Lean product development is much more than a collection of tools. The more we work with lean product development methods and help organizations understand the principles, adopt the practices, and use the tools and techniques, the more the system perspective of lean product development is reinforced upon us. Lean product development is an operational value cycle flowing from customers, to product features and attributes, through suppliers and factories, and back to customers.
Lean product development is a complex and intertwined system, one that supports and is supported by all functions within the organization. It is a system that stretches from the intimate connection with customers to the delivery of business objectives, with value derived all along the way. It is crucial to recognize the systems aspect of lean product development and implement it as an interconnected value flow.
