5 Lean principlesLean, a rebundling of TPS Concepts, is often caught up in a tangle, especially when it comes to interpretations and applications. Here are the 5 principles of Lean for your review:

. Value 

. Value Stream 

. Flow 

. Pull 

. Perfection. 

Although the 5 things listed are frequently referred to as the "principles of lean", I believe they are not the "principles" of lean, they are a five-step thought process for guiding the implementation of lean. 

I believe the principles of lean are best identified as the Leadership Principles of Lean Manufacturing identified by Jeff Liker in "The Toyota Way": 

Base your management decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term goals. 

Create continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface. 

Use "pull" systems to avoid overproduction. 

Level out the workload (heijunka). (Work like the tortoise, not the hare.) 

Build a culture of stopping to fix problems, to get quality right the first time. 

Standardized tasks are the foundation for continuous improvement and employee empowerment. 

Use visual control so that no problems are hidden. 

Use only reliable, thoroughly tested technology that serves your people and processes. 

Grow leaders who thoroughly understand the work, live the philosophy and teach it to others. 

Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your company's philosophies. 

Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers by challenging them and helping them to improve. 

Go and see for yourself to thoroughly understand the situation (genchi genbutsu). 

Make decisions slowly by consensus, thoroughly considering all options; implement decisions rapidly. 

Become a learning organization through relentless reflection (hansei) and continuous improvement (kaizen).