Analogies to help us think further about Lean terms and concepts.

1. Lean Analogies
By Tom Curtis

2. Created by Tom Curtis 2010
Blog: www.onimproving.blogspot.com
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3. Introduction
I try to understand Lean by
experiencing and seeing it in as many
forms and situations as I can. This is
another attempt to do that. What
follows is a series of analogies. Each
analogy addresses a lean concept or
tool. Review them and see if they help
you better see Lean, then create your
own. Enjoy!
--Tom Curtis, 2010

4. 5s is like a spring
cleaning and
organization, followed
by regular maintenance

5. Gemba is like the stage
of a theater, where the
lights are on and the
action takes place

6. Heijunka is like the
glass water of a lake at
sun up, level and
smooth

7. Kaizen is like removing
the stickers from a
sticker bush caught on
fabric

8. Kaizen Eyes are like
fine tuned ultrasound
equipment that reveal
abnormalities

9. JIT is like good
restaurant service,
ordering leads to
quality timely delivered

10. Kanban is like good
baton passing in a track
relay

11. Mura is like an
undesired roller coaster
ride

12. Muri is like having to
use a tool without the
proper specifications to
do the required task

13. Poka-yoke is like
an up front
guarantee

14. Pull is like walking an
obedient dog on a leash

15. Root Cause is like
an accurate
diagnosis of illness

16. SMED is like
redecorating and
remodeling

17. Standard Work is
like a ruler for
measuring

18. Takt is like playing an
instrument with a
metronome counting out
beats

19. TPM is like regular
exercise for health
preservation

20. Waste is like extra or
unclear words when
writing

21. Yukoten is like
giving gifts to peers