic factors that determine long-term lean sustainability. Culture change requires deliberate reinforcement beyond tool deployment.

Lesson 2 • Measuring Lean Transformation Progress

Establishes a balanced scorecard of operational, financial, and cultural lean metrics. Measurement systems ensure accountability and guide course corrections during deployment.

Lesson 3 • Lean Leadership Behaviours

Defines gemba walks, leader standard work, and coaching kata as core leadership practices. Leadership behaviour is the primary driver of lean culture sustainability.

Lesson 4 • Hoshin Kanri Policy Deployment

Teaches the X-matrix, catchball process, and annual policy deployment cycle. Hoshin kanri aligns daily improvement activity with long-term strategic objectives.