​In a "pull" production system, the final process pulls needed parts from the previous process, which pulls from the process before it, and so on, as determined by customer demand. This allows you to operate without preset schedules and avoid unnecessary costs, wastes, and delays on the manufacturing floor.

The authors begin by summarizing the five inherent principles in any lean system:

1. Correctly specify value so you are providing what the customer actually wants.
2. Identify the value stream for each product family and remove the wasted steps that don't create value but do create muda (waste).
3. Make the remaining value-creating steps flow continuously to drastically shorten throughput times.
4. Allow the customer to pull value from your rapid-response value streams as needed (rather than pushing products toward the customer on the basis of forecasts).
5. Never relax until you reach perfection, which is the delivery of pure value instantaneously with zero muda. (The first part of Lean Thinking devotes a chapter to each of these principles.)

   In factories around the world, Toyota consistently makes the highest-quality cars with the fewest defects of any competing manufacturer, while using fewer man-hours, less on-hand inventory, and half the floor space of its competitors. The Toyota Way is the first book for a general audience that explains the management principles and business philosophy behind Toyota's worldwide reputation for quality and reliability.

A combination of source inspection and mistake-proofing devices is the only method to get you to zero defects. 

​  Implementing S&OP now, or getting ready to? This book will make your implementation more sure-footed, less risky, and more successful. Bob & Tom cover all aspects of successful implementation, from composition of the Executive Team to the nitty-gritty of the S&OP spreadsheet design. Already operating S&OP? Learn how to improve the process and make it more effective and beneficial.

  The Toyota Way Fieldbook is a companion to the international bestseller The Toyota Way. The Toyota Way Fieldbook builds on the philosophical aspects of Toyota's operating systems by detailing the concepts and providing practical examples for application that leaders need to bring Toyota's success-proven practices to life in any organization. The Toyota Way Fieldbook will help other companies learn from Toyota and develop systems that fit their unique cultures.

  The Zero Quality Control System (ZQC) is a mistake-proofing approach that prevents defects by monitoring processing conditions at the source and correcting errors that cause defects. Since it is human nature to make mistakes, ZQC does not blame people for errors, but instead finds ways to keep errors from becoming defects. In this breakthrough approach, mistake-proofing devices called poka-yoke are used to check and give feedback about each product or operation in the process, not just a sample. This book introduces operators and assembly workers to the basic methodology of ZQC in an easy-to-read format that covers all aspects of this important manufacturing improvement strategy.

​  Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for one person in a garage or a group of seasoned professionals in a Fortune 500 boardroom. What they have in common is a mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to discover a successful path to a sustainable business.

Outlines many different management and control of quality techniques.  Used in some schools.

  Process maps have been a critical part of improvement efforts for decades. Shingo-style process maps are one of the least-used but most valuable improvement tools.

  Written by the industrial engineer who developed SMED (single-minute exchange of die) for Toyota, A Revolution in Manufacturing provides a full overview of this powerful just in time production tool. 

  Dr. W. Edwards Deming, a household name in Japan, became the prime catalyst behind the incredible success of Japanese industry. In fact, since 1951, the Deming Prize has been the most coveted and prestigious award among Japanese corporations.  Today, Deming is finally becoming a household name in his own country. The lessons he has to teach American business are more urgent and important than ever.   Just how different is the Deming Management Method? Compare just a few of the many differences in beliefs between conventional organizations and Deming organizations and you will want to change right away.

  Written in a fast-paced thriller style, The Goal, a gripping novel, is transforming management thinking throughout the world. It is a book to recommend to your friends in industry - even to your bosses - but not to your competitors. 

  Mark Twain once observed, “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” His observation rings true: Urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus public-health scares circulate effortlessly. Meanwhile, people with important ideas–business people, teachers, politicians, journalists, and others–struggle to make their ideas “stick.”   ​

• Why do some ideas thrive while others die?
  
• And, how do we improve the chances of worthy ideas? ​

  Hiroyuki Hirano’s five pillars of the visual workplace: sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain are the most fundamental and often overlooked aspects in continuous improvement initiatives. Together, these concepts form the framework of the 5S System, a set of principles whose simplicity often betrays its powerful impact on the workplace.

​  Project Management, or the "Project Management bible" as it's widely known, provides practical guidance on all aspects of project management. It features a streamlined approach to PM functions without stinting on detailed coverage of the tools and methods used at all stages of a project.

​  The application of statistical methods in mass production make possible the most efficient use of raw materials and manufacturing processes, economical production, and the highest standards of quality for manufactured goods.