When the new product development process is defined, try using workflow control software to help manage tasks. Measure the performance of the process. Use Table 1 on page 38 and a good information system that allows you to track progress towards lean. Designs for lean manufacturing Investment in quality and cost reduction at the design stage is 100 times more cost effective than investment after production begins. Complexity Keep it simple.
Complexity equals opportunity for waste and increased cost.
To get 99 percent reliability with five elements requires that each have a defect rate less than 0.2 percent, with 30 elements it gets much tougher. The maximum allowable defect rate drops to 0.03 percent. Lean design requires that you eliminate unnecessary parts and design elements, and standardize those that remain. Reuse Don't reinvent the wheel. Standardize and reuse design elements, e.g. parts, sub-assemblies, circuit elements, mechanical designs, and software modules.