When run together, lean processes bring the holistic view and basic principles, while agile processes bring the flexibility of short-cycle implementations (sprints) for continuous improvement. The lean approach tends to be more applicable to continuous improvements, providing directions or outside...

Any process run by people can be improved upon and can benefit from an agile approach of fast learning and high levels of ownership and accountability in teams. This applies across core run activities, such as production delivery or maintenance planning and execution. 

Introducing and maint...

Agile ways of working and thinking can apply not only to changes in equipment design but also to measurement and analytics.

In a collaborative effort involving people inside and outside the organization, virtual “go and sees” were conducted with leading global mining companies and agile s...

Within each stage gate, agile thinking can accelerate and clarify a process; so within a design or planning cycle, an agile approach can shorten decision times and—by being inherently flexible—address and overcome delays.

Enterprise agility cuts across the organization, digital and nondigital. We see impactful examples of agility in, for instance, procurement or co...

Lean and agile ways of working complement each other, and the magic is in the combined recipe from both.

In reality, both systems have been successful across a range of environments, and both share a similar set of foundational objectives:

• Transparently connect strategy and goa...

Lean organizations identify and eliminate activity that is not valued by the customer or end user. This systematic analysis of processes and value streams can reduce waste, variability, and inflexibility; it boosts performance in cost control, product quality, customer satisfaction, and employee ...

Heavy industries have to manage multiple time horizons; that is, everything from problems solved over decades to problems solved in minutes. So while they have long capital planning, building, and maintenance cycles, they also have imminent demands. As agility combines dynamism with stability, a ...

Safety is critical. Agile’s emphasis on transparency, ownership and reduced handovers is especially important and relevant. Successful efforts here engage employees and build a strong safety culture, which has always been—and should continue to be—at the heart of asset-heavy companies. Combined w...

Agile ways of working originated in IT, proving their worth in technology and software companies. In the past decade, agile practices have spread to other sectors, resulting in enterprise-wide agility in banking, retail, healthcare, and insurance (see sidebar, “Organizations are on the move”). He...