Terminology

Within the Lean world there are an endless amount of words and abbreviations, many of them have roots in the Japanese language. When doing research and thinking about how to define the concepts I find myself contemplating in a most rewarding way.

This is a list of many of the words and the terminology I have run into that I want to share. I have also listed abbreviations next to the descriptions. In some cases the abbreviation is what is commonly used, in those cases they are indexed by the abbreviation. The list will grow a my journey continues.

To make sure you find what you are looking for, please feel free to use the search field.

Terminology  Description
3MMuda (Waste), Mura (Unevenness) and Muri (Overburden).
4MA systematic approach to root cause analysis. Machine, Man, Method and Material. Often used as an Ishikawa Diagram.
5MAn expanded version of 4M analysis where a fifth M is added, Measurements. Making it Machine, Man, Method, Material and Measurements. It is a systematic approach to root cause analysis often used as an Ichikawa Diagram.
5S5S is a workplace organization (WPO) method in five steps, first conceived in japan as part of Just-in-Time (JIT). Sort (seiri), Set in order (seiton), Shine (seiso), Standardize (seiketsu) and Sustain (Shitsuke).
5W1HA tool to help find the root cause of an event. Commonly: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. However the questions are not standardize and can be found in many variants. Believed to be inspired from Rudyard Kipplings "Six honest serving-men" from 1902.
5 WhyThe practice of asking five questions in an iterative pattern to explore the root cause of an event. The number five is not magic but a good guide. One should use the appropriate number for the inquiry at hand.
A3 An improvement project contained in one single sheet, named from the metric paper size of A3.
7 QC Tools7 tools often used to visually communicate aspects of quality for the purpose of understandig the current situation and improve upon it. They are 1. Graph 2. Check Sheet 3. Pareto Chart 4. Cause & Effect (Fishbone) 5. Scatter diagram 6. Histogram 7. Control Chart.
Andon行灯Visual feedback system for the plant floor that indicates production status, alerts when assistance is needed, and empowers operators to stop the production process. Literally "Paper Lantern"
Autonomation"intelligent automation" or "automation with a human touch.” If an abnormal situation arises the machine stops and the worker will stop the production line. Ref Jidoka
Autonomous MaintenanceAMA method from TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) for engaging operators to carry out basic maintenance activity (such as cleaning, lubrication, and inspection activity).
Baka-yoke
馬鹿ヨケCreating products and processes that cannot be done incorrectly. Sometimes called idiot proof. See also Poka-Yoke.
BottleneckA bottleneck in production is a where one process reduces capacity of the whole chain of processes. Sometimes refered to as a chokepoint.
BufferUsed to even out variations in customer demand or uneveness within the production process. Within Lean we strive to have as low buffers as we can so they don't become muda (waste).
CANDOA precursor to 5S by Henry Ford. Cleaning Up, Arranging, Neatness, Discipline and Ongoing Improvement.
Chaku Chaku着々It is a semi-automated way to run manufacturing where the operator prepare the next operation while the machine or line works on the parts in a automatic process. The literal definition is load load which would be the role of the operator.
ChokepointRef. Bottleneck
Continuous ImprovementOngoing work to always look at ways of improving the processes and practices. The idea is that many small changes over time add up to big change/improvement.
Cycle TimeIt is the fastest repeatable time of a certain production step or process. The time observed when a process can be run without interuptions or faults.
Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange and SimplifyECRSA framework for improving a process or a task. Often used within Autonomous Maintainance.
Failure Mode and Effects AnalysisFMEAFailure Mode and Effects Analysis. FMEA is often the first step of a system reliability study or a process change project. It aims to identify possible failure modes and their causes and effects.
First In First OutFIFOA method of handling stock. It becomes particularly useful when the product handled has a expirationdate. Eg. rubber o-rings.
First Pass YieldFPYIndicating a product passing through all stages of production without any corrective measures along its course. It is used as a measure of built in quality. Often described as a percent eg. "FTT last week was 97%".
First Time ThroughFTTRef. First Pass Yield
First Time YieldFTYThe ratio of parts started in production to parts finished. Usually expressed as a decimal eg. 0.94 or 0.76. The difference between the two represents scrap. Similar to First Pass Yield.
FishboneRef. Ishikawa Diagram
Flow CellThe practice of organizing equipment required for a part or family of parts together in cell. This allows the parts to flow through the cell with no or minimal inventory at great flexibility.
Gemba現場“The real place”, The actual place where work is done. A shorter more popular version of Genchi Genbutsu.
Gemba WalkA practice of walking the gemba, the actual place where work is done. The purpose is to observe and learn the true conditions of a certain process.
Genbutsu現物“The actual materials or products”
Genchi現地“The actual place”
Genchi Genbutsu現地現物“Go to the actual place to study the facts and understand”
Genjitsu現実Japanese for "Reality" used to refer to "the real situation". Part of the go-and-see philosophy used by Toyota.
Hanedashiはね出しThe mechanism that automaticly ejects a part from a machine, commonly used in injection molding. Also an important part of a Chaku Chaku line. Japanese for "to jump" or "to leap".
Hansei反省Literaly self-reflection. Commonly used as just reflection. The purpose is to acknowledge one't own mistake and to pledge improvement.
Heijunka平準化Leveling the flow. A form of production scheduling that purposely manufactures in much smaller batches by sequencing (mixing) product variants within the same process.
Hoshin Kanri方針管理Policy Deployment. (Hoshin = Compass, Kanri = Leadership/Control.
Hourensou報連相A mnemonic used in Japan for Report, Inform, Discuss. Originally from Tomiji Yamazaki in 1982.
Ishikawa DiagramAlso known as fishbone diagrams or cause-and-effect diagram. It is used to map possible causes and narrow them to find the root-cause or the cause of a specific phenomena. Originally from Kaoru Ishikawa in 1968.
Jidoka自働化Autonomation, built in quality in every process
Just in TimeJITDelivery of goods or services at the exact time they are needed, at the quantity and quality that is needed.
Kaikaku改革Japanese term for "radical change". Where Kaizen are small continous improvements Kaikaku are larger bussiness wide changes during a limited time.
Kaizen改善“Change for better”, Improvement
Kanban看板A method of regulating the flow of goods both within the factory and with outside suppliers and customers. Based on automatic replenishment through signal cards or containers that indicate when more goods are needed.
Kaze Toushi風通しLiterally "ventilation" or "wind blowing through". It refers to easy of communication and openness within an organization. A critical part in Yokoten, the spreading of good ideas and solutions.
Keiretsu系列The Keiretsu replaced the Zaibatsu by the mid 2000th century. It is a system of interlocking business relationsships. The companies own small portions of the shares of each other centered around a core bank. The purpose of this is to create a stable marked and protect the companies from hostile action from outsiders.
Key Performance IndicatorKPIA KPI is used as a measurement of performance within an organization, program or project. Measured and recorded over time they can be a good indicator of trends of performance. Choosing the right KPIs will communicate what is considered important and what is of less importance.
Lead TimeIn production, the time from the order is received from the customer to when the product is available for delivery.
Mean Time Between FailuresMTBFThe calculated mean time between failures of a repairable system. It can be seen as a measure of the systems health but can also be an unprecise prediction on the expected uptime for the system.
Mean Time to FailureMTTFIn an unrepairable system it denotes the expected time to failure. On a component level this is a very important factor for handling MTBF, to exchange components before they fail during production.
Muda無駄Waste. It could also mean uselessness or wastefulness. It can be defined as 7+1 wastes: Defects, Overproduction, Waiting, Transport, Inventory, Motion, Excess Processing and Wasted talent. Within Lean the elimination of Muda is a central concept.
MuraUnevenness. Fluctuations in customer demand, process times per product or a variation of cycle times between different operators are examples of Mura.
Muri無理Overburden. When operators or machines for more than 100% to finish their task, they are overburdened. This is harmful both to machines and people and should be avoided.
Nagare流れJapanese for "flow of people/things/fluids/gasses". It is the philosophy of creating a smooth production flow. See also One Piece Flow.
Necessary Non-Value AddingNNVAIn Value Stream Mapping something that will not add value for the customer in itself but still is necesary to keep production going.
Nemawashi根回しAn informal process of getting support from coworkers and others before starting a project in order to increase the chances of success.
Non-value addingNVAIn Value Stream Mapping, something that will note add value for the customer and should be removed to eliminate waste in the process.
Overall Equipment EffectivenessOEEIn TPM it is a measure of performance, availability and quality expressed as a procentage. A score of 85% or better is considered world class.
Plan, Do, Check, ActPDCAA cyclic framework for improvement. Also known as the Deming Wheel or Deming Cycle.
Plan, Do, Study, ActPDSASimilar to PDCA
Poka-yoke漢字Design error detection and prevention into production processes with the goal of achieving zero defects. (Origin Shigeo Shingo)
Root CauseThe actual and initial cause of something happening. Used to describe the origins of errors in production or services to be sure you solve the source of a problem and not a symptom.
Seiketsu清潔The fourth step of 5S, often translated as "standardize". It is about maintaining a standard for the first three steps. In a way it is about creating and auditing standards but not litteraly about the act of creating standards itself.
Seiri整理The first step of 5S, usually translated to "sort". It is about sorting everything in a workarea and decide if it is needed for getting the job done. Things not needed are removed.
Seiso清掃The third step of 5S, literally means "cleaning". It is about getting the workplace clean an tidy. A common misconception is that Seiso is just cleaning itself. Think of it as creating a basis for keeping a clean workplace by eliminating sources of dirt and grime.
Seiton整頓The second step of 5S, usually translated to "set-in-order". It is about organizing everything for easy access. A common slogan is "a place for everything and everything in its place". This includes sequencing and labeling tools in a manner supporting the work to be done. A common practice is creating shadow boards.
Sensei先生Commonly used in japanese as a honorific meaning teacher or a person who has reached a certain level of mastery.
Shadow BoardA shadow board is when you paint outlines around or shadows behind the tools to easily see where a tool belong but also to easily see if anything is missing. This method suits best where the layout of tools and the tools used are subject to few changes.
ShitsukeThe fifth step of 5S, can be transladed to "discipline" but is often used as "sustain". It is about about building a culture and process where the first four S's are maintained. Shitsuke if achived only where when maintaining 5S has become a habit and not a struggle.
SMARTAn acronym giving critera for objectives. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. These give clear guidelines from which to measure success.
Spaghetti DiagramIt is a diagram of all the movements of an operator during work. This way you can easily see patterns and wasted movement as a basis for improvement.
Standard WorkThe foundation of continous improvements is standardized work. Any process must be standardized to the best known way of working from where improvments can be made.
SupermarketMaterial storage where the goods are separated by part number, maintaining the First In First out principle for each part number. The supermarket usually has a defined upper limit, and sometimes a minimum level which acts as a warning signal for stock-outs. In effect a number of separate FIFO lines in parallel. Often used with Kanban for Pull systems.
Takt-timeThe pace of production (e.g. manufacturing one piece every 60 seconds) that aligns production with customer demand. Calculated as Planned Production Time / Customer Demand.
Total Productive MaintenanceTPMIt is a system for maintaining and improving production and quality developed by Seiich Nakajima. I has been developing in parallel to Lean and is in many ways compatible.
Toyota Production SystemTPSA manufacturing strategy developed by Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan over a period of many years. TPS focuses on the complete elimination of waste from the manufacturing process, and is the progenitor of lean manufacturing.
Training Within IndustryTWIDeveloped by the US Department of War during WWII to counter the problems with finding skilled workers during wartime when many workers were being conscripted into military service.
Throughput YieldTPYRef. First Pass Yield
Value AddingVAIn Value Stream Mapping, something that creates value for the customer. I production, something that adds to the actual product.
Value StreamA value stream is all actions and processes that lead from material to finished product. Where value is created for the customer.
Value Stream MappingVSMIt is the process of mapping out and visualizing the flow of material through the Value Stream. This in turn can be used to analyze and optimize the Value Stream.
Visual ManagementIt is using visual means to show the process, it's flow and any deviations to the process. Thus making it easy to understand and bring to light any problems that need to be addressed.
WasteAny process or action that does not add value to the product or service would be considered waste. Ref. Muda
Yamazumi-chart山積みStacked bar chart used to balance the workload of different operators/stations in a production line. Sometimes also called Yamazumi board.
Zaibatsu財閥Used to be Japanese family-controlled business conglomerates organized with one bank part and one or several industrial parts. Litteraly "Wealth Group". Later replaced by Keiretsu.
Yokoten横展Literally "horizontal development" ad refers to spreading good practice or good improvements to other areas.