Lean Thinking was an another quality and productivity improvement methodology introduced in Toyota Production Systems (TPS) which is based on the concept of elimination of waste in processes which had resulted in productivity gain and improvement of speed and flow in the value stream. The principle of Lean can be stated as a relentless pursuit of the perfect process through wastage elimination in the value stream. Lean identifies three different kinds of wastes, using Japanese terminology from the Toyota Production System where lean originated: muda (waste of time and materials), mura (unevenness/variation), and muri (the overburdening of workers or systems).

Every employee in a lean manufacturing environment is expected to think critically about his or her job and make suggestions to eliminate waste and to participate in kaizen, a process of continuous improvement involving brainstorming sessions to fix problems.