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Lean design
Lean Design is a process for applying lean concepts to the design phase of a product or process. The goal is to reduce waste and maximize value.

History
Bart Huthwaite first introduced lean design in the book The Lean Design Solution in 2004. Lean design builds on the set of principles that were developed for lean manufacturing which is based on the Toyota Production System. The principles of TPS may be found in The Toyota Way. Companies such as Nestle, General Dynamics, Gulfstream Aerospace, 3M, Motorola Solutions, Raytheon Missile, and many others are now using lean design as a key part of their product design processes.

The word “lean” has its roots in the lean manufacturing revolution that is now well along in sweeping the industrialized world. It was coined by a researcher, John Krafcik, working on the MIT team that eventually gave the world the classic book, The Machine That Changed the World. That book introduced the Toyota continuous-flow production method that reduces direct labor, virtually eliminates work- in-process and component inventory, and improves quality. Krafcik used “lean manufacturing” to describe what is now known as the Toyota Production Method. At the time, it was a way quite contrary to how automobiles were being mass produced in the West. The Machine That Changed the World signaled the beginning of the end of mass production for many high volume industries. Lean manufacturing means less of everything, from inventory to labor to machines. The core idea in lean manufacturing is to strip away all “wasted effort,” leaving only what is of value in the production process. Today there is scarcely a company in business who doesn’t either know about or is already energetically using some kind of lean manufacturing.

Lean design overview
Lean design is based on the premise that product and process design is an ongoing activity and not a one-time activity; therefore Lean design should be viewed as a long term strategy for an organization. Bart Huthwaite initially articulated in his book the reasons for maintaining an efficient and sustainable lean design integration team. Lean design must be sustainable and holistic unlike other lean manufacturing or six sigma approaches that either tackle only a part of the problem or tackle the problem for a short period of time. Lean design drives prevention of waste by adopting a systematic process to improve the design phase of a product or process’s development.

An organizational focus is required for the implementation of lean design principles.

Lean design principals

 * A Lean product design is one that simultaneously reduces waste and delivers value.
 * A product is more than the sum of its parts. It’s also the sum of the lifecycle processes needed to design, manufacture and use it.
 * The lifecycle of any product is from creation to disposal, from “lust to dust.”
 * Product design is now recognized as being everybody’s job. A big challenge is making sure everyone understands their design job descriptions. Lean design solves this problem.
 * Most lean manufacturing tools cannot be directly used by a lean design team. For example: value stream mapping, design for Six Sigma, QFD, DFMA, and Taguchi methods.
 * Lean design savings are hard to predict. Most of the savings will appear only in the sometimes-distant future. Predicting “hidden cost” savings is extremely difficult and questionable given the time it would require.
 * Toyota’s lean product development process is elusive but not impossible to understand. It cannot be imported in whole as was the case with the Toyota Production Method.
 * The Universal Lean Design Equation is Strategic Ilities – Evil Ings = Lean Product Success.
 * Strategic Ilities are values that will delight your customers as well as differentiate you from your competitors.
 * Evil Ings are the seven kinds of design solutions that create the most product lifecycle waste.
 * Lean design enables a design team to systematically find the optimum lean design strategy.
 * Applying Lean design does not make obsolete any existing product design tool, technique or method. Lean design helps a design team “knit together” existing design team tools.

The eight dimensions of lean design
To be successful, a corporate wide lean design implementation must include the following 8 dimensions:

1.	Optimization of Product Value 2.	 Prevention of Waste 3.	Real Time Measurements 4.	Product and Process Accountability 5.	Systematic Innovation 6.	Stakeholder Collaboration 7.	Team Leadership 8.	Senior Management Support

When the 8 dimensions are fully deployed in an organization, it is at a world class performance level with respect to design and innovation. The Shingo Prize is recognized as the premier award for operational excellence in North America. Using Lean design practices helps organizations move toward Shingo excellence.

For more information
The Lean Product and Process Development Exchange The Lean Enterprise Institute The Huthwaite Innovation Institute

Category:Lean concepts