TERM	EXPLANATION
3M	Muda = waste in the process, Mura = unequal workload, Muri = overload
4P	Philosophy, Process, People and Partners, Problem Solving – Toyota management model by J. Liker
5S	Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Self-discipline. Five principles for creating a visual work environment
5Why	Methodology for finding root causes of problems, involved asking a question “WHY’ five times in a row
5W2H	Answering questions: What, When, Where, Who, Why, How and How Many, a method for describing an event or problem in detail
8D	Eight Disciplines, an 8-step method for preventing quality problems used by Ford Motor Company
A3	A report in a single A3 sheet format that forces a writer to report only relevant facts. Recently synonymous with A3 Problem Solving method – see PSG
Andon	A system for immediate notification of a problem by light and sound signals
Autonomation	jap. Jidoka, "Thinking Machine", a system that causes equipment to stop automatically if a defective product has been manufactured
Autonomous Maintenance	7-step program for the systematic involvement of production operators in maintenance
BM	Breakdown Maintenance, maintenance activities based on failure management
Buffer Stock	Supermarket buffer zone associated with periodic deviations from average customer demand. See also Cycle Stock and Safety Stock
CBM	Condition Based Maintenance, maintenance activities based on condition of a part, and not scheduled activities based on calendar or run time
Continuous Flow	Production setup with an uninterrupted processing chain, with no possibility of collecting unlimited WIP
Cycle Stock	Supermarket buffer zone associated with a waiting period for production of a part due to production lead time. See also Buffer Stock and Safety Stock
Cycle Time	A manufacturing time required to make one product, measured as a period between two products coming off a line, often confused with Throughput time
Deming, W. Edward	American specialist in the field of quality assurance, recognized as the creator of many quality tools, PDCA
Discrete Manufacturing	Manufacturing industry where single pieces of final product are produced, using machines or manual work e.g., automotive, furniture, electronics, etc. See also Process Industry
DMAIC	Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. Methodology for identifying root causes of problems and improving processes employed in Six Sigma
DPMO	Defects Per Million Opportunities
Drum-Buffer-Rope	Production control method derived from E. Goldratt's Theory of Constraints
EEM	Early Equipment Management, systematic program for developing new equipment centered on predicting and removing design and other problems before acquisition
FIFO	First-In-First-Out, production and storage control method
FMEA	Failure Mode & Effects Analysis – an analysis for estimating occurrence and risk of problems
Focused Improvement	See Problem Solving
Gemba	A place where the process takes place: office, workshop, factory, or warehouse
Heijunka	Leveling the workload, prevents under and over production loading
Hoshin Kanri	Strategic planning where policies and goals are communicated to generate support
IMPACT/EFFORT Matrix	A diagram that shows the relationship between implementation investment and expected benefits
Interval	A typical period between production runs of the same part number
Ishikawa Diagram	a.k.a. Cause-and-Effect diagram or Fish Bone diagram, shows all potential causes of the occurrence of a problem
JBS	Job Breakdown Sheet, an instruction sheet used by a trainer when instructing using TWI method
Jidoka	see Autonomation
Just-In-Time	A production system in which products are delivered exactly in the required quantity, at the required time and place
Kamishibai	jap. story in a visual form. Kami = paper, shibai = art/drama. A Kamishibai board visually shows current state of a given aspect of management, e.g., control over the application of standards.
Kanban	jap. Card, refers to a signal that generates demand for a given product
Kaizen	Continuous improvement through small steps
Kaizen Blitz	A focused team event that analyzes the current state of a process, develops an improvement plan and immediately implements most of the actions, typical duration 2 to 5 days
Kick off	Ceremony of starting an implementation process of e.g., Lean Management
Kobetsu Kaizen	see PSG
Lead Time	Time required for a product or service to be delivered to a customer, typically measured from order entry to product shipment
Lean Management / Manufacturing	General name of a management system based on systematic elimination of waste from processes
Life Cycle Costing	Calculating total costs over the entire life of equipment, including development, acquisition, upkeep and maintenance, recycling
Makigami	jap. a roll of paper. A mapping technique typically used to visualize administrative process flow
MRP	Material Resource Planning, production control system that incorporates production schedule and efficiency of processes
MTBF	Mean Time Between Failures, an average time between occurrences of a machine breakdown
MTTR	Mean Time To Repair, an average time needed to repair breakdowns
MUDA	jap. Waste, all non-value adding activities, typically defined in 7 categories, see also 3M
Milkman	Replenishes supermarkets and delivers parts to workstations
NVA – Non-Value Added	Activities that do not add value to the product or service from a customer perspective, see also VA and MUDA
OEE	Overall Equipment Effectiveness, OEE = Availability x Performance x Quality
One-Piece-Flow	Processing a product or service in batches of one, allows for maximum flexibility
Ohno, Taiichi	Employee of Toyota, considered the main creator of many Lean Manufacturing tools
Operational Excellence	A term used interchangeably with Lean Management, used to describe an elevated level of continuous improvement performance
OPL	One Point Lesson, a simple one-page visual instruction that references only one aspect of a task
Pacemaker	A production process that sets the rate of material flow for the entire value stream
PDCA	Plan-Do-Check-Act, method for implementing small improvements popularized by Dr. Deming
Poka-Yoke	jap. Mistake-Proofing, devices and methods that prevent errors or automatically detects defects
Pareto principle	20% of all causes cause 80% of all effects
Planned Maintenance	A set of good preventive and predictive practices used by a maintenance department, often referred to as Professional Maintenance
PSG	Problem Solving Groups. A team approach to identify and remove root causes of problems using A3 method. Also called Focused Improvement, Kobetsu Kaizen, Small Group Activities
Process Industry	An industry where processing raw material changes its form. Characterized by batch production, e.g., chemical, food, pharmaceuticals. See also "Discrete Manufacturing"
PULL System	Production system that replenishes stocks / schedules work based on consumption by the downstream processes. See also PUSH System
PUSH System	Production system that schedules work or replenishes stocks based on forecasting, process efficiency and predictable material consumption
QX Matrix	Standardization tool for solving known issues
RCM	Reliability Centered Maintenance, a maintenance approach focused on failure prevention
Safety Stock	Supermarket buffer zone that protects against production downtime
Sensei	jap. teacher
Sequenced Pull	Inventory control method through FIFO queues and a customer-defined production plan sequence
SMED	Single Minute Exchange of Die, method for reducing changeover time to less than 10 minutes
Six Sigma	DMAIC-based problem-solving method, supported by specialists: Black Belt, Green Belt
SPC	Statistical Process Control, method for analyzing process quality based on statistical analysis of samples, often used for incoming inspection
Supermarket	A storage space managed by Kanban
Shutdown Maintenance	A maintenance system based on periodic production shutdowns to allow for inspections, prevention and overhauls
SOP	Standard Operating Procedure, a visual instruction that standardizes a sequence of steps in an operation
Spaghetti diagram	A map showing typical travel routes by operators and material, allows to identify waste
SQCDME	Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Morale, Environment, denotes a balanced score card of KPI’s to monitor all aspects of organizational performance
TAKT time	Cycle time that synchronizes the pace of production with customer demand
TBM	Time Based Maintenance, maintenance activities based on a predetermined schedule
Throughput time	Time lapsed from start to finish of a manufacturing operation for one product, see also Lead Time
TPM	Total Productive Maintenance, a maintenance system focused on prevention and involvement of production operators
TPS	Toyota Production System, a system of production used in the Toyota plants, referred to as Lean Manufacturing elsewhere
TOC	Theory of Constraints, created by E. Gooldratt, based on improving product flow by managing bottlenecks
TWI	Training Within Industry, method for training in new skills developed in the USA during World War II
WIP	Work in Process, in process inventory
VA – Value Added	Activities that add value to a product or service from the customer perspective, see also NVA
VPM	Visual Performance Management based on regular Gemba walks, visualization of results and a cascading problem-solving system
VSM	Value Stream Mapping, a technique developed in Toyota for mapping production flow
Work sampling	Statistical technique based on observations of categories of activities performed by employees
WCM	World Class Manufacturing. A term often used interchangeably with Lean Manufacturing, differs in deployment methodology
Work Combination Chart	A graphing technique developed by Toyota that displays time intervals of operator interacting with a machine during one production cycle
Zero Quality Control	Quality built into a process based on inspection at the source. Characterized by methods and tools that either prevent an error or detect a defect before it reaches the next process. See Poka-Yoke and Jidoka