This is a book about practicing, learning, and sharing our experiences with the Lean methodology and the Toyota Production System.

Doctors don't "implement medicine," they practice medicine. Lawyers don't "implement cases," they practice law. Shouldn't Lean facilitators, consultants, managers, and the like, also "practice Lean?"

When most of us start with Lean, the practices and principles are new. We might struggle to make change happen. I know I did. Our initial clumsy efforts hopefully turn into proficiency and mastery over time. We shift from "doing Lean" to "being Lean" and teaching others how to be Lean. This book is a collection of honest and unvarnished first-hand stories about learning, failing, and getting better at leading Lean transformation efforts.

What mistakes have been made? What are the lessons learned? How do we "plan, do, study, adjust" our way to more effective Lean transformation models? We ended up with a diverse set of 16 contributors - manufacturing, healthcare, software, startups, etc. - from across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom... a doctor, engineers, business owners, and other great leaders and change agents (although they'd be too humble to call themselves great).

All proceeds from the book will be donated to the nonprofit Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation. Disclosure: Mark Graban is on the board of the Batz Foundation. We have a diverse set of contributors from settings like manufacturing, healthcare, software, startups, etc.