Lean made simple · Method standards

One method, one standard, step by step.

Lean has no standardisation body — so two green belts do VSM in two different ways, and “Lean” means something different in each house. We put a stop to that here: one canonical, versioned standard per method — purpose, prerequisites, step by step, classic mistakes and the template that goes with it.

Written and maintained by a Lean Master Black Belt with a background as a Quality Engineer in regulated manufacturing. Freely available — use it, share it, cite it.

19method standards
5categories
v1.0versioned & maintained

Mapping & flow

4 standards
v1.0

Value Stream Mapping (VSM)

VSM maps the entire value stream for one product family — processes, inventories, information flow and time — on a single map, so waste and bottlenecks become visible and can be prioritised.

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SMED (changeover reduction)

SMED reduces changeover time systematically by moving work from internal time (the machine is idle) to external time (the machine is running) — typically a 30-70% reduction without investment, through organisation and standardisation alone.

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Kanban

Kanban controls production and replenishment based on actual consumption via visible signals with fixed rules — so the flow becomes self-governing, WIP is limited, and overproduction is structurally prevented.

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Heijunka (levelling)

Heijunka levels production in volume and mix over the period, so operations run in a steady rhythm rather than in bursts — it makes the capacity requirement predictable and is the prerequisite for takt, flow and small inventories.

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Workplace & standard

4 standards
v1.0

5S

5S creates a workplace where normal state and deviation can be seen in seconds, not through tidying, but through fixed places, visible standards and an audit routine that holds the level.

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Standard work

Standard work documents the currently best, agreed way of performing a task — so precisely that deviations can be seen, training becomes consistent, and improvement has a fixed starting point.

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Poka-yoke (mistake-proofing)

Poka-yoke builds mistake-proofing into a process or equipment, so a human error either CANNOT be made or is detected the moment it happens — before it becomes a defect. The principle: people err; the process must catch it.

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Andon

Andon gives every employee the power and duty to signal problems immediately, and obliges a defined help chain to respond within minutes. The lamp is the least of it; the response chain is the system.

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Problem solving

6 standards
v1.0

A3 problem solving

A3 is a structured problem-solving process documented on a single sheet: from problem understanding through root cause to verified countermeasures. The format forces clarity — if the problem can’t be explained on one page, it isn’t understood.

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5 Whys

5 Whys drills from symptom to root cause by asking “why?” repeatedly, until the answer points to something in the system that can be changed — so the problem doesn’t return.

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Fishbone diagram (Ishikawa)

The fishbone diagram structures all plausible causes of a problem into categories (the 6 Ms), so the team thinks across the whole breadth before drilling into the depth, and no cause family is overlooked.

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PDCA

PDCA is the basic cycle of improvement: plan with a prediction, test on a small scale, compare result with prediction, and standardise or adjust. The cycle separates learning from “let’s try something”.

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Kaizen event

A kaizen event brings a cross-functional team together for 3-5 consecutive days on one bounded problem — from analysis to an implemented and tested solution before the week is out. The intensity is the method: no waiting between decision and action.

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FMEA

FMEA systematically identifies what CAN go wrong in a product or process — before it happens — and prioritises prevention by severity, occurrence and detectability. It is quality work’s shift from hindsight to foresight.

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Measurement & maintenance

2 standards
v1.0

OEE measurement

An OEE measurement makes equipment losses visible and prioritisable: Availability × Performance × Quality, tallied honestly and consistently, coupled to daily reaction. The goal is not the number — it is the conversation and the actions the number forces.

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Autonomous maintenance (TPM)

Autonomous maintenance makes operators the equipment’s first line of defence: daily cleaning-as-inspection, lubrication and tightening to standard — so wear and leaks are spotted weeks before they become breakdowns.

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Management & governance

3 standards
v1.0

The board meeting (Daily Management)

The board meeting is the daily pulse of operations: 10-15 minutes standing in front of the board, where yesterday’s deviations become visible, get an owner and a deadline — so problems are handled while they are small.

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Gemba walk

A gemba walk is a structured management round where value is created — with the purpose of understanding reality, seeing whether standards and systems hold, and removing obstacles. Not inspecting people.

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v1.0

Hoshin Kanri (strategy deployment)

Hoshin Kanri translates the company’s few breakthrough goals into committed goals, initiatives and targets at each organisational level — through dialogue (catchball) rather than decree — and couples them to a fixed follow-up cadence.

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Why standardise the methods?

Because our own thesis demands it: you cannot improve a process performed in five different ways, and that goes for the improvement methods themselves too. A VSM done to a standard can be compared, learned and improved. A VSM done by gut feeling can only be admired.

The standards are freely available. If you want help making them live in your operations — that is where we work.

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