Lean Solutions

James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones, who set out the principles of lean production for removing waste from manufacturing in Lean Thinking, turn here to lean consumption, which removes inefficiency from the way customers obtain and use products and services. They take apart the broken model linking producers and consumers and show how companies can deliver the full value customers want without wasting anyone's time or effort. Case stories include Fujitsu, which changed how its call centers handle problems by removing their underlying causes instead of fixing them repeatedly, and a car dealership that cut waiting times and return trips and grew more lucrative. The authors argue that firms adopting these principles gain in competitiveness as well as profit.

Bill Gurley, writing on his Above the Crowd blog, called it marvelous and said Womack and Jones show what it takes to carry the discipline of lean manufacturing into service industries.