The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World's Greatest Manufacturer

Most Business Processes Are 90% Waste and 10% Value-Added Work

Every team member has the responsibility to stop the line every time they see something that is out of standard. That's how we put the responsibility for quality in the hands of our team members.

Go and see for yourself to thoroughly understand the situation (genchi genbutsu).

We build cars, not intellectuals

Andon works only when you teach your employees the importance of bringing problems to the surface so they can be quickly solved.

Standardization Is the Basis for Continuous Improvement and Quality

All we are doing is looking at the time line from the moment the customer gives us an order to the point when we collect the cash. And we are reducing that time line by removing the non-value-added wastes. (Ohno, 1988)

The Toyota Production System can be realized only when all the workers become tortoises. (Ohno, 1988)

Be responsive to the day-by-day shifts in customer demand rather than relying on computer schedules and systems to track wasteful inventory.

Automobiles account for about 20 percent of the carbon dioxide from all human sources, yet about one fourth of the world's population enjoys their benefits.