Lean manufacturing applications have evolved greatly since the 1980s, when the term was coined in association with the Toyota Production System. Lean was originally focused on the manufacturing floor, but its methodologies have reached all levels of operations, from procurement to marketing. It has been adopted across a range of industries, from healthcare to hospitality.
“Today, people are finding value in applying Lean principles and methods to almost any type of human endeavor including nonprofits like the governments, the military, educational institutions, religious organizations, and other nongovernmental organizations,” says Frank Murdock, ASQ Lean Enterprise Division.