The Toyota Kaizen Continuum

Chapter 3

Why the Toyota Production System Makes Sense: Common Sense

3.1 Common Sense 101

In the fourteenth century, an English logician and Franciscan friar named William of Ockham introduced a principle that has become known as Ockham’s razor. This principle states that all things being equal, the simplest solution is usually the best. This is especially true in manufacturing. The most common mistake I find in manufacturing, and especially operations, is that senior management wants to believe that their process of manufacturing even the simplest products is the most complex form of manufacturing and that if they have not thought of a solution then it probably does not exist.

A practical application of this point can be seen when we examine ...