Lean Glossary

Lean Glossary

Cell

an arrangement of people, machines, materials, and equipment with the processing steps placed right next to each other in sequential order through which parts are processed in a continuous flow. The most common cell layout is a U shape.

Circle game

Draw a circle on the floor and observe an area or process with the intent of identifying waste.

Continuous flow

a concept in which items are processed and moved directly from one processing step to the next, one piece at a time. This concept is also referred to as "one piece flow" and "single piece flow."

Corrective Maintenance

Work on assets that have not yet failed, the need for which was identified by inspection.

Cycle time

the time required to complete one cycle of an operation. If cycle time for every operation in a complete process can be reduced to equal takt time, products can be made in single-piece flow.

See also Takt time.

Error proofing

a process used to prevent errors from occurring or to immediately point out a defect as soon as it occurs. If defects don't get passed down an assembly line, throughput and quality are improved.

See also Poka-yoke.

Flow

the progressive achievement of tasks along the value stream so that a product proceeds from design to launch, order to delivery, and raw materials into the hands of the customer, with no stoppages, scrap, or backflows.

Jidoka

one of the two pillars of the Toyota Production System. Jidoka provides machines and operators with the...