Table of Contents

Introduction: We Don't Make Widgets

PART I GRASPING THE SITUATION

1 The Legacy of Industrial Management

2 Two Types of Efficiency

3 Changing the System

PART II DESIGNING FOR FLOW

4 Understanding Flow

5 Busy Does Not Mean Productive

6 Design Principle I: Continuity

7 An Accounting Story

8 Design Principle II: Balance

9 Creating Balance

10 The CapCell Experiment

11 The Seven Gates of Hell

PART III THINKING BEYOND FLOW

12 Prerequisites to Problem Solving

13 Start with Standards

14 Using Standards to Create Flow

15 Lean Thinking and the Digital Age

16 Automation and Imbalance

17 Lean Leadership and Strategy

Conclusion: Work Is a Human System

Appendix: Value Stream, System, and Process: Understanding Three Fundamental Terms

About the Author

Ken Eakin is a Senior Advisor, Operational Excellence at Export Development Canada (EDC), a government-owned financial services company that runs on commercial principles. Based in Ottawa, Ken has been a Lean coach to EDC leaders at all levels, including senior executives, in the areas of Financing, Insurance, Corporate Finance, IT and Corporate Services of EDC. Prior to working at EDC, he worked as a Process Improvement Manager in the container shipping industry in Toronto, where he earned his certification as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He holds an MA in Cinema Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MBA from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto.