Book excerpt: An essential guide to bringing lean to your business and your life The Lean Book of Leanprovides a succinct overview of the concepts of Lean, explains them in everyday terms, and shows how the general principles can be applied in any business or personal situation. Disengaging the concept of Lean from any particular industry or sector, this book brings Lean out of the factory to help you apply it anywhere, anytime. You'll learn the major points and ideas along with practical tips and hints, and find additional insight in the illustrative examples. Lean is all about achieving the desired outcome with the minimum amount of fuss and effort, and this book practises what it preaches — concise enough to be read in a couple of sittings, it nonetheless delivers a wealth of information distilled into the essential bits you need to know. The Lean Book of Lean discards unnecessary specialisation and minute detail, and gets to the point quickly, so you can get started right away. Understand the basic principles of lean Recognise lean behaviours that come naturally Study examples of lean practices, policies, behaviours, and operations Apply lean concepts to both your business and personal life Lean is about being agile, efficient, responsive, productive, and smart. It applies to any and every aspect of life, from the factory floor to your morning routine. The Lean Book of Lean is the quick, smart guide to employing lean principles every day, so you can start doing more with less.