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Free course

Lean in 7 days: a free course on lean basics

Seven short lessons you can take at your own pace. Each takes a few minutes to read and ends with one thing to do on your floor. Every lesson is open now, and a short check at the end of each one ticks it off on your own course page.

Tell us how you want to learn

Every lesson is on the site whatever you pick. Lesson emails, if you ask for them, stop after seven and each has an unsubscribe link. See our Privacy Policy.

Written by Angad Singh, Co-Founder, LeanSuite.

The seven lessons

  1. Day1What lean is and the 8 wastesWhat lean is, value against waste, and the 8 wastes you can spot on any floor (DOWNTIME).
  2. Day2Gemba walksWhat a gemba walk is, why most of them change nothing, and the three parts of a walk that works.
  3. Day35S, done so it lastsThe five steps of 5S, why most 5S programs fade after the cleanup, and where to start.
  4. Day4Standard workStandard work's three parts (takt time, work sequence, standard WIP) and what makes people actually use it.
  5. Day5Visual management and daily huddlesMaking normal and abnormal visible at a glance, and a 10 to 15 minute daily huddle that acts on the board.
  6. Day6Problem solving: 5 whys, A3 and PDCARoot cause problem solving with the 5 whys, the A3 and PDCA, and the two traps that bring problems back.
  7. Day7Kaizen, and making it stickDaily kaizen and kaizen events, how to get ideas flowing, and how to make improvements last.

Get your free Lean Basics certificate

Finished the lessons? Pass a 14 question knowledge check (12 right to pass, retakes as often as you like) and take the lean maturity assessment. You get a certificate page to share, a badge for LinkedIn and your own assessment result.

A certificate of completion for a free course, not an accredited qualification.

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FAQ

About Lean in 7 days

  1. Yes. Every lesson is on this site, free to read without signing up. If you sign up with a first name and work email, you get your own course page that keeps your place and ticks each lesson you finish.

  2. Seven lessons, and you set the pace. Each lesson takes a few minutes to read and ends with one thing to do on your floor that day, from a 15-minute waste walk to a short daily huddle.

  3. Team leaders, supervisors, new CI and process engineers, and anyone who has been handed a lean program and wants the basics in plain words. No prior lean training needed.

  4. What lean is and the 8 wastes, gemba walks, 5S, standard work, visual management and daily huddles, problem solving with the 5 whys, A3 and PDCA, and kaizen. Each lesson links to a free template for that day's action.

  5. Yes. If you ask for lesson emails, each one has an unsubscribe link and they stop after seven. You can also pick no emails and read on the site.