🧠 Lean project management

Lean project management focuses on delivering a manufacturing project with more value and less waste.

It does this by systematically eliminating waste in the value stream of the team manufacturing process.

To work, lean project management relies on continuous improvement.

That means that every process in the overall business stream is empowered by applying the principle of greater value, reduce waste.

Lean manufacturing was developed by Toyota, which is why it uses Japanese word to refer to the elimination of waste in a manufacturing system muda, waste created by overburden muri and waste that comes about because of uneven workloads mura.

5 principles

The lean manufacturing methodology has 5 lean principles, value, value stream, pull system, continuous flow and perfection.

- Value
└── Value is defined by your customer, client or stakeholder. Value can be the quality, timeline or price point of your deliverable
- Value Stream
└── You have defined value, now it's time to map all the steps and processes in your manufacturing cycle. That sequence of steps is known as a value stream in lean project management Identify every action that must take place in the project, including design, procurement, production, HR, admin and more
- Continuous flow
└── There shouldn't be any points that will create bottlenecks or interrupt production. It often requires cross-functional teams, bus results in greater productivity
- Pull systems
└── This is where the customer, client or stakeholder "pulls" the product or service from the project as needed. In other words, the improvement of the prior step lead to faster time-to-market. The advantage of the pull system is no warehousing or stockpiling. That saves money for the business that can be passed onto their customers.
- Perfection
└── Lean is about continuous improvement. Therefore, everyone in the business must always stive to better themselves and the processes they're involved in.