The Birth of Lean ◾ 3
◾ Standardized work: Identifying the best and easiest way to do the job
– Reduced cycle time: The time it takes for a given process
– Time and motion study: A tool for developing standardized work
◾ Measurement and analysis to continually improve the process (a proto-
type of the plan-do-check-act cycle)
The great pioneers of Lean production, from Taiichi Ohno to Shigeo Shingo,
have acknowledged their debt to Taylor.
Ford System
Meanwhile, a young entrepreneur named Henry Ford
10
was trying to design
an automobile that was easy to manufacture and easy to repair. Ford finally
achieved his goal with his 1908 Model T.
The key to mass production was not the assembly line. Rather, it was the
thorough interchangeability of par