These are books that I’ve found to be particularly informative and helpful and as such are recommended. I will continue to build the list over time.
Lean Thinking – great book on lean. Explains things in a very easy to understand manner and provides good case studies. Reading this book will NOT make you an expert in lean tools, but it will give you a good understanding of what lean is all about and how it can be applied. Start here if you are newcomer to lean.
The Toyota Production System – this really gets into the nitty gritty of how Toyota applied lean tools and techniques. Gets technical, not an easy read, but it’s the next level “deeper” from Lean Thinking. I highly recommend you read Lean Thinking first.
The Deming Management Method – older book, but I highly recommend thoroughly understanding Deming’s thought processes. Both Lean and Six Sigma were built on principles that Deming advocated more than 50 years earlier.
Best Practices in Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement – includes really good data and discussion of how inventory turns are a measure of a company’s “leanness.” Richard Schonberger has been in the lean game for decades and really knows his stuff.
The Race – I’m going to go against the grain here. I used to be a “Theory of Constraints” junkie, and while “The Goal” is on everyone’s list, I actually found this little-mentioned book to be very helpful. It’s very visual, and at the time when I read it that style worked for me. Many love “The Goal” for its storytelling format and Socratic method of learning, but if you’re the type that prefers “Just tell me what it is already” this might work better for you.
Execution, The Discipline of Getting Things Done – I really liked this book. There are a bazillion books on strategy, but most organizations don’t fail there. Instead, they fail on the execution of these strategies. You don’t find many good books on this topic, but it’s one that sorely needs to be covered.
Streamlined: 14 Principles for Building & Managing the Lean Supply Chain – This is a good read on applying Lean and TOC to supply chain. I heard Mandyam speak a few years ago and he’s very entertaining and informative.
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