CLT10 key terms

Any activity that consumes resources without adding value for the customer. Lean treats it as the primary target for elimination, commonly grouped into seven or eight categories such as overproduction, waiting, transport, overprocessing, inventory, motion, defects, and unused talent.

Unevenness or variability in demand, workload, or output that forces processes to swing between idle time and overload. Smoothing this variation is a precondition for stable flow and is addressed through heijunka.

Overburden placed on people, equipment, or processes by unreasonable demands such as excessive speed, weight, or workload. It causes errors, breakdowns, and injury, so lean addresses it separately from waste.

Work that changes the form, fit, or function of a product or service in a way the customer is willing to pay for, done correctly the first time. Anything else is classified as necessary non-value-added or pure waste.

A paper-and-pencil technique that draws the material and information flows for a product family from customer request back to raw material, showing process boxes, inventories, and lead times to expose waste and design a future state.

A fact-based snapshot of how a value stream operates today, built by walking the process and recording cycle times, inventory counts, uptime, and information flow. It establishes the baseline against which improvement is measured.

A drawing of how the value stream should operate after improvement, with target cycle times, pull loops, and kaizen bursts. It is the bridge between analysis and an actionable implementation plan.

A small cloud-shaped symbol on a value stream map marking a specific improvement opportunity needed to reach the future state. Each burst typically becomes an assigned action with an owner and a due date.

The total elapsed time a product or service spends moving through the value stream, from customer request to delivery, including all waiting. Reducing it is a central lean objective because it improves responsiveness and exposes problems.

The time between one unit completing a process and the next unit completing it, measured at the constraint or at each operation. It is compared against takt time to reveal capacity gaps or excess.

Continuous, incremental improvement carried out by the people who do the work, often through small experiments rather than large capital projects. It emphasizes many small changes sustained over time instead of occasional dramatic breakthroughs.

A focused, time-boxed improvement workshop, typically three to five days, in which a cross-functional team analyzes a specific process and implements changes immediately. It is sometimes called a rapid improvement event.

The actual place where value is created, such as the shop floor or the service counter. Lean practice holds that facts must be observed there directly rather than inferred from reports or meetings.

A structured visit by leaders to the place where work happens, with a clear purpose and open questions, to observe process, verify standards, and coach. It is not an inspection tour or a chance to give orders.

A Japanese principle meaning go and see for yourself. It requires decision-makers to verify conditions at the source with their own observation before concluding or acting, rather than relying on secondhand data.

The rate at which a product must be completed to meet customer demand, calculated as available work time divided by customer demand for that period. It sets the heartbeat that process cycle times are balanced against.

The uninterrupted movement of product, information, or people through a process with minimal waiting and batching. Achieving flow shortens lead time and makes problems visible quickly.

Producing or processing one unit at a time, moving it directly to the next step instead of accumulating batches. It reduces inventory, exposes defects sooner, and shortens lead time, though it may require layout and equipment changes.

A method in which downstream consumption triggers replenishment upstream, so work is released only when the next process needs it. It contrasts with push scheduling, which releases work based on forecast.

A signaling device, often a card or an electronic flag, that authorizes production or withdrawal of a defined quantity of material. It makes replenishment rules explicit and limits work in process.

A controlled buffer of standard items, each in a fixed location with a fixed quantity, from which downstream processes withdraw and which upstream processes replenish. It decouples processes that cannot yet be linked by continuous flow.

Producing and delivering only what is needed, when it is needed, in the quantity needed. It depends on levelled demand, stable quality, and reliable equipment to work without buffers.

Levelling the type and volume of work over a period so that peaks and troughs are smoothed. It allows smaller buffers, steadier use of capacity, and more predictable response to customer demand.

Giving machines and people the ability to detect an abnormality and stop the process immediately, so defects are not passed on. It separates human work from machine work and builds quality into the process.

A visual signal, such as a light or board, that shows process status and calls for help when an abnormality occurs. It supports fast response and makes problems visible to the whole team.

A device or design feature that prevents an error from being made or makes it immediately obvious. Examples include fixtures that only accept a part one way and sensors that detect a missing component.

The authority, and expectation, that any team member can halt production when a defect or unsafe condition appears. It reflects the principle that quality matters more than nominal output and that problems should surface early.

A disciplined investigation that moves past symptoms to the underlying process conditions that allowed a problem to occur. Common tools include the five whys, fishbone diagrams, and fault trees.

A questioning technique that repeatedly asks why a problem occurred, typically five times, until a process or system cause is reached. It works best when answers are verified at the gemba rather than guessed.

A documented, agreed method for a task that specifies the sequence, timing, and required inventory, and is the current best way known to do the job safely and reliably. It is a baseline for improvement, not a fixed rule.

A chart showing the sequence of manual, machine, and walking steps in a job against takt time, used to balance work and identify waste in operator motion. It is a core tool for designing and auditing standard work.

A workplace organization method with five steps: sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain. It creates a clean, self-explaining environment that exposes abnormalities and supports safe, efficient work.

Using displays, markings, and signals so that anyone can see at a glance whether a process is normal or abnormal. Effective visual controls are placed where the work happens and trigger action, not just decoration.

Plan-Do-Check-Act, the improvement cycle of planning a change, testing it, checking results against expectation, and standardizing or adjusting. It underpins kaizen, A3 thinking, and daily problem solving.

A one-page storyboard, traditionally on A3 paper, that frames a problem, current condition, root cause, countermeasures, plan, and follow-up. It is both a thinking discipline and a communication tool for alignment.

A planning and deployment process that translates top-level strategic objectives into aligned targets and actions at each level of the organization. It links annual goals to daily management through review cycles.

The iterative dialogue in hoshin planning in which goals and measures are negotiated back and forth between levels until targets, owners, and resources are agreed. It builds ownership rather than issuing top-down mandates.

A small set of measures chosen to show whether a process or strategy is on track, tied to specific targets and review cadence. Good indicators are leading where possible and drive behaviour rather than merely report history.

A documented routine of daily and weekly leadership activities, such as gemba walks, layered audits, and coaching conversations, that sustains lean systems. It shifts leaders from firefighting to checking and developing processes.

A core lean principle holding that people closest to the work are capable of improving it and should be developed, involved, and treated with dignity. It pairs with continuous improvement as one of the two pillars of the Toyota Production System.