Lean Thinking Course

Lean Product Development

Optimize your innovative potential with Lean product development.

Select Delivery Mode:

Sep 17-19, 2025
$1,800
Register

Location:

Ann Arbor, MI

Schedule:

8:30am-4:30pm ET
Not Currenty Scheduled
Contact Us

Course Summary

Learning Objectives

Course Overview

Credentials

Instructional Team

Course Summary

Discounts

The following GoBlue pricing discounts are available and cannot be combined. Please contact us at [email protected] for a promotional code that will allow you to apply the eligible discount to your registration.

With 15 or more enrollments, you may want to consider a custom program for your organization. Please contact us to learn more about our partnership opportunities.

Once you have paid, a discount cannot be added retroactively.

THESE DISCOUNTS ARE NOT APPLICABLE FOR PARTNER PROGRAMS.

Name Details Level
Group Discount Level 1 Enroll 3-4 participants in one course offering. 5%
Group Discount Level 2 Enroll 5 or more participants in one course offering. 10%
U.S. Government Current employees with .gov email (not applicable to government contractors). 10%
U.S. Military Active duty personnel, reservists, retired or disabled veterans. 10%
Students Currently enrolled student from any university; please send photo of date-stamped student ID. 10%
Michigan Engineering Professional Education Alumni Past participants of any Michigan Engineering Professional Education certificate course. 10%
U-M Alumni U-M alumni from any school or department – please send uniqname to [email protected] for confirmation. 20%
U-M Students and Staff Current U-M students, faculty, and staff – please send uniqname to [email protected] for confirmation. 20%
Go Blue Discounts
Instruction Time Completion Time CEUs
In-Person 3 days Canvas access ends after 30 days 2.75
Remote-Live 6 four-hour sessions Canvas access ends after 30 days 2.75

Learn essential strategies and key tools that will decrease time-to-market, reduce waste, enhance product quality, and fully integrate new product designs into a Lean production environment. Leave prepared to bring your best ideas to market as effectively and quickly as possible.

Learning Objectives

  • Learn about the Lean product development process and the tools of the Toyota Development System
  • Apply value stream mapping techniques to product and process development
  • Create an implementation plan for your organization
  • Develop systematic error proofing processes
  • Acquire tools for effectively launching your new product or process
  • Consider the roles of organizational culture and the challenges of leading Lean change

Course Overview

LAPTOP REQUIRED FOR IN-PERSON OFFERINGS

  • Impact and benefits of Lean PD
  • Overview of Lean PD principles
  • Lean Product Development simulation – Round #1 (traditional PD)
    • Problems with traditional product development
    • Illustration of typical wastes
    • Tracking metrics associated with traditional wastes
  • Processes
    • Driving flow in product development: insights from queuing theory
    • Kentou phase
    • Decision flow mapping
    • Learning cycles
  • Set-based concurrent engineering
  • Intro to people systems
    • Balance functional expertise with cross-functional integration
    • Develop towering technical competence in all engineers
    • Chief Engineer system – abridged version; focus on concept paper/VOC
    • Supplier partnerships
  • Tools for organizational learning and continuous improvement
    • Overview of learning tools and techniques
    • Reflection
    • Checklists and matrices
  • Tools for communication and alignment
    • Hoshin management overview
    • A3 reports overview – 4 types
    • Nemawashi
    • Obeya
  • Differences between manufacturing and product development value streams
  • VSM icons for product development
  • Current state map building blocks
  • Build a current state map
  • Identifying waste in the current state map
  • Build future state map
  • Implementation
  • Applying A3 thinking and problem solving to real-life challenges you are facing at work
    • Define the problem – elements of a good problem statement
    • Setting clear goals
    • Root cause analysis – overview of techniques
    • Countermeasures – short and long term
    • Implementation plan
    • Follow up – the critical “check” and “act/adjust” phase of PDCA
  • Case study & applications
    • Case studies of applying Lean PD techniques
    • Lean PD implementation approaches & lessons learned
  • Summary of Lean PD principles
  • Cultural characteristics of Lean PD
  • Simulation Round #2 (Lean)
    • Apply Lean principles from class to the simulation
    • Illustrate the impacts on a PD system
  • Implementation approaches to drive Lean principles in your organization
    • How to get started
    • Lessons learned – what works and does not
    • Implementation examples from selected companies
  • Getting started – A3 proposal for your first steps on the Lean PD journey

Who Should Attend

This course is intended to benefit professionals involved in:

  • Product planning
  • Product design and development
  • Process development
  • Product and process validation
  • Manufacturing or product launch

Credentials

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Digital Certificate

Certificate will be awarded upon successful completion of this course.

Instructional Team

John Drogosz, PhD

  • Lean Specialist and Instructor, Michigan Engineering Professional Education
  • Vice President, Optiprise Inc.

What's next?

Design & Innovation
Course

Organizational Design

Leadership
Course

Transformative Leadership

Get Started

For more information or answers to any questions please email [email protected] or fill out the form.

Main Office:
2401 Plymouth Road, Suite A/B
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
(734) 647-7200
[email protected]

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