I agree with the triad of Value, Flow, Waste. But, it's important to note that:

1) It's not serial -- a, b, then c.
2) In fact the notion of "value" is about having the worldview of "value" and "perfect flow", because then it's much easier to "see" the waste.
3) So, given (2), it seems that Value, Flow, and Waste is quite parallel, yet dependent on each other.
4) The mistake that is often committed by most people who actually never worked at Toyota is the overemphasis on topics of popular literature -- the tools and methods -- but, what is underemphasized is the other pillar of Toyota: Respect for People.
5) Waste is part-and-parcel with "Burden" on people and systematically removing the "Burden" through effective countermeasures.

Great article, David.
Pete Abilla | Homepage | 03.31.08 - 11:46 am | #

Perhaps, then, "queue" is a misleading term? I have the impression that you use "queues" in the role of buffers or "supermarkets"?
Kevin Rutherford | Homepage | 04.07.08 - 1:44 am | #