Lean Production Fundamentals
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What you'll learn
Core principles and philosophy of Lean Production. Map process flows, cycle time, takt time, and calculate resource capacity and utilization.
Identify process bottlenecks and suggest improvements to achieve continuous flow.
Relationship between three main process metrics, inventory, production rate and process time and their importance with respect to Lean Production.
Understand the concept and importance of takt time. Understand the impact of variability on a process and calculate the resulting waiting times.
Skills you'll gain
- Process Mapping
- Waste Minimization
- Lean Manufacturing
- Resource Utilization
- Capacity Management
- Process Improvement
- Process Analysis
- Process Design
- Process Optimization
- Production Management
- Production Process
- Production Planning
- Manufacturing Operations
- Lean Methodologies
- Process Management
- Workflow Management
- Process Flow Diagrams
Details to know
February 2026
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
There are 7 modules in this course
Lean Production is a proven approach to designing efficient, high-quality, and customer-focused processes. In this course, you will learn the fundamental principles, methods, and tools of Lean Production, with a strong focus on practical application and real-world relevance.
The course introduces the Lean philosophy and its origins in the Toyota Production System, emphasizing value creation from the customerβs perspective. You will learn how to identify waste, distinguish value-adding from non-value-adding activities, and analyze processes using structured Lean thinking. Building on this foundation, the course covers key Lean concepts such as process flow, takt time, capacity, bottlenecks, and pull systems. You will learn to map and analyze processes, identify the process bottleneck and calculate resource utilization. You will investigate how variability affects systems, resulting in waiting times β even if enough capacity is available β and inventory build-up. Applicable to production or services, from banking to health care to hotel management to sales and marketing, this course helps you understand the fundamentals of Lean Production for application in any field.
What's included
2 videos4 readings
2 videosβ’Total 6 minutes
- Course Introduction β’3 minutes
- Introduction to the Technical University of Munich β’3 minutes
4 readingsβ’Total 31 minutes
- Course Structure β’10 minutes
- Course Grading β’10 minutes
- Course Reference Textbooksβ’1 minute
- HELLO! Getting to know each otherβ’10 minutes
What's included
6 videos4 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt
6 videosβ’Total 55 minutes
- Process Product Matrixβ’15 minutes
- History of Lean Manufacturing: Toyota Production Systemβ’7 minutes
- Productivity and Waste - Part 1β’7 minutes
- Productivity and Waste - Part 2 β’17 minutes
- 3 M's (Mura, Muri, Muda) - part 1β’4 minutes
- 3 M's (Mura, Muri, Muda) - part 2β’5 minutes
4 readingsβ’Total 55 minutes
- Video Examples of Different Production Processesβ’30 minutes
- Guest Lecture: Jonathan Woolfreyβ’5 minutes
- 7 Wastes Early in the Morningβ’10 minutes
- Get your slides!β’10 minutes
4 assignmentsβ’Total 65 minutes
- The 7 Wastes of Leanβ’20 minutes
- Practice - 7 Wastes Early in the Morningβ’10 minutes
- Lean Coffeeβ’15 minutes
- The 7 Wastes of Lean β’20 minutes
1 discussion promptβ’Total 10 minutes
- What about that 8th Waste?β’10 minutes
What's included
1 video1 reading1 peer review
1 videoβ’Total 14 minutes
- Core Concepts in Lean Production β’14 minutes
1 readingβ’Total 10 minutes
- Get Your Slides!β’10 minutes
1 peer reviewβ’Total 90 minutes
- Already Apply your Lean Skillsβ’90 minutes
What's included
4 videos2 readings2 assignments
4 videosβ’Total 46 minutes
- Process Flow Diagramβ’11 minutes
- Capacity Analysis - Finding the Bottleneck - Part 1β’10 minutes
- Capacity Analysis - Finding the Bottleneck - Part 2β’14 minutes
- Capacity Analysis - Finding the Bottleneck - EXAMPLEβ’12 minutes
2 readingsβ’Total 15 minutes
- Capacity Analysis - Useful Equationsβ’5 minutes
- Get Your Slides!β’10 minutes
2 assignmentsβ’Total 65 minutes
- Capacity Analysis and Resource Utilizationβ’45 minutes
- Capacity Analysis and Resource Utilizationβ’20 minutes
What's included
3 videos2 readings2 assignments
3 videosβ’Total 37 minutes
- Little's Law - part 1β’9 minutes
- Little's Law - part 2 β’13 minutes
- Takt Time and Demand Managementβ’15 minutes
2 readingsβ’Total 15 minutes
- Takt Time and Demand Management - Useful Equationsβ’5 minutes
- Get Your Slides!β’10 minutes
2 assignmentsβ’Total 70 minutes
- Little's Law, Demand Management, and Takt Time β’40 minutes
- Little's Law, Demand Management and Takt Timeβ’30 minutes
What's included
2 videos3 readings2 assignments
2 videosβ’Total 21 minutes
- Introducing Variability - Part 1β’11 minutes
- Introducing Variability - Part 2β’10 minutes
3 readingsβ’Total 20 minutes
- The Kingman Equationβ’5 minutes
- Introducing Variability - Useful Equationsβ’5 minutes
- Get your slides!β’10 minutes
2 assignmentsβ’Total 60 minutes
- Variability and Waiting Time Modelsβ’30 minutes
- Variability and Waiting Time Modelsβ’30 minutes
What's included
2 readings
2 readingsβ’Total 20 minutes
- Course Summaryβ’10 minutes
- Your Feedback is Importantβ’10 minutes
Instructor
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