Welcome to LeanTPS.ca
Built on Toyota’s principles of Respect for People and Continuous Improvement, LeanTPS.ca shares how structured improvement develops leadership and protects flow.
The Purpose of LeanTPS.ca
Welcome to LeanTPS.ca. This site exists to share clear and structured knowledge based on the Toyota Production System. Lean TPS is a system for developing people and preventing failure. Improvement does not begin with tools. It begins with education, practice, and the ability to see problems as they occur in the real workplace. TPS requires leaders to support learning and accountability at the Gemba. Each resource on this site is designed to help teams understand cause, effect, and the discipline of Standardized Work.
LeanTPS.ca is also dedicated to reclaiming the original intent of the Toyota Production System. The content shared here comes from real TPS experience. My background includes training at Toyota Industries Corporation in Kariya, study at the Takahama Plant with Toyota Logistics & Forklifts, and years of leading and supporting Jishuken activity across North America. I have worked as a TPS Manager Coordinator, Continuous Improvement Facilitator, and Jishuken working group member within TMHMNA. The material on this site reflects the environments where leaders learn to see problems, solve them at the source, and develop capability in others. The goal is to help organizations understand TPS as a people system that protects flow, strengthens processes, and builds learning at every level.
Updates from the Lean TPS™ network plus real case studies and leadership papers.
Each white paper connects Toyota principles to daily practice with structure and purpose.
I’m David Devoe, a Lean TPS Continuous Improvement Facilitator trained by Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) in Kariya, Japan, and through Toyota L&F (Logistics & Forklifts) Kaizen training at the Takahama Plant.
This site is the home for my work on Toyota Production System leadership, Jishuken development, and structured learning through Standardized Work, Kaizen, and 5S Thinking.
Here you’ll find white papers, articles, and training resources drawn from real Gemba experience, created to help organizations build capability, strengthen leadership, and prevent system failure.
Featured Lean TPS Pages
Core Lean TPS topics: 5S Thinking, the Swiss Cheese Model, and Jishuken.
Each page connects Toyota principles to real Gemba learning and structured improvement.
5S Thinking is the discipline that builds flow, stability, and trust. It begins with sorting and organizing the workplace, but its real purpose is to create a learning environment where structure supports people. Every improvement starts here.
Explains how system weaknesses align to create risk. By strengthening prevention layers in process, leadership, and people, errors are stopped before they occur.
Leadership development through hands-on study and structured improvement at the Gemba. Builds capability by learning through real problem solving.
Lean TPS Newsletter & White Papers
Read the latest Lean TPS™ white papers and case studies that connect Toyota principles to structured improvement and leadership practice.
In the world of Lean and the Toyota Production System (TPS), the role of a Sensei is both profound and vital. These master advisors are the custodians of one of the most cherished elements of the Toyota Way, the transfer of knowledge and wisdom that is deeply embedded in TPS philosophy.
Introduction to the Lean TPS Assessment
November, 01, 2025
By David Devoe
The Lean TPS Assessment is designed as a practical tool to help organizations measure their progress in applying Lean and Toyota Production System philosophies, practices, and methods. It is not a simple scorecard. It is a structured way to reveal strengths, expose weaknesses, and create a shared language for improvement.
Introduction
My story with the Toyota Production System (TPS) began at Raymond Industrial Equipment (RIE) in Brantford, Ontario. The experiences I gained there, and later through direct involvement in Toyota-led Jishuken activities across North America, shaped how I came to understand continuous improvement, leadership accountability, and the discipline of TPS.
2025 Newsletters
Updates from the Lean TPS network and insights from recent white papers
Core Lean TPS topics: 5S Thinking, the Swiss Cheese Model, and Jishuken.
Each page connects Toyota principles to real Gemba learning and structured improvement.
Reclaiming Toyota Production System: My Lean TPS 5S Thinking
This article introduces the Lean TPS Swiss Cheese Model™, a structured and visual method for identifying system-level risk before it breaks through. While the concept is rooted in the original model by James Reason, this version was built entirely through Lean TPS thinking. It reflects practical experience from TPS training, leadership development, and audit work inside Toyota Industries Corporation, TMHMNA, and Raymond.
Operational Excellence through Lean TPS™ Jishuken
Lean TPS Consulting and Support
Work With David Devoe
Lean TPS Continuous Improvement Facilitator
I help organizations design Lean TPS systems that connect leadership, structure, and daily improvement.
Whether onsite or remote, my focus is to build capability, not dependency, so teams can sustain their own success.
What LeanTPS.ca Provides
LeanTPS.ca provides practical knowledge for organizations that want to understand and apply the Toyota Production System. The focus is on clear explanations of Lean TPS principles, leadership behaviors, and daily work systems that protect flow and prevent failure. This site brings together real experience from Toyota training, Jishuken activity, and continuous improvement work across North America. It is designed to help leaders see problems in their processes, understand why they occur, and build the capability to solve them at the source. The purpose of LeanTPS.ca is to support organizations that want to strengthen their operations through Standardized Work, Gemba leadership, and structured problem solving.
Articles & White Papers • 5S Thinking • Lean TPS Swiss Cheese Model • Jishuken • Contact
Lean TPS Continuous Improvement Facilitator | Ottawa, Canada | LeanTPS.ca | Lean.for.6S@gmail.com