Lean Production

What an experience!

First of all, I would like to thank all lecturers and guest lecturers for this course (Lean Production) for their valuable materials. They all made this course possible for their vast knowledge and experience in the area(s) they taught. They made my learning experiences bit easier and possible. The big big-up to them all!

Also, I would like to thank edX Team and TUM for coming up with such an exciting and excellent way of learning that for sure it is going to change the way learning is conducted in the foreseeable future.

As I was previously experienced my learning via tradition way in the bricks and mortar classes with the lecturer in front of you, I found this new way very interesting and appealing despite missing that face-to-face interaction with your tutor. I know, a lot can be improved and will improve, but as a working- family man, miles away from where the course is conducted, I think, it fits the purpose. Big time!

I have learned a lot of things in this course, knowledge-wise (the course itself) as well as the experience (the way the course has been conducted-the means).

In knowledge-wise, in the Lean Production course, I have learned (only some);
1. The importance of lean in both manufacturing and the service industry. Not only, it can save an organization's bottom line by improving quality and cycle times, but also it can improve job satisfaction amongst employees and hence more productivity.

As this is a new concept to our company, I will definitely convince the management to embark on the lean journey as I could see the amount of wastes we are incorporating in our operations at the moment (almost all famous 7 wastes in lean!). This could save money and improve our cashflow, which is an issue at the moment, among other things.

Not to mention, lean can be applied in our households by using its famous 5S to sort out the mess include a lot of unused items that can be hazardous and time-consuming and even make your house not "inhabitable", sometimes.

To start with, here in my household, as I have a lot of items cluttered all over the place. They need to be SORTED, SET IN ORDER, SHINED, STANDARDISED the process and STUSTAINED the process to maintain its continuity.

2. The lean implementation in an organization does not necessarily mean more expenditure to be used rather (as pointed out earlier), it can help saving costs in a short as well as long term. What is needed, is a cultural change within an organization and accept the concept as a real game-changer and make it sustainable. Lean needs the involvement of a large part of employees in order to reap its benefits.

As mentioned earlier, I will pitch to the management to start implementing lean in things that would not make them break the bank (for the start); things like standardising operations (which at the moment aren't) and to document them, managing emails (sent or received) that do not add any value to our customers-this has been a big source of waste (in terms of time) to staff members. I would like to champion this process. I don't think hiring a consultant would be "viable" proposition for now to avoid costs.

3. Another important thing that I have learned after this course, Lean Production, not in the course itself but on its mode of conductivity/delivery.

At the time I joined this edX course for the first time, I couldn't foresee that it would be fun, great, understandable and enjoyable! I have learned, it's. And I can recommend this edX platform of learning to others in my situation to take the course of their desire.

Thank you all for making this possible,

Aziz Senzia
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa
Logistics and transportation

This course clearly demonstrated the typical problematic stages of production and provided applicable tools for optimizing production processes. Although the calculations are extremely simple and do not account for many external factors, the course conveys significant parameters in the production process, their patterns, and methods of correction. I learn Six Sigma and Lean methodology, waste definitions, Performance Indicators, Push/Pull approaches, JIT, and more. In my opinion, the course has a very specific and understandable structure, everything is "to the point" and "without unnecessary information."
My gratitude goes to the entire team, the developers, and the course instructors.
Ivan Sapojinets,
TL and Process Engineer, Isotopia

Hi, I am Anubha Asthana from India. I am currently working for Globallogic Technologies Pvt. Ltd. as Quality Analyst on the project of Google.
The three specific things I learned in the course were:
1. Ample amount of information and learning. For a person who does not know about 6-sigma can also take this course as its very easy to learn. However, I learned about six-sigma and lean in MBA itself but this course was very vast than what I studied.
2. For a person looking for a job in the field of analysis, the course is very much appropriate as it gives the person pursuing it an edge over the others if he has a yellow/green/black belt. And that too from a very reputed university. I have made notes of it. And I plan to use my notes whenever I'll go for a job interview.
3. I enjoyed completing it and I look forward to taking up the green belt course too as I might look for a change of job after things get normal. The course has taught me patience. And also I was never so excited to complete the entire course all at once as I was seeing my progress increasing. The best part about the course is the homeworks because I enjoyed submitting them.

v_serdar
as a Chemical and Process Engineering student at TU Graz aiming to improve my resume for positions as Process Engineer, Continuous Improvement Engineer and Quality Engineer, which mostly require basic knowledge of this kind, I chose to get this certificate.
The course is a very useful and practical complement to what I have learnt during my postgrad studies and I also imagine is so for Mechanical Engineers and similar. Sadly, most curricula do not cover quality management tools in such comprehensive way, which makes this course even more important.
Probably the best aspect of the course, apart from being very informative, is the strong emphasis of the quality mindset which underlies Lean Production. This way I have discovered a new appreciation for quality and the underlying efforts in producing knowledge and tools in this regard spanning over decades. Through this I am considering to also do the Six Sigma course and beyond.
Very helpful in this course is the constant showcasing of how these tools are applied in exemplary production situations.
Another very good aspect of the course is the clearance of common misconceptions regarding quality improvement as well as the bridging between quality improvement tools and company success, customer satisfaction and employee integration.
The quantification of process properties using equations like Little's law, Kingman equation very vividly showcased the impact of otherwise difficult-to-grasp-wastes (at least for laymen like myself) like inventory. This and similar concepts have been explained very well.
The practice parts and homeworks were very helpful in consolidating the info.

As the Head of Operations at an IT Billing Company, I approached the Lean Production course on edX with a specific goal: to refine our workflow, reduce waste, and enhance value to our customers. This course has not only met but exceeded my expectations, offering a wealth of practical insights applicable directly to our daily operations.

Specific Learnings:

- Value Stream Mapping: Learning to visually map the flow of information and materials has helped us identify bottlenecks in our billing processes, enabling targeted improvements.

- 5S Framework: We have adopted the 5S (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) technique in our documentation practices, which has significantly reduced the time spent on retrieving information.

- Kaizen Culture: The course emphasized the importance of continuous, incremental improvements. We have implemented regular kaizen events that engage our team in problem-solving, fostering a culture of collective responsibility and innovation.

Application in Work:

- The principles of Lean Production have been instrumental in transforming our operations. For instance, by employing Just-In-Time (JIT) principles, we've been able to align our billing cycles more closely with our clients' needs, reducing the lead time and improving cash flow.

- Moreover, the Poka-Yoke techniques discussed have led to a redesign of our user interfaces, reducing errors in data entry by our operations staff and increasing overall accuracy in customer billing.

Impact on Career:

This course has not only enhanced my strategic perspective on operations but has also provided a solid foundation for my team to drive meaningful change. The comprehensive curriculum and practical tools presented have been pivotal in helping us achieve a significant reduction in operational waste, leading to a direct and measurable impact on our bottom line.

Conclusion:

Whether you're a seasoned operations professional or new to the field, the Lean Production course offers invaluable insights that translate into real-world efficiency and customer satisfaction improvements. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to make a tangible impact on their organization's operational processes.

I am ashamed to admit that coming into this course I had no idea what Lean Production was and was only taking the course as it was part of the Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification program that I was interested in obtaining. I could not be happier with myself for taking this course because the information I obtained there has helped me immensely in my work and home life.

The material was presented in an easy-to-understand and logical way, with concepts that were learned earlier on in the course becoming applicable again in later sections. Lecture slides were provided, which was nice since I like printing them out and making notes on them while watching the lecture content. While some may feel that this course would only be useful to those working in manufacturing, this could not be further from the truth. Working in IT, I have already applied some of the concepts learned in my daily work such as visual management (shadow board, labelling shelves containing specific equipment) for tools and equipment on-hand, Kanban cards for inventory, and Single Minute Exchange of Die for optimizing installations and processes. I have also implemented the 5S (Sort, Set In Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) model when it came to organizing my tools and supplies both at home and at work.

The instructor, Dr. Holly Ott, was one of the best I had ever experienced, coming from an in-class and online university-level course perspective. Not only were her lectures engaging and informative but she showed a genuine interest in the subject matter. She went above and beyond what I would expect from any prof and in addition to providing a great portion of the lectures herself, was also a frequent poster in the discussion forums. The guest lecturers that were brought in were world-class experts and it showed. They were able to explain increasingly difficult concepts using basic examples and to me, that is a sign of someone who really knows what they’re talking about!

I also wanted to mention that taking good notes in this course is a must since there are so many different concepts being thrown at you that unless you take good notes now, you may be a little bit confused later on. I still sometimes re-read my notes or re-watch a video to get a better grasp on a topic and see if and how I can implement it at work and in my daily life.

Thank you, Professor Ott, all of the guest lecturers and TAs, and the rest of the TUM team that worked tirelessly to bring this MOOC to us!

Hello everyone, this is Fernando de la Torre, from Guatemala, Lean Production is a very recommended course for anyone who wants to review and learn concepts for production in a pull system. It's very important to understand what is productivity and the seven wastes of Lean Production, somthing you may apply in your work environment and home! You'll learn about the Takt time, the Kingman Equation, Little's Law, batch sizes, including setups, in order to balance the system, and the Overall Equipment Effectiveness, OEE.
It is important to mention that the sequence of subjects take you by the rigth way in this course. Talking about sequence, makes me remember the Heijunka approach which was so interesting and clearly explained, so was the JIT pull system.
Finally, you'll change your way of thinking: rework must not be something common for companies, instead lean is what your company needs to be competitive in this new World era.

The professor Holly Ott understands what a S.M.A.R.T (specific measurable attainable realistic time) quality objective actually is for a each of her lectures. Furthermore she follows the 3E( FEMA Reinforcing the perception of fair treatment 3E) of communication which most people fail to do in lectures. Some students do not give her enough credit for how she sets up her lectures and her practice question are very good preparations for her quizzes/homework assignments. I have seen a lot of professors in my lifetime none of them of them were ever actually good, very intelligent people that mostly are perceived as critics, but none of them understood the word "Be Humble" while in a lecture especially when you are meeting your students for the first time. I have only met one other professor like her in my lifetime, that was professor Allen Claus who taught me to love organic chemistry again just by sticking to the quality objective, unfortunately I was not able to stay that field, but my point is, considered this Professional Certificate by TUMX

I took this course to understand the terminology of lean production and Six sigma, it has been very helpful in my day to day tasks, especially the fish bone diagrams and the five 5 WHYS that I constantly use to solve problem statements.

For example, if you have never heard the acronym DPMO or 8D I suggest you take this course and the next two for the professional certificate. but if you are more interested in being a critic about grammatical errors that were not intentional and obvious to see, do not take the course. I like the grammatical errors from time to time because to me, it means the people are actually humble and they are human.

My advice to TUMX Staff and Holly Ott don't change a thing about this professional certificate, you guys are doing a excellent job.

My Credentials: I have a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and I currently work as a Amazon Associate at MKE1

If my English structure is incorrect I apologize back in my high school days I was stuck with teachers for three years that spent 45 minutes a day talking about their marriage problems or money problems or just showing videos on subject instead of teaching it and that was in advanced English courses. Had the same problem with one college English course I took for a requirement, thank god for books. Got to love Self interest groups and Nepotism sometimes its not beneficial to students.

Well, I hope this helps.....

Sincerely Juan F.

My name is Rony Tabari and I am from Indonesia, I am currently undertaking a role as an Operations Improvement Advisor for Phu Bia Mining (PBM) with operations in Laos as one of the producing assets for PanAust in South East Asia.

Again, first of all, I would like to sincerely express my gratitude and appreciation to Professor Holly Ott with her skills and expertise for bringing such an excellent series of lectures, Professor Martin, Dr. Reiner and to all the team from Technische Universität München (TUM), also Mr. Zubair from ASQ, Mr. Jonathan from UTS, Mr. Guido from LNi, Ms. Jeanie Lee from 3M, and all edX team for the well packaged courses. I would also like to thank to PanAust through my Business Improvement manager and seniors, for the opportunity, support, motivation for me to experience the study to enhance my professional skills and potential career advancement.

There are 3 specific things that I have learnt and have interested the most from the course that have been adding more value to the extent of the knowledge and skills I have at the moment.

• Identification of Waste has been the first thing first when we decide to put relentless effort to improve our processes in our workplace by deploying the Lean way of thinking. This concept has also been our main priorities when we train the Lean tools and concepts to our team mates and we implement it through a Go Look and See by doing a Waste Walk. However, we usually have the 8th waste which is "not utilising talent".

• Workplace Organisation and Visualisation has also been one of the main contributors to some significant attributes to our work area. Many 5S projects have been done in our work area which contribute not only to remove waste and to have better quality of housekeeping to improve the work processes, but also to provide a safe work environment which has been our company's first priority

• Establishing Pull System has also become one Lean tools that also deliver a great deal of benefits, especially when I work to improve the inventory health. However, even when we want to successfully deploy Lean concept as the way of thinking, the 'pull system' will also contribute most when it happens to our people, i.e when the other team members see the benefit from lean concept and tools ask us for a help to improve their work area, instead of we push them to fix their area for the sake of lean deployment. That has also become parts of our lean value which are respect and continuous improvement.

Currently, during my time to deliver high quality of work with PBM, I have been on the task to engage people from different departments and levels to train, to coach, to develop and to support them to improve the process of their work to be easier, better, quicker, cheaper and safe using the Lean principles, including to use some of the problem solving tools for projects that require us to define the problem and key measurements.



During the Lean Production course, I have also learnt many new things which are explained in more details which thus could also be rooms for improvement for my knowledge and skills as well as for our company lean training and deployment on our attempt to deliver financial or non-financial benefit as part of our return on investment as well as to share the success stories

I took the Lean Production cause from TUM on edX as part of my Six Sigma Yellow Belt, and it was awesome! The course is well-organized, starting with the basics and moving to advanced topics like value stream mapping. The instructors are great at explaining things clearly and use real-world examples, which made it easy to understand and apply the concepts.

The interactive quizzes and case studies were super helpful, and I loved that I could learn at my own pace. I got a ton of knowledge about the lean process, which is a huge advantage for me and my future career. Plus, it's great for employers because it means I can help make our processes more efficient.

Overall, if you're looking to learn about Lean Production or working on your Six Sigma certification, this course is definitely worth it!

thank a million,
ICH-RCA
Bangkok, Thailand
24 June 2024

My Name is Olivier from Rwanda and I work in Ampersand Rwanda ltd.
This course is more important for me, because I have learned so many things which will help me in my daily activities as I am working in production.
First of all I have learn more about the identification of wastes, their impacts to the production and how I reduce them with measures by creating continuous flow, inserting pull production through the process etc.

I have also learned about Business process ( Capacity analysis), where we deal with Input, Process and Output and considering the process flow diagram, how fast can we get to the product in this will include calculation of the resource capacity, flow time, resource utilization which is very important in Production.

The third thing is about workplace organization and visualization, this will help also in different aspects such as (communicate changes and improvements, display status, performance monitoring, and also the visual managements helps to know what is done, how it is done and the current status, where things belong and also updates.) and It is one of the tools which helps in reducing wastes.

The fourth thing is to differentiate different types of production (Pull and Push) systems, their impact in production and how they can be applicable. Materials resource planning is another important thing while planning for production because it helps planned schedule for materials management, inventory and production control.
Kanban helps in limiting the work in progress in production, controlling the material flow in production and following the demand and This helps in preventing some defects.

Defects are the most common waste in production, I have learned what is defects, causes of defects and how to reduce them by improving process capability, analyzing and solving the root causes of the defects with 5 whys.
Last but not least is the difference between lean and six sigma and what are their role in production.
Thank You!

I am very happy with the Lean Production Course and would highly recommend it to everyone. The information I received has truly changed the way I think, not only in terms of work but also in my daily life. I’ve started implementing the knowledge in my company, focusing on eliminating waste and using standardization tools to improve our processes.

The course is practical and has had a real impact on my work. I’ve already seen positive changes, and I’m excited to keep applying Lean principles.

One suggestion for improvement: communication with the tutor could be better. I asked a question on the Discussion page a few weeks ago, but I haven’t received a response yet. Improving this aspect would make the course experience even better.

I recently completed an online Lean course and I must say, it was an excellent experience. The course was very well-structured and the content was presented in a clear and concise manner, making it easy to follow and understand.

One of the things that impressed me the most was the quality of the instructional videos. They were engaging and informative, and the instructor was very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject matter.

Throughout the course, I was able to learn a lot about Lean principles and how they can be applied to different industries and processes. I also appreciated the practical exercises and case studies, which allowed me to put my learning into practice.

Overall, I highly recommend this Lean course to anyone interested in improving their organizational efficiency and productivity. The course was top-notch and exceeded my expectations in every way.