Lean Thinking

Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated

By: James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones

Narrated by: James P. Womack

Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

Expanded, updated, and more relevant than ever, this bestselling business classic by two internationally renowned management analysts shows how companies of any size in any industry can seize opportunities in the post-bubble economy.

Instead of constantly reinventing business models, lean thinkers go back to basics by asking what the customer really perceives as value. The next step is to line up value-creating activities for a specific product along a value stream while eliminating activities (usually the majority) that don't add value. Then the lean thinker creates a flow condition in which the design and the product advance smoothly and rapidly at the pull of the customer (rather than the push of the producer). Finally, as flow and pull are implemented, the lean thinker speeds up the cycle of improvement in pursuit of perfection. The first part of this book describes each of these concepts and makes them come alive with striking examples.

Lean Thinking clearly demonstrates that these simple ideas can breathe new life into any company in any industry in any country. But most managers need guidance on how to make the lean leap in their firm. Part II provides a step-by-step action plan, based on in-depth studies of more than fifty lean companies in a wide range of industries across the world.

Even those readers who believe they have embraced lean thinking will discover in Part III that another dramatic leap is possible by creating an extended lean enterprise for each of their product families that tightly links value-creating activities from raw materials to customer.

In Part IV, an epilogue to the original edition, the story of lean thinking is brought up-to-date with an enhanced action plan based on the experiences of a range of lean firms since the original publication of the book.

©1996, 2003 James Womack and Daniel Jones (P)2003 Simon & Schuster Inc. All Rights Reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Aaaargh, get the book instead

There is some good content here. I suppose. There's got to be, because Womack's work has been so influential with very smart people.
BUT, this is the best example I know of why you want a professional reader. Womack's narration is like a lethargic robotic toad reading aloud a tax return form. And I think this abridgement misses some of the good stuff. I was very motivated to learn about Lean Thinking, but still I could hardly listen to it. Avoid.

No full book

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

This audiobook is not the full book. There are missing some important chapter from the book. The audio is not good, The author is a good writer but not as good narrater

BEWARE!!!! The audible book is 4 of 15 chapters!

How can this be "sold" on audible - it's a quarter of the book! The hard copy has 15 chapters - there are only 4 in this audible version and I have been unable to find other versions. Not sure it this is an Amazon issue or the writers. Very disappointing and a waste of my audible credits.

It does not cover the entire book

I don't like audio books that don't cover the entire book. This is one of those audio books that you can't follow with the book

Good info, BORING listen

Womacks voice is possibly the worst narration I have come across. The information is exceptional, but is almost impossible to assimilate because of his voice. If ever there was an argument for authors hiring professional readers, it is this book.

Content that Will Transform Your Business

I have been part of supply chain management software support of a long time now and have gone through the various phases mentioned in the book. I've developed software to "optimize" the islands of production described and worked with others who would seek to "optimize" safety stocks. All because the process is broken -- we don't look at the entire value chain.

This is a must listen (probably to be followed up with a must-read book) for those seeking to transform their business or establish a new business.

My favorite passage is thoughts on low cost geographies and where to position fabrication facilities. The only time (according to the author) it makes sense to location production in low cost geographies? The product is overwhelmingly ruled by cost *AND* there is sufficient stability to create very accurate forecasts. Even then, you must consider exhange rate variances and political (here and abroad) variances.

Overall, this is an excellent listen. Additional literature is available, but I haven't found any follow-up listens on audible.com.

Not the full book

I bought the book and audiobook to follow along with because the content is hard enough already to understand, and come to find out this isn’t even the full book.

great book!

Lots of information, I had to listen to chapters many times to fully understand the concepts. All of the information was pertinent though and clearly expressed, just hard to wrap your head around.

An eye opening must-read for Lean enthusiasts

Following on from their first book the authors bring home the ideas of Lean by exploring real world businesses and case studies. This provides a framework for the lean leader to move forward and begin to change their business.

Must have for lean practitioners

Dry subject unless you come from manufacturing background. Some concepts are outdated but still good to know basics. Even after next 20 yrs this book will be as valuable as it is today because it teaches you important principles which are basis for any successful organization.

Great book but someone else should have narrated

I am very much an admirer of James Womacks work. having read this before I got the audio book to brush up. James Woman should not have narrated it himself. He is unfortunately monotonous to listen to.

Lean management

This book would certainly benefit from some lean management, it takes four hours to say what could be said in about an hour and a half! If you have any interest in producing an aluminium cola can then you are very fortunate as the author takes about twenty minutes describing the full process...it's painful!

Having said that, I am probably being a little over critical because I was hoping for a strategic overview of the main principles and not a detailed operational step by step description.

very useful

very useful. It is a view of a business management system that Toyota used to organize its business to produce distinct products in exchange for reducing manufacturing and garbage losses.

Good introduction, could be better

I guess it's a good introduction to Lean, but I found it quite repetitive. I'd have appreciated less preaching about how awesome it is and how great the benefits will surely be and more concrete examples and answers to the harder questions.

For example, the move from mass production to flow and pull are both somewhat intuitive and very much not intuitive. Why not give some actual numbers on value streams for a real (or at least realistic) company making the transition? That would allow to not only get the main idea, but to also see it's challenges and maybe get some intuition on when this makes sense and when it doesn't.

What about service industries?

This was my first audio book. Given the need for continuous concentration on such a subject I often found myself rewinding to help my understanding.
I am new to SIG Sigma and trying to understand how to apply it in a hotel industry and so the continuous reference to traditional manufacturing type industries was unhelpful in try to envisage how best to apply in a hotel industry
Hope that is helpful

Repetitive and monotone

Struggled to get through it. Not enough information on how to and examples and advice are too high level and repetitive.

Buy it, Read it, Live it

Fantastic introduction to Lean systems - would recomend it to anyone.