Quick Start Guides

Not sure what books to read? Ask our Librarian. Tell our Librarian your role or interests and you will receive a list of books to start your reading. Just don't be too loud or you'll get a great big 'shhh!' from the Librarian. If you don't see the list you are looking for here, please contact us and ask for a list. We would be glad to help.

Start by choosing a topic.

• The Lean Basics
• More Lean Basics
• The History and Context of Lean
• The Technical Application of Lean in an Assembly Environment
• The Technical Application of Lean in a Manufacturing Environment
• The Company-Wide Application of Lean
• Being a Good Lean Leader
• Being an Effective Manager in a Lean Company
• The Topic of Lean Accounting
• Applying Lean to My Personal Work
• Lean in Product Development

Lean Basics

I only want to get the basics, an overview, of lean understanding.

• Kaizen Express: Fundamentals for Your Lean Journey
• Lean Simplified
• Lean Thinking
• Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works (Lean (O’Reilly))
• The Lean Startup Guide: How To Take An Idea To Success With Little To No Money
• The New Manufacturing Challenge: Techniques for Continuous Improvement
• The Toyota Way

More Lean Basics

I want to dig a little deeper into what this lean thing is all about, but not much deeper.

• Becoming Lean
• JIT Factory Revolution
• Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success
• Kaizen Express: Fundamentals for Your Lean Journey
• Lean Simplified
• Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works (Lean (O’Reilly))
• Summary: The Lean Startup …in 30 Minutes – A Concise Summary of Eric Ries’ Bestselling Book
• The Goal
• The Lean Pocket Handbook for Kaizen Events – Any Industry – Any Time
• The Lean Startup Guide: How To Take An Idea To Success With Little To No Money

The History and Context of Lean

I want to know where lean came from. I want to read the masters. I want the roots of lean.

• Attaining Manufacturing Excellence
• Kaikaku
• Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success
• Out of the Crisis
• Study of the Toyota Production System
• The Hunters and the Hunted
• The Machine That Changed the World
• Today and Tomorrow
• Toyota Production System

The Technical Application of Lean in an Assembly Environment

I need to get down to the nuts and bolts of applying lean in my asembly organization.

• Creating Continuous Flow
• Lean Assembly
• Lean Manufacturing
• Learning to See, Version 1.3
• Poka-Yoke
• The Lean 3P Advantage: A Practitioner’s Guide to the Production Preparation Process
• The New Manufacturing Challenge: Techniques for Continuous Improvement
• Zero Quality Control

The Technical Application of Lean in an Manufacturing Environment

I need to get down to the nuts and bolts of applying lean in my manufacturing organization.

• A Revolution in Manufacturing
• Creating Continuous Flow
• Factory Physics
• Lean Manufacturing
• Lean Manufacturing Systems and Cell Design
• Learning to See, Version 1.3
• Poka-Yoke
• Practical TPM
• Speed to Market: Lean Manufacturing for Job Shops
• The New Manufacturing Challenge: Techniques for Continuous Improvement
• Zero Quality Control

The Company-Wide Application of Lean

I am applying lean beyond manufacturing, beyond the shop floor. I need to know what it looks like beyond the 4 walls.

• Hoshin Kanri for the Lean Enterprise
• Lean Solutions
• Real Numbers
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean
• The Toyota Product Development System
• The Toyota Way
• Thinking Beyond Lean
• Toyota Production System

Being a Good Lean Leader

I want to be able to lead an organization to the lean ideal state.

• Bills of Material for a Lean Enterprise
• Fast-Track to Waste-Free Manufacturing
• Guts
• Kaizen and the Art of Creative Thinking
• Leading Change
• Lean Business Drivers
• Lean Culture – The Leader’s Guide
• Lean Supply Chain Management Essentials: A Framework for Materials Managers
• No Excuses Leadership
• Principle Centered Leadership
• Sustaining Lean in Healthcare: Developing and Engaging Physician Leadership
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean
• The Inner Game of Work
• The Lean Manager: A Novel of Lean Transformation
• The Lean Turnaround: How Business Leaders Use Lean Principles to Create Value and Transform Their Company
• The Path of Least Resistance for Managers
• The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Achieving and Sustaining Excellence through Leadership Development

Being an Effective Manager in a Lean Company

I am a manager in a company using lean. What changes for me? I need to know what to do for my role.

• Death by Meeting
• Follow the Learner: The Role of a Leader in Creating a Lean Culture
• Good to Great
• Hoshin Kanri for the Lean Enterprise
• How to create a high performance culture in your organisation – the ‘Lean Thinking Company’ way.
• Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success
• Lean Supply Chain Management Essentials: A Framework for Materials Managers
• Summary: The Lean Startup …in 30 Minutes – A Concise Summary of Eric Ries’ Bestselling Book
• The Daily Drucker
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean
• The Lean Entrepreneur: How Visionaries Create Products, Innovate with New Ventures, and Disrupt Markets
• The Lean Manager: A Novel of Lean Transformation
• The Lean Startup Guide: How To Take An Idea To Success With Little To No Money
• The Lean Turnaround: How Business Leaders Use Lean Principles to Create Value and Transform Their Company
• The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Achieving and Sustaining Excellence through Leadership Development
• Toyota Production System

The Topic of Lean Accounting

How does lean relate to accounting, and what do I do about it?

• Beyond Budgeting
• Practical Lean Accounting
• Profit Beyond Measure
• Real Numbers
• Who’s Counting? A Lean Accounting Business Novel

Applying Lean to My Personal Work

I first want to apply lean concepts to my own work. What can I do?

• Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success
• Lean Solutions
• Poka-Yoke
• Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works (Lean (O’Reilly))
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean
• The Hunters and the Hunted
• The Lean Handbook: A Guide to the Bronze Certification Body of Knowledge

Lean in Product Development

• Lean Product and Process Development
• Product Development for the Lean Enterprise
• Product Development for the Lean Enterprise: Why Toyota’s System is Four Times More Productive and How You Can Implement It
• Ready, Set, Dominate
• Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works (Lean (O’Reilly))
• The Toyota Product Development System