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Short answer: iObeya is a digital obeya platform: paper-like visual boards for tier meetings, SQCDP, A3, 8D and Hoshin on large touch screens, tablets and laptops, licensed per room at a published price. If you want a free-form whiteboard at a low per-member price, Miro is the usual comparison, but it has templates rather than tier meetings. For plant tier meetings with tickets that escalate, look at Fabriq or Tervene; for tier boards tied to a balanced scorecard and Hoshin X-matrix, Data Point; for an improvement system with boards and huddles attached, KaiNexus. LeanSuite runs tiered meetings on live SQDCM boards and adds the workflows behind them: issues that reach their owner, audits, ideas, skills, and kaizen projects in any method and any project type.
Who wrote this: LeanSuite publishes this page and is one of the options on it. It is listed first because it is our product; the others follow in alphabetical order, which is not a ranking. Every other product, iObeya included, is described only from its own public pages, and the "Is LeanSuite right for you?" section says when each of them, iObeya included, is the better choice.
Last reviewed October 2026. Based on each vendor's public information; tell us if something has changed at info@theleansuite.com.
LeanSuite's whole platform next to each product, capability by capability. A question mark means the vendor does not publish it or we could not verify it, not that the product lacks it; the detailed table below has the specifics.
Swipe sideways to see every product.
| Capability | LeanSuite | iObeya | Data Point | Fabriq | KaiNexus | Miro | Tervene |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontline operations | |||||||
| Daily issue management with tier escalation | Yes:F-Tags, escalation | Partial: Issue cards on boards | Partial: Escalation flagging | Partial: Tickets and action plans | Partial: Improvement items | Not published | Yes |
| Tiered meetings and huddle boards | Yes:Lean Studio | Yes | Yes: Digital huddle boards | Yes: Daily huddles, tier meetings | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| Audits and checklists (5S, LPA, CILR), scheduled | Yes:Daily Standard Work scheduling | Not published | Yes: Gemba walks, audits | Partial: Routines and checklists | Not published | Not published | Yes |
| Breakdown reporting and maintenance work orders | Yes:EWO; works alongside a CMMS | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Continuous improvement | |||||||
| Any method: DMAIC, PDCA, A3, 8D or your own | Yes: Incl. your own | Yes: A3, PDCA, 8D, configurable | Partial: 3C, 4C, 8D, 5 Whys | Not published | Yes: Incl. custom processes | Not published | Partial: PDCA, DMAIC |
| Engineering and CapEx projects with stage-gates | Yes:Four stage-gates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Non-manufacturing teams and projects | Yes: Any project type | Yes: Finance, HR | Yes: Healthcare and service | Not published | Yes: Healthcare, finance | Yes: Incl. software teams | Yes: Healthcare |
| Ideas and suggestions with configurable approvals | Yes:Approvals per idea type | Partial: Kaizen on boards | Not published | Not published | Yes | Not published | Partial: Opportunity capture |
| Savings verified before they count | Yes:Finance signs off | Not published | Not published | Not published | Partial: ROI add-on | Not published | Not published |
| Share what worked across sites (yokoten) | Yes:Best Practice Management | Not published | Not published | Not published | Yes: Knowledge base | Not published | Not published |
| AI | |||||||
| AI root cause analysis | Yes:RCA Agent | Not published | Not published | Not published | Yes: KaiNexus Intelligence | Not published | Not published |
| AI time and motion study from video | Partial:Vision AI, priced separately | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Video to SOP | Yes:SOP from one video | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| AI one-point lessons (OPLs) | Yes:OPL from before-and-after photos | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| AI drafts checklists and forms | Yes:Lean Creator AI drafts | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| AI sorts and triages ideas | Yes:Lean AI | Not published | Not published | Not published | Partial: Summaries | Not published | Not published |
| Skills and training | |||||||
| Live skills matrix | Yes:Competency Management | Not published | Not published | Not published | Partial: Certification tracking | Not published | Not published |
| Job cover matrix: who can cover each job | Yes:Job Cover Matrix | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Training (LMS): courses, quizzes, learning plans | Yes:Trainings (LMS) | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| SOP and OPL sign-off per person | Yes:Signed on a tablet | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Data and platform | |||||||
| KPI dashboards | Yes:KPI Dashboards | Yes | Yes: 100+ data sources | Yes | Yes | Not published | Yes |
| SSO and a security certification | Yes:SOC 2 Type 1; Entra ID, Okta | Yes: ISO 27001 | Yes: SSO on its VSM page; ISO 27001 on its security page | Yes: ISO 27001; SSO on Enterprise | Yes: SOC 2 Type 2 | Yes: SOC 2 Type II; SAML on Business | Yes: ISO 27001 |
| Operator sign-in with an employee ID, no email | Yes:Employee ID | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan or published prices | Yes:Free plan for ideas | Yes: Per room | Not published | Not published: Priced per site, no figures | No: Quote only | Yes: Free plan | No: Quote only |
| Mobile app (iOS and Android) | Yes:iOS and Android | Yes | Not published | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes: iOS |
| Build your own apps without code | Partial:Document Builder | Not published | Not published | Yes: Dashboards without code | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Failed checks become actions with owners | Yes | Not published | Not published | Yes: Out-of-spec answer opens a ticket | Yes: Checklist issues get follow-up tasks | Not published | Yes |
Based on each vendor's public website, reviewed October 2026; tell us if something has changed at info@theleansuite.com.
Lean manufacturing software that runs tiered meetings on Lean Studio boards, from the Tier 1 shift huddle to the plant review, with Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and Morale metrics on cascaded SQDCM boards, a meeting timer and live notes. KPIs are typed in at the huddle or pulled from LeanSuite forms, ERP, MES, Excel, Google Sheets or a CSV upload, and Power BI or Looker Studio reports can be embedded. Owners are assigned from the board; an item Tier 1 can't solve appears on the Tier 2 board with its photos, notes and history, and the answer is sent back down. Behind the board sit QR-code issue tagging routed to owners by rule, audits, ideas with approvals, skills and training, and kaizen projects that run DMAIC, PDCA, A3, 8D or your own method, including engineering and CapEx projects. It is not a free-form whiteboard. One flat price per facility with unlimited users; a 90-day pilot costs $3,000 per facility.
Best for: Plants that want the tier board and the shop-floor workflows that feed it, issues, audits, ideas, kaizen and skills, in one system priced per facility.
A digital balanced scorecard platform from Lean Transition Solutions. Its huddle boards cascade goals across tiers, display SQDCP and other letter frameworks, and let remote or hybrid staff join tier meetings; bowling charts track KPIs, and simple, 3C and 4C action plans handle underperforming KPIs. Its lean tools include fishbone, 8D, CAPA, 5 Whys and PDCA, with AI suggestions for corrective actions in PDCA, and a Hoshin Kanri X-matrix is available as an enterprise feature. It integrates with ERP and MES systems. Pricing is a quote by number of licenses. Its FAQ states ISO/IEC 27001:2022, SOC 2 and ISO 9001:2015.
Best for: Teams whose tier boards hang off a balanced scorecard and Hoshin X-matrix rather than off a visual obeya.
Shop-floor software for tier 1 to tier 4 daily management. A live SQCDP dashboard replaces the whiteboard, with built-in Pareto charts, KPIs that consolidate up a tree, and Power BI, Tableau or SharePoint content embedded. Every issue raised in a tier meeting becomes a ticket with an owner, due date and severity, and escalates up the tier structure; tickets run 8D, 5 Whys, Ishikawa, PDCA or QRQC, and an AI feature finds similar past tickets. Routines and gemba walks run on an iOS and Android app with an offline mode. Pricing is not published: three tiers priced per site, billed annually, with API and SSO on Enterprise. Fabriq states it is ISO 27001 certified.
Best for: Plants that want structured tier meetings with SQCDP dashboards and ticket-based problem solving, priced per site.
Continuous improvement software that connects digital boards, including Kanban boards and read-only wallboards, to an improvement system. Its daily management covers tiered huddles, leader standard work, gemba walks and checklists, and problem solving covers RCA, 5 Whys, PDSA, DMAIC, A3 and kaizen events, with strategy deployment (Hoshin, X-matrix) in the same platform and escalation as an add-on. KaiNexus Intelligence adds embedded AI. It has iOS and Android apps. Pricing is not published: a Fundamentals package at one price, or a custom plan. Its FAQ says KaiNexus is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant.
Best for: Organizations whose boards and huddles feed an improvement program with ideas, projects and strategy deployment at its core.
An online whiteboard for any team, with more than 7,000 templates, including A3 report, PDCA, kaizen, fishbone, Kanban and value stream map templates; we found no obeya or tier meeting feature. Boards open inside Microsoft Teams meetings, and Jira cards sync both ways. AI credits come with paid plans. It runs on the web, iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, and on interactive displays. Miro publishes its prices: a free plan with 3 editable boards, Starter at $8 and Business at $20 per member per month billed yearly, and Enterprise priced from 30 members; single sign-on starts on Business. Its pricing page lists ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3.
Best for: Teams that want a free-form visual canvas for workshops, A3s and value stream maps at a low per-member price, without a tier meeting structure.
Connected leader software. Its visual management boards include SQCDP, daily management, Kanban, kaizen and health and safety boards, and tiered meetings structure the communication cascade and escalation across management levels, with Power BI, Looker Studio and Excel data brought in. Leader standard work, gemba walks and layered process audits are at the center, with PDCA and DMAIC for improvement. It runs on smartphones, tablets and desktops. Pricing is not published: every subscription has all features, priced by users and sites. Tervene states an ISO 27001 certification, offers its SOC 2 Type 2 report on demand, and supports single sign-on and two-factor authentication.
Best for: Multi-site teams whose visual boards and tier meetings are built around leader standard work and gemba walks.
From each vendor's public pages, read October 9, 2026. "Not published" means we could not find it publicly, not that the product lacks it.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Capability | iObeya | LeanSuite | Data Point | Fabriq | KaiNexus | Miro | Tervene |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boards and meetings | |||||||
| Main focus | Digital obeya rooms and paper-like visual boards | Lean platform: tier boards plus issues, audits, kaizen, skills | Balanced scorecard with tier and huddle boards | Tier 1 to 4 meetings, SQCDP dashboards, tickets | Improvement system with boards and huddles | Free-form online whiteboard | Leader standard work, boards and tiered meetings |
| Boards | Tier flows, A3, QCD dashboards, Hoshin; obeya rooms | Lean Studio SQDCM boards, cascaded by tier | Tier boards on SQDCP and other frameworks | Live SQCDP dashboards with Pareto charts | Digital CI boards, Kanban, wallboards | 7,000+ templates incl. A3, PDCA, Kanban, VSM | SQCDP, daily management, Kanban, kaizen boards |
| KPI data on the board | MES, ERP, Excel; Power BI; Excel or CSV to QCD boards | Forms, ERP, MES, Excel, Google Sheets, CSV; Power BI, Looker Studio | ERP and MES sync; bowling charts | KPI tree; API; Power BI and Tableau embeds | Not published | Not published | Power BI, Looker Studio, Excel |
| Escalation and actions | Corrective actions from KPIs; configurable escalation levels | Tier 1 to Tier 2 with history; answer sent back down | KPI action plans (simple, 3C, 4C) | Tickets with owner and severity escalate up the tiers | Milestones and escalation add-on | Not published | Escalation across management levels |
| Problem solving | A3, 8D, PDCA, Ishikawa templates | Kaizen in any method: DMAIC, PDCA, A3, 8D or your own | Fishbone, 8D, CAPA, 5 Whys, PDCA | 8D, 5 Whys, Ishikawa, PDCA, QRQC | RCA, 5 Whys, PDSA, DMAIC, A3, kaizen events | A3, PDCA, kaizen, fishbone templates | PDCA, DMAIC, improvement projects |
| Connections | |||||||
| Integrations named | Jira, Azure DevOps, Microsoft Teams, Power Automate, Power BI, API | SSO with Entra ID or Okta; Power BI and Looker Studio embeds | ERP and MES | MES, CMMS, ERP, QMS; 100+ integrations done | API add-on | Jira two-way sync, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365, 250+ | Power BI, Looker Studio, Excel |
| AI | Not published | AI root cause analysis; Lean AI drafts checklists and sorts ideas | AI suggestions for corrective actions | AI finds similar past tickets | KaiNexus Intelligence | AI credits; AI workflows and agents on Business | Not published |
| Buying | |||||||
| Pricing | Published: Team+ €3,780 per room a year; Enterprise 10-room minimum, quote | Per facility, quote; 90-day pilot $3,000 | Not published; quote by licenses | Not published; per site | Not published; Fundamentals or custom | Published: free; $8 or $20 per member a month, billed yearly | Not published; by users and sites |
| Security | ISO 27001; SSO with SAML and MFA | SOC 2 Type 1 report; secure cloud hosting | ISO/IEC 27001:2022; SOC 2 | ISO 27001; SSO on Enterprise | SOC 2 Type 2 | ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II; SSO from Business | ISO 27001; SOC 2 Type 2 report; SSO |
| Devices and hosting | 4K touch screens, tablets, laptops; cloud or on-premises | Web, iOS and Android; cloud | iPad, mobile and web | iOS and Android; offline | Web, iOS and Android | Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, interactive displays | Smartphones, tablets, desktops |
The specifics, each linked to the LeanSuite page that shows it.
An item Tier 1 can't solve goes to the Tier 2 board with its photos, notes and history, and the answer is sent back down to the tier that raised it. Owners, due dates and reminders follow it to closure.
Tiered meetingsKPIs are typed in during the huddle or pulled from LeanSuite forms, ERP, MES, Excel, Google Sheets or a CSV upload, and Power BI or Looker Studio reports can be embedded on the same board.
KPI DashboardsRules assign each issue by tag type, area, department and priority and set its due date from priority. The owner gets an in-app, email or push notification, reminders go out before and after the deadline, and a cap on reassignments stops an issue bouncing between people.
Automatic routingRun DMAIC, PDCA, A3, 8D or your company's own method in the same system. The built-in A3, DMAIC and PDCA templates can be adjusted to fit your process, and each project type gets its own workflow.
Continuous improvement softwareIssues, audits, tiered meetings, skills and training sit in the same platform. A failed audit question can become a new kaizen, and when you launch a kaizen or engineering project you see who has the skills it needs.
How the modules connectTry LeanSuite in your browser with sample data, or start with a free board template if you are not ready for software.
“Great user-friendly software!”
Elena M.Global Head of Marelli Manufacturing System Automotive, Marelli“The Project Tracking System generates significant savings while ensuring seamless delivery... The Global Kaizen Power Pitch completely transformed our ability to share best practices.”
Ramsey AljahmiSr. Director of NAR Operations Excellence, Whirlpool CorporationNext step, if you want one
If you are looking past iObeya, the demo runs a tier board and shows where its items come from and where they go.
Bring one process you want to fix, and how you run it today. We show the same job in LeanSuite and answer your questions.
Want to run LeanSuite on your own lines instead? The 90-day pilot is $3,000 per facility, set up by our team, with the first module live in under a week.
FAQ
Last reviewed October 2026. Based on each vendor's public information; tell us if something has changed at info@theleansuite.com.
A 45-minute demo: bring the process you want to fix, and we will show how LeanSuite handles it and what a 90-day pilot would cover.
