Is Lean management right for your team?

Waste is never a good thing — whether that’s resources, time, or money — and that’s exactly what Lean management is about: creating a culture that is as efficient as possible.

Toyota originally developed the Lean methodology in the ‘80s to minimize waste on its production line. Needless to say, it worked for them, and since then, a wide range of industries have adopted it, from marketing and manufacturing to design and management and beyond.

If you want to work more effectively with your team, then Lean could be your new favorite tool. 

What is Lean management?

Lean management is all about helping you do more with less by cutting down on waste, not corners. What counts as waste? The minds behind Lean have helpfully defined that too. It’s called “Muda”, and there are 7 different types:

• Overproduction
• Waiting
• Transport
• Overprocessing
• Inventory
• Motion
• Defects.

Lean is about ruthless efficiency. Map the process, find bottlenecks and duplicate steps, and cut anything that doesn’t create customer value. The unnecessary approvals, the “because we’ve always done it” tasks, the waiting — gone. What’s left is work that moves the goal forward.

Where did Lean come from?

Originally, Lean came from the world of manufacturing, specifically Toyota. But now it’s used in lots of fields — like software, healthcare, government, and even creative work. Any time there are tasks and teams, Lean can help make things better.

If there’s a process, Lean thinking can help improve it.

• Tech companies use Lean to speed up software delivery
• Hospitals apply it to improve patient care 
• Startups use Lean principles to launch fast and test early 
• Government agencies are adopting Lean to make public services more efficient
• Even creative teams use Lean to simplify feedback loops.

What are the main principles of Lean?

Lean management is shaped around five core principles, as described by the Lean management Institute:

1. Find your value. Always satisfy your customers’ needs by only providing services that add value. Any activity that doesn’t add value is considered waste.
2. Map the value stream. Analyze your workflow from start to finish. Include everyone’s tasks (and potentially beyond). Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to see which activities add value, and which are empty busywork.
3. Create flow. Fine-tune your workflow, focusing on things like bottlenecks or redundant approval stages that could slow things down. Remember: if it doesn’t add value, get rid of it! 
4. Establish pull. This is a way of working that requires people to ‘pull’ jobs to work on when there’s demand, and only then. To use a real-life example, say you’re working behind a bar. You’d pull a drink for someone when they step up and order one — you wouldn’t pour beers in advance when the bar is empty. It’s the same for Lean working.
5. Seek perfection. Lean isn’t something that has an endpoint; it’s about continuous improvement. Tasks and workforces change, which is why it’s important to revisit and refine the workflow. And even if nothing’s changed, assess anyway — there’s almost always room for improvement.

Why do businesses need Lean?

It’s probably quite self-explanatory by this point, but if you’ve only just joined us, here’s a recap. 

• Less waste. Continually refining your workflow means you can iron out productivity-sapping issues and tasks that don’t add anything.
• More focus. By deleting activities that don’t add value, your team can dedicate more time to those that do. 
• Better motivation. When employees can focus on meaningful and impactful work rather than valueless busy work, they have a greater sense of purpose.
• A smarter way of working. Using the pull system means the team will only work on tasks when there’s demand. They can spend any spare time on either preparation or training.
• More value for the customer. By cutting out tasks that don’t add value, you can dedicate more time to those that do. This gives you a higher-quality product.

The best Lean management methodologies to help you cut waste

Knowing what’s out there can help you pick the best approach. We’ve already written at length about process improvement methodologies, so we’ll make this a whistle-stop tour through some of the big hitters.

1. Six Sigma

Six Sigma is the data-driven way to drive out defects and boost quality. The playbook is DMAIC — a repeatable framework that gets you from “we think” to “we know.”

• Define: Lock in the problem and what “good” looks like for the customer.
• Measure: Capture the baseline. Gather the right data.
• Analyze: Find the root causes (not just the symptoms).
• Improve: Test and evaluate solutions, standardize what works.
• Control: Keep the gains with clear owners, dashboards, and checks.

It reduces process errors, boosts customer satisfaction, promotes data-backed decisions, and in true Lean fashion, drives continuous, measurable improvement.

2. 5S

5S is a foundational method for keeping workspaces safe and efficient. It includes five steps: Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. These steps help improve how things flow and cut down on waste.

The advantages:

• Improves efficiency and safety
• Reduces clutter and confusion
• Builds discipline and ownership.

3. Kaizen

The philosophy behind Kaizen is small, iterative improvements. It gets everyone in the organization involved in finding ways to do things better over time, which feels more manageable than a big initiative and rollout. 

The advantages:

• Engages all employees in improvement
• Builds a culture of adaptability and learning
• Achieves long-term gains with low-cost changes.

4. 5 Whys

The 5 Whys technique for navigating to the root of a problem. When something goes wrong, rather than rushing to the symptom and putting a band-aid over it — you ask “why?” five times (or more, if needed) to dig down to the real cause. This should stop the problem happening again. 

Let’s say a shipment is late. Here’s how the 4 Whys might run: 

Why? The product wasn’t ready.
Why? The team ran out of materials.
Why? The order wasn’t placed in time.
Why? The inventory system didn’t alert anyone.
Why? The system settings were outdated.

Now you know what really needs fixing! 

5. Kanban

Kanban visualizes tasks using cards arranged on a board across three columns labelled “to do” “doing” and “done”. This keeps teams on track by encouraging them to finish what they’re working on before accepting something new. 

The advantages:

• Boosts workflow visibility
• Reduces work overload
• Improves task prioritization and delivery speed.

6. SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die)

SMED slashes changeover time so you can switch work fast — often in under ten minutes — by separating internal from external setup, converting more to external, and streamlining the rest. Teams cut downtime, run smaller batches, boost flexibility, reduce inventory, and respond to demand without breaking flow.

The advantages:

• Reduces production downtime
• Increases flexibility for small batch production
• Improves responsiveness to market changes.

7. JIT (Just-In-Time)

Just-In-Time is a production approach where materials and products are made or delivered at exactly the right time, in the right quantity – and not a second before. This helps businesses keep inventory costs (like storage and/or spoilage) down and production running without holdups.

The advantages:

• Cuts excess inventory
• Reduces waste
• Aligns production with real demand.

8. Value Stream Mapping (VSM)

VSM visualizes all the steps in a process, giving you a clear view into how materials and information flow from start to finish. This bird’s eye view helps you scout out waste like bottlenecks or steps that don’t add value.

The advantages:

• Highlights wasteful processes
• Encourages end-to-end thinking
• Gives you a roadmap for improvement.

9. Poka-yoke (error proofing)

Poka-yoke is all about designing systems or tools to catch mistakes before they happen. It’s a preventive approach to quality control, which I’m sure we can all agree is better than reactive.

The advantages:

• Reduces defects and rework
• Improves product reliability
• Enhances worker confidence and quality.

10. Gemba (Gemba Walks)

Gemba means “the real place” in Japanese — where the work actually happens. A Gemba Walk is when leaders visit the shop floor or work area to see things for themselves and ask questions to get a better understanding of any issues.

The advantages:

• Promotes direct observation and engagement
• Encourages frontline feedback
• Helps leaders make better-informed decisions.

11. Muda (Waste)

We touched on it earlier, but “Muda” simply means any activity or step that consumes resources but doesn’t add value from the customer’s point of view. The seven classic types include overproduction, waiting, transport, overprocessing, inventory, motion, and defects.

The advantages:

• Targets non-value-adding activities
• Streamlines processes
• Supports cost and time savings.

12. Jidoka

Jidoka, which roughly translates as “automation with a human touch”, is about building quality into the process by automatically stopping work when something goes wrong — either through machines that detect issues and automatically shut down, or by empowering workers to halt production themselves.

The goal is to fix problems immediately, rather than letting defects continue down the line.

The advantages:

• Prevents defects from progressing through the workflow
• Empowers workers to take ownership of quality
• Encourages fast problem-solving and continuous improvement

How to build a Lean culture in your workplace 

Building a Lean culture isn’t just saying “ta dah” and hoping for the best. It’s about changing how your team thinks and works together on a deeper cultural level. This takes time and good leadership, as well as everyone’s commitment. Here’s how to kick things off.

1. Get full buy-in

Lean is a radical way of working, and success depends on company-wide commitment. People might feel daunted – they’ll have to work more independently, have regular results-focused feedback, and generally overhaul how they work. Stressful! 

Brush up on your organizational communication skills to get the message across, focusing on benefits and practical tips. You may also need to invest in training to get less experienced (or resistant) workers up to speed.

2. Map your current workflow

You can’t fix what you can’t see. Create a value stream map for the end-to-end process — including “unofficial” steps and handoffs — with the people involved. Quantify wait times, rework, and queue lengths. Agree on a current-state map first; then redesign for flow.

3. Define what adds value (and what doesn’t)

Once you’ve got your map, go through it with a fine-tooth comb. Which steps actually add value for your customer or end-user? Which ones are just there because “that’s how we’ve always done it”? Lean is about cutting out anything that doesn’t serve a clear purpose, whether that’s duplicate work or unnecessary meetings. Be ruthless! 

4. Start small and experiment

Big overhauls are daunting, expensive, and often miss the mark. Rather than going in hard with a giant company-wide “change everything” behemoth project, choose one area to trial Lean principles. 

This could be a specific project, process, or team. Focus on improving flow, reducing waste, and testing new ways of working — like a pull system or daily standups — and record your results. If it worked, then consider widening your scope (while keeping things manageable so you can learn as you go). 

5. Encourage daily problem-solving

A true Lean culture empowers everyone to locate and fix problems, not just managers. So make it part of your routine to reflect on what’s working and what’s not. Daily standups and regular retrospectives are a great way to get everyone chatting about progress, issues, and next steps.

6. Lead by example

Leadership sets the tone for any cultural change, and even if you don’t think people are emulating you — they are. So if you want people to embrace and embody Lean thinking, you need to model that behavior.

Be transparent about your own challenges, celebrate progress (even the small stuff), and be open to feedback. Culture shifts happen when people see leaders walking the talk.

7. Invest in training

Not everyone will know about Lean from the outset. Offer resources and coaching to help people build the skills they need, from value stream mapping to collaboration tips. If someone is struggling, give them extra help to adjust.

8. Celebrate wins and share stories

Change can be tough, so make a point of celebrating successes along the way. Whether it’s a faster process or a happier customer, show your team that their Lean efforts are making a difference. Sharing real stories helps make the initiatiev feel tangible and motivates people to keep going.

9. Commit to continuous improvement

A Lean culture isn’t something you set and forget. Keep checking in on your team, asking: What could be better? Build curiosity and experimentation into the process, and make it safe to fail. In fact, reframe ‘failure’ as a learning opportunity.

Common Lean management challenges (and how to overcome them)

As with all methodologies, getting the application right might take a little trial and error. Here are the main things to look out for (plus tips on how to avoid them):

A lack of time

Lean takes upfront time to observe, map, and measure — and that’s before we even get into standups and retrospectives. If you skip that, you’ll chase symptoms, not causes. Timebox discovery (e.g., a 2 to 3 hour mapping session), carve out a weekly Kaizen block, and fold quick checks into existing rituals (standups, retros) so improvement happens alongside delivery. As improvements roll in, that time will start to pay off. 

Treating Lean as a one-time project

Lean isn’t a campaign you “launch and leave.” It’s a way of working. Build a cadence: daily huddles for issues, weekly metric reviews, monthly retros. Assign an owner for sustainment, document standard work, and set simple control plans so gains stick after the spotlight moves on.

Focusing only on efficiency

In the same way that “busy” ≠ productive, cutting steps is pointless if you’re not improving value. Tie every change to customer outcomes: faster lead times, fewer defects, higher satisfaction, and so on. Bring in Voice of the Customer (support tickets, interviews, NPS) and balance flow metrics with quality and outcome metrics so you don’t optimize the wrong thing (easily done)! 

Top-down implementation

If Lean is “done to” people, it will stall. Co-design with the folks who do the work. Run small pilots, let teams test ideas, and make it safe to surface problems. Invest in coaching and A3 thinking so leaders facilitate improvement rather than dictate it.

Measuring everything, improving nothing

A wall of KPIs won’t move the needle. Pick a short list tied to outcomes (lead time, flow efficiency, defect rate, customer satisfaction). Set baselines, review on a cadence, and link each metric to a specific experiment or action owner. Kill vanity metrics that don’t drive decisions.

A lack of strategy

It’s easy to get too focused on Lean tactics that you lose sight of the bigger picture. Set regular strategy review sessions (monthly or quarterly) to bring your Lean efforts in line with broader business goals. Another way to get around this is to create a project charter for each project, as well as an overall mission statement.

Cutting things too fine

Lean follows a “pull” style of working. But if there’s a bottleneck or your resources are low (for example, someone’s off sick), then delays can start piling up. 

Having a contingency plan and buffer time in place can help provide leeway, while smart planning using project management software will help you track tasks as they happen, helping you plan ahead.

Create a culture of continuous improvement with project management software

With Lean, you’re building a culture that asks, every single day, “How could this be better?” Culture shifts take time, but with a clear plan and steady pace, Lean turns into second nature. 

Backlog can help managers and team members alike with the transition (and beyond). Use built-in workflows to standardize how work moves, burndown charts to see progress at a glance, and real-time updates to spot blockers before they snowball. Teams stay flexible and focused; managers get a clean view of what’s working and what isn’t.

When you combine Lean practices with the right tools, it really boosts productivity, morale, and most importantly, your profits. Ready to give it a try for free?

This post was originally published on May 7, 2025, and updated most recently on November 21, 2025.