•Do people in your organization think poka-yoke is a

dance to do at weddings?

•When someone says heijunka, do you say, “God bless

you.”

•Have you ever been asked, “Which production system is

better, JIT or kanban?”

Help is on the way in LEI’s Lean Lexicon, an illustrated

glossary of key lean terms and concepts. The Lexicon
will provide concise definitions, examples, and, wherever
possible, illustrations for the special language lean
thinkers use.

Nailing down the meanings of critical as well as

commonplace terms in the lean vocabulary has been a
collaboration between LEI and the lean community. In
response to LEI’s request, community members submitted
the terms and concepts that they struggled with and
provided feedback during development. We plan to
continue the dialogue and research so the Lean Lexicon,
like any good dictionary, will change and improve as we
discover terms that may have been omitted and as new
terms or usages appear.