Lean Manufacturing
	'Lean' is reducing waste and creating value across all processes Though Lean was originally developed to improve manufacturing processes its principles can be applied to any process at all Processes are sequences of steps that must be carried out to create value for customers. They need to be managed as a whole, not separately The principle is to remove as much waste as possible from processes to compress lead times and reduce costs. It uses tried and tested tools and techniques, such as Value stream mapping and Process activity mapping, to identify lead times, value added times and wasted time. 'Value' is defined as the features or functionality that meet the needs of the Customer At the agreed price At the agreed time The specific things the Customer comes to you for because he cannot provide it himself Lean uses problem solving tools and techniques to identify the root causes of process delays and failures
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