lean

The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed
$16.95
As a quality control manager for 7 years, I know the value of six sigma control. I have been to several sigma seminars and this is as good as the live trainings. This training was direct and to the point. For further study and to help you with certification I would recommend this resource
Six Sigma Green Belt Certification CDROM Training

Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated
$30.00
This is the revised and updated version of the 1996 edition, however the only change is the edition of a Part IV Epilogue written in 2003.

For one of the first books to explore the concepts of Lean and the Toyota Production System (TPS) it does a fairly good job. I found Parts I - Lean Principals, III - Lean Enterprise, & IV - Epilogue most useful. Part II - From Thinking to Action: The Lean Leap, took up half of the book 170 pages of 340, to explain the lean journey of multiple companies of different sizes and cultures. While I found some of the examples to be useful, all of them were somewhat vague and very drawn out. Had I not needed to read this book for an exam, I likely would have set it down during this part and not picked it up again.

My favorite chapter in the book is Chapter 13: Dreaming about Perfection in Part III. The author takes 5 common activities and "dreams" about how they would operate if they were truly lean. Not just by implementing various tools and techniques but by truly revolutionizing them from the perspective of the customer. It really drove home what breakthrough concepts or paradigm shifts look like.

Overall I would recommend The Toyota Way over this book as a broad overview of what the concept of Lean is.

Lean Office Demystified
$18.75
Lean Office Demystified gave me a general overview on how Lean can apply in administrative settings. What I like most about this book is the slant it takes on working with people in the office environment. This book is not meant to introduce startling new concepts and ideas, it is meant to provide a basic understanding (demystifies) on how Lean can be applied in the non-manufacturing world. This book is a simple and easy read, and provided me with ideas on what I need to do in improving our administrative processes. It was a nice touch to have The 5S Desktop Pocket Guide included, which, by itself, is also a great book.

Lean Production Simplified
$36.95
While this book does briefly touch on most of the topics related to Lean I found it to be a very poor resource. The writing is disconnected due to the many references to other sources on the topic and the examples used are some of the worst I've seen (such as, a mom & pop restaurant and the Detroit Red Wings... I thought this was Lean "Production" Simplified).

This book is recommended reading for the SMEs Bronze Lean certification, but for anyone purchasing this book for that reason I'd recommend skipping it. There are far better books that cover the same information and if you have any experience with lean concepts the poor presentation of information and examples in this book will drive you nuts.

While it did receive the Shingo Prize I'm convinced it is because it regurgitates the tried-and-true concepts of Lean.