What is Lean Product and Process Development?
Lean Product and Process Development (LPPD) is an approach to developing innovative products and services efficiently and effectively while maximising customer value. Rooted in lean principles, LPPD goes beyond traditional project management by emphasizing deep customer understanding, rapid learning cycles, and collaborative teamwork.
At its core, LPPD focuses on:
- Front-loading knowledge to make informed decisions early in the development process.
- Set-based concurrent engineering, enabling teams to explore multiple solutions before committing to one.
- A3 thinking, which facilitates structured problem-solving and decision-making.
- Cross-functional collaboration, ensuring that teams work together seamlessly rather than in isolated silos.
- Lean Knowledge Creating Cycle (Look, Ask, Model, Discuss, Act) to continuously improve both processes and people.
Creating useable knowledge requires learning. Such learning leads to looking at the management system, management behaviours, and the mental models needed for learning to thrive and bring value to customers.
In addition we can Identify four “cornerstones” of lean product development gleaned from the practices of successful companies like Toyota and its partners. These being the Enterpreneur system designer, value stream principles of cadence, flow and pull, set based approaches and a team of responsible experts.
By adopting LPPD, organizations can reduce waste, shorten development cycles, and create products that truly meet customer needs.
Lean Product and Process Development Research
Across the Lean Global Network there is a variety of research on LPPD. In the US, the Lean Enterprise Institute has activities to build a community of practitioners in order to expand understanding and continually improve the execution of lean product and process development.
The U.K. collaborates in this effort establishing research projects to learn more about management systems for LPPD, to understand the concept paper development process and to experiment using the Lean Transformation Framework questions in LPPD contexts.
In Taiwan, Professor Yu-Hsiu (Josh) Hung – has established a Centre for Lean Product Development at National Cheng Kung University. Josh’s introduction to LPPD began with Allen Ward’s book, Lean Product and Process Development which highlighted Toyota’s exceptional speed, efficiency, and profitability—achieving nearly twice the performance of its top U.S. competitors.
After being introduced to Kiyoshi Inagaki’s Essential Thinking for Product Development. Josh posed the following research question: Can we apply A3 thinking in product development, just as Toyota does, to create innovative and profitable products within constrained resources and time?
Experimenting with LPPD in Education
In 2016, the Centre for Lean Product Development at National Cheng Kung University developed a LPPD-focused university course within a design studio setting. The objective was simple—test the impact of LPPD on product development. Could students develop products more effectively by applying these principles?
The course ran for one semester, with junior-year students who had no prior industry experience or knowledge of Product Value Development (PVD). Most projects involved motor-driven products, and students applied LPPD tools, methods, and principles to their designs.
The results were promising. The experiment demonstrated that by applying LPPD, students could generate higher-quality products more efficiently. This success led to the first LPPD forum at the university. The data clearly showed improvements in both the process and outcomes of product development.
Shifting Focus: From Product to People Development
Following the success of the course, more questions came to light. While product development is critical, people development is equally—if not more—important. To equip the next generation of product development leaders a process was required to equip students with the foundational ability to generate innovative ideas. Innovation requires more than engineering expertise—it demands a deep understanding of the market, customer needs, and structured problem-solving skills. To cultivate these abilities, the learning process has been structured around the Lean Knowledge Creating Cycle (Look, Ask, Model, Discuss, Act) and divided it into three key phases:
- Product Planning – Market research, competitor analysis, and customer studies.
- Conceptual Design – Using concept maps, simulations, and iterative idea development.
- Detailed Design – Aesthetic and interface design, colour planning, and trade-off analysis.
Throughout the course, students collaborated with industry experts, marketing teams, and R&D professionals, gaining valuable real-world insights.
Industry-Academia Collaboration: Strengthening the Lean Ecosystem
With any practice led activity, academia and industry can benefit from working together. The Centre for Lean Product Development have four distinct models of industry-academia collaboration, ranging from student-driven projects to company-led LPPD training programs. Some organizations sought fully functional prototypes, while others focus on solving specific product development challenges through LPPD methodologies.
Case Studies in LPPD
Companies often face several critical challenges:
- How to create new value – whether a physical product or a service
- How to improve top line growth while controlling or reducing costs and quality defects
- How to reduce long product development lead times
- How to flow across organizational silos that hinders cross-functional collaboration
- How to develop and improve innovation capability
By leveraging LPPD principles, organisations can systematically address the situational issues they face.
Conclusion: LPPD as a Transformative Force
LPPD is more than just a methodology—it is a strategic approach to innovation that fosters efficiency, creativity, and collaboration. By integrating lean principles into product development, organizations can create higher-quality products, shorten development cycles, and build resilient teams equipped to solve complex challenges.
Our work in education and industry has shown that LPPD is not only about designing better products but also about developing people who can drive sustainable innovation. Through continuous learning, structured experimentation, and cross-functional teamwork, LPPD provides a framework for long-term success. As we move forward, strengthening industry-academia partnerships and further embedding LPPD principles into product development will remain our focus, ensuring that both students and companies can thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.
Capability Workshops at the UK Lean Summit 2025
Professor Yu-Hsiu (Josh) Hung will conduct a one-day LPPD capability development workshop. Participants will learn how to use causal mapping to identify design opportunities for innovation. Through group activities and hands-on exercises, participants will engage in discussions on product development trade-offs and practice generating product concepts that deliver value to customers.