1. Agile or lean? High “Lean” works best in high volume, low
variety and predictable
environments.
“Agility” is needed in
less predictable
environments where
the demand for variety
is high.
AGILE
Variety/Variability
LEAN
Low
Low
High
Volume per variant

2. Generic supply chain strategies
Supply characteristics
Long lead times
Hybrid
De-couple through postponement
Lean
Plan and
optimise
Short lead times
Kanban
Continuous replenishment
Agile
Quick Response
Predictable
Unpredictable
Demand characteristics

3. Lean Agile The decoupling point Forecast at generic level
Economic batch quantities
Maximise efficiencies
Demand driven
Localised Configuration
Maximise effectiveness
Strategic
Inventory

4. Route map to the responsive business
Economies of scale
Waste reduction
Quick response
Agile supply
Vendor managed inventory
Synchronized production
Lean production
De-couple the supply chain
Flexible response
Visibility of real demand
Demand driven
The Responsive Business
Organisational agility
Process management
Cross-functional teams
Continuous replenishment programmes
Non-value-adding time reduction
Setup time reduction
Standardization/ modularization
Capacity management
Process re-engineering