17 Lean Manager Interview Questions and Answers

Lean management is an approach to running a business that focuses on waste elimination and continuous improvement. It is based on the Toyota Production System, which was developed by the Japanese car manufacturer in the 1950s. Lean management has been widely adopted in many industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and retail.

If you’re looking to work in a lean environment, you’ll need to know how to answer lean manager interview questions. In this article, we’ll provide you with some tips and a list of common questions that you can expect to be asked in an interview for a lean management position.

Are you familiar with the principles of lean management?

The interviewer may ask this question to assess your knowledge of the fundamentals of lean management. Use your answer to highlight your understanding of the principles and how you apply them in your work as a manager.

Example: “I am very familiar with the five principles of lean management, which are value stream mapping, pull systems, continuous improvement, waste reduction and respect for people. I use these principles every day when managing my team because they help me create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions about improving processes. This helps us develop new strategies that save time and money while also making our customers happier.”

What are some of the most important lean management principles?

This question is an opportunity to show your interviewer that you have a strong understanding of the fundamentals of lean management. You can answer this question by listing several principles and explaining what they mean in relation to effective lean management.

Example: “Some of the most important principles are value stream mapping, pull production, continuous improvement and waste reduction. Value stream mapping helps me understand how my team members interact with each other and their customers. Pull production means we only produce goods when our customers order them, which reduces excess inventory. Continuous improvement means I’m always looking for ways to improve processes within my department. Waste reduction means eliminating any unnecessary steps or materials from our work.”

How would you apply lean management principles to our company?

This question can help the interviewer determine how you would use your skills and experience to improve their company’s processes. Use examples from your previous job or a hypothetical situation to show how you would apply lean management principles to an organization.

Example: “I would first assess the current state of the company by conducting a value stream mapping exercise. I would then create a plan for improvement based on my findings, such as eliminating waste in the production process and improving customer satisfaction. After implementing these changes, I would monitor progress regularly to ensure that we’re meeting our goals.”

What is the most effective way to eliminate waste in a business?

This question is a great way to assess your knowledge of the five types of waste in lean manufacturing. Your answer should include an explanation of each type of waste and how it affects businesses.

Example: “The most effective way to eliminate waste in a business is by eliminating overproduction, transportation, waiting time, inventory and motion. These are known as the five types of waste in lean manufacturing. Overproduction occurs when you produce more than what’s needed or expected. Transportation happens when products move from one place to another unnecessarily. Waiting time happens when there is a delay between production and delivery. Inventory happens when there is too much product on hand. Motion waste happens when employees have to move around to get their work done.”

Provide an example of how you would apply the principle of continuous improvement at our company.

The principle of continuous improvement is a core concept in the lean management philosophy. It involves making small changes to processes and procedures that can lead to big improvements over time. Your answer should show how you would apply this principle at your new company.

Example: “I believe that every employee has the ability to improve their work process, which means there are always opportunities for improvement. I would start by asking employees what they think could be improved about their job or the department as a whole. Then, I would meet with managers to discuss ways we can make our departments more efficient and productive. Finally, I would implement any ideas that seem feasible.”

If you had to eliminate one of the seven wastes in a business, which would it be and why?

This question is a great way to test your knowledge of the seven wastes and how they apply to business. It also allows you to show your critical thinking skills by explaining why you would eliminate that waste over the others.

Example: “I would have to say transportation, or movement, because it’s one of the most common wastes in businesses today. Transportation occurs when materials are moved from one location to another without any value being added. This happens often when employees move materials from one place to another within a facility or between facilities. I’ve seen this waste eliminated many times through implementing pull systems where materials are delivered directly to workers as needed.”

What would you do if you noticed that employees were engaging in muda at your company?

Muda is a Japanese term that means “waste.” It’s used in the lean manufacturing process to describe any activity that doesn’t add value to a product. An interviewer may ask you this question to see how you would handle an employee who was wasting time or resources at work. In your answer, try to show that you understand what muda is and how it can affect a company’s bottom line.

Example: “I’ve worked with many different types of employees during my career, so I know that sometimes people make mistakes. If I noticed someone engaging in muda, I would first talk to them about their mistake. Then, if they made the same mistake again, I would take disciplinary action. Muda is something that should be avoided at all costs because it wastes valuable time and money for a business.”

How well do you understand the concept of kaizen?

Kaizen is a Japanese word that means “improvement.” It’s an important concept in the lean management process because it involves making small changes to improve efficiency. Your answer should show the interviewer you understand what kaizen is and how it can be used to benefit your workplace.

Example: “Kaizen is one of the most important concepts in lean management, as it allows companies to make continuous improvements to their processes. I have worked with many different departments within my previous company to implement kaizen into our workflows. For example, we implemented kaizen when we wanted to reduce the amount of time it took for us to ship products to customers. We were able to use kaizen to create new shipping routes that reduced delivery times by 10%.”

Do you have any experience with implementing process improvements?

This question can help the interviewer determine your experience with implementing process improvements and how you might apply those skills to their organization. Use examples from your past job or a time when you implemented a new process at home to highlight your ability to create change.

Example: “At my current position, I helped implement a new system for tracking customer service calls that reduced our call wait times by 50%. Before this improvement, we had multiple systems in place for tracking different types of customer service calls, which made it difficult to track all information about each call. We decided to use one system to record all relevant data so we could better understand what customers were calling us about.”

When is it appropriate to use the pull system in a business?

The pull system is a key component of lean management. It’s important to show the interviewer that you know when and how to use it in your work. Your answer should include an example of when you used the pull system successfully in your previous role.

Example: “The pull system is one of the most effective ways to reduce waste in a business. I’ve found that it works best when there are many different types of products or services being produced by a company. In my last position, we had several different product lines, so I implemented the pull system for each line. This allowed us to better meet customer demand while reducing inventory levels.”

We want to increase customer satisfaction. What methods would you use to improve our customer service?

Customer service is an important part of any business, and interviewers want to know how you would improve their company’s customer satisfaction. Use examples from your experience where you’ve helped a team improve customer service or worked with customers directly.

Example: “I believe that the best way to increase customer satisfaction is by improving communication between departments. I once worked for a small software development company where we had trouble communicating with our clients about project delays. We used Kanban boards to create a timeline for each client so they could see exactly what stage their project was in and when it would be completed. This allowed them to adjust their own schedules accordingly and gave us more time to work on the project.”

Describe your experience with using visual controls to monitor business processes.

Visual controls are a key component of the lean management system. They allow managers to monitor their business processes and make adjustments as needed. Your interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your experience with visual controls and how you use them in your daily work. In your answer, try to describe your process for using visual controls and highlight any specific skills or training that helped you develop these skills.

Example: “I’ve used visual controls throughout my career as a manager. I find they’re an effective way to keep track of important information while also helping me identify areas where improvements can be made. For example, when I first started managing my team at XYZ Company, we had several projects going on at once. I found it difficult to keep track of all the different tasks our employees were working on. So, I created a visual control board to help us stay organized. It was very helpful, and now I always create one when starting a new project.”

What makes the TPS unique compared to other production methods?

The TPS is a production method that’s used in many manufacturing facilities. The interviewer may ask this question to see if you have experience with the TPS and how it compares to other methods. In your answer, explain what makes the TPS unique compared to other production methods. You can also mention any other production methods you’re familiar with.

Example: “The TPS stands for ‘Total Production System.’ It’s an integrated system of five elements that work together to improve efficiency and reduce waste. These five elements are process control, pull systems, continuous improvement, quality assurance and respect for people. I’ve worked in several manufacturing facilities where we implemented the TPS. Each facility had its own way of implementing these elements, which made each one unique.”

Which lean tools have you used in the past and how were they effective?

This question is a great way for the interviewer to learn more about your experience with lean tools and how you used them in previous roles. When answering this question, it can be beneficial to list several of the most important tools that you’ve used and explain why they were effective.

Example: “I have had extensive experience using kaizen events, 5Ss, value stream mapping and A3 reports throughout my career as a lean manager. I find these tools to be highly effective because they allow me to create an organized plan for improvement while also providing valuable data to support my ideas. These tools are especially useful when working with teams who may not understand the importance of implementing new processes.”

What do you think of the five-S method for cleaning up a workspace?

The interviewer may ask you a question like this to see how well you can apply the five-S method in your previous work experience. Use examples from your past job that show you understand what each S stands for and how it applies to cleaning up a workspace.

Example: “I think the five-S method is an excellent way to clean up a workspace because it helps me stay organized and get rid of unnecessary items. In my last position, I used the five-S method to organize our supply closet by color so we could find things more easily when we needed them. This helped us reduce waste and save money on supplies.”

How often should you perform a value-stream analysis?

This question is an opportunity to show your knowledge of the different types of lean analysis and how often they should be performed. You can answer this question by giving a specific time frame for performing value-stream analyses, such as monthly or quarterly.

Example: “I believe that you should perform a value-stream analysis at least once per quarter. This allows you to see where improvements are needed in the production process and make changes before it becomes too costly. I also think that conducting a value-stream analysis after each project is beneficial because it gives you insight into what worked well during the project and what didn’t.”

There is a new technology that could help your department become more efficient. How would you evaluate its potential impact on the business?

This question is a great way to assess your critical thinking skills and how you would apply them to the role. Your answer should include steps for evaluating new technologies, including defining its potential impact on the business and determining whether it’s worth implementing.

Example: “I would first research the technology thoroughly to understand what it does and how it works. Then I would evaluate the current processes of my department to see if there are any areas that could benefit from this technology. If so, I would determine whether the benefits outweigh the costs of implementation. If not, I would recommend other ways we can improve our efficiency.”