Definition / principles:

• It is a work approach that places people at the core of transformation with the goal of serving the customer with the minimum necessary effort, material, and process
• It is a learning system for Operational Field Teams
• The main learning objective is that every problem represents an opportunity for improvement
• It facilitates Team ownership and accountability as problems are addressed and solutions are constructed

Origin (s):

• Japan (Toyota Production System).
• Theorization of Toyota concepts by an American from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) James WOMACK (book = "The Machine That Changed the World ")

Current Adoption & Maturity:

• Very mature and widespread in automotive industry OEMs. (Manufacturing, Engineering, Logistics)
• Adapted to the world of software development under the name AGILE (Agile Manifesto)

Focus on the manufacturing environment:

• Considered as the most efficient organizational model for production systems, especially in competitive and low growth markets

• There are many failures in its implementation. Too often it is reduced to addressing limited objectives such as waste or productivity separately. Also, overly simplistic tools are deployed which do not change the overall management style and work culture of companies

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