17/08/2026
A Lean/TPS tool is never a goal in itself. It is a countermeasure to a specific problem.
Lean/TPS starts with making work easier for the people doing it, while involving them in the improvement process and developing their problem-solving capabilities. Achieving organizational objectives is a consequence of this approach.
These three visuals bring together insights from past and present TPS leaders and thinkers that support this idea.
For more than 20 years, we have been teaching both the tools and the thinking behind Lean/TPS. Knowing a broad range of tools matters. As the saying goes, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” But the problem, not the tool, must remain the starting point.
That is why we first explain Lean/TPS as both a pathway and a strategy, grounded in principles, problem solving, and people development. Only then do we introduce the tools.
As the summer holidays draw to a close, this is the right moment to refocus on your own development and on helping to make daily work easier and better for every team member.
Join us at one of our upcoming Dutch-language open training courses in Belgium.
Find all dates, details, and registration information at lean-academy.eu.
P.S. After celebrating the 20th anniversary of our Lean/TPS training and certification programs last year, we now have a limited offer for alumni of our Green Belt in Lean program. Send me a direct message if you are interested.
