This document provides an alphabetized glossary of lean terms. Each letter of the alphabet is associated with a lean concept, principle, or tool. Some of the key terms defined include andon, baseline, cell, defect, error-proofing, flow, Gemba, hansei, inventory, Just in Time, kanban, kaizen, loading, muda, muri, mura, normal, Ohno's circle, PDCA, QFD, root causing, SMED, standards, Takt, using knowledge, value, why, yukoten, and zero. The document is intended to help people learn and remember important aspects of lean thinking and methodology.

1. Lean
abc's
by Tom Curtis

2. Created by Tom Curtis 2010
Blog: www.onimproving.blogspot.com
Other presentation on www.slideshare.net
Under Onimproving
Email: ideamerchants@gmail.com

3. A
is for andon, which is often a light, that tells us
when something is not working right.

4. B
is for baseline, our current state, from which we must
improve in order to be great.

5. C
is for cell, a place to build product in flow, where from
step to step parts may rhythmically go.

6. D
is for defect, a word for something wrong, that we
must correct and prevent in a song.

7. E
is for error-proofing, poka-yoke by form, preventing
mistakes must become our new norm.

8. F
is for flow, a key goal of lean, achieved through
removal of waste and a process run clean.

9. G
is for Gemba, the place of the work, as leader to not
visit is duty to shirk.

10. H
is for hansei, reflection in practice, lessons to learn,
about our recent used actions and tactics.

11. I
is for inventory, which only is good, if held in the
place and amount that it should.

12. J
is for Just in Time, the culmination of lean reaching its

13. K
is for kanban and kaizen, the first is our signal from
process to process, the second the engine that issues

14. L
is for loading of process and man that must follow Takt
and be measured to plan.

15. M
is for muda, muri, and mura, that our goal is to prevent
from in our process to occura.

16. N
is for normal, the state we have defined, in which our
process is fully aligned.

17. O
is for Ohno's circle, a smart place to stand, if one
is to understand the lay of the land.

18. P
is for PDCA, a process to walk to improve every

19. Q
is for QFD a tool that helps our new initiatives to be
launched more waste free.

20. R
is for root causing, red tagging and reviewing, 3
things that help us know what next to be doing.

21. S
is SMED and Standards and s's of five, that clean up
the waste and help the place jive.

22. T
is for Takt, the rhythm to produce, to not follow, is to
let muda loose.

23. U
is for using the knowledge we gain, by practicing
daily to reduce waste's great drain.

24. V
is for value, the goal of our acts, that to the customer's
ask in clear alignment tracks.

25. W
is for why, often asked 5 times to help root cause find
rhythm and rhyme.

26. X
is a marker of process complete when placed in a box
of the auditor's review sheet.

27. Y
is for yukoten, the spread of the good, showing
other processes what gain they copying could.

28. Z
is for zero the goal for non value add, reducing the
waste that makes processes sad.