Lean education - Has its time arrived?

Abstract

The curriculum for almost any university-level technology program is overloaded. The commitment to keep up to date with industry developments and at the same time cover all the necessary principles of science and engineering means that more and more is being inserted and little is ever taken out. As a response, the paper considers the application of lean manufacturing techniques to education. The metrics to be developed and optimized are extendability, cycle time and reduction of waste. A preliminary analysis of selected courses has been undertaken and implications of the outcomes are discussed. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2006.