1. (14 pts) Suppose you were asked to make a presentation about lean production to a group of executives from several companies (not necessarily manufacturers). The executives are familiar with business and production/operations, but they know nothing about lean production.

(a) (8 pts) Clearly explain what lean production is, and why a company should adopt it. Your explanation is intended for the executives, and should be understandable by them; so, do not use terminology that you do not define or explain. (For example, do not say, "You should use SMED and kanban scheduling to help your company." The executives will not know what you are talking about.)

(b) (6 pts) After hearing/reading your presentation from part (a), suppose some of the executives are interested in adopting lean production, but they want to know which aspects of their operations are "most lean" and "least lean," so they can identify which areas deserve highest priority in implementing lean production. They would also like a way to track their company's overall progress as they adopt lean methods. Clearly explain to them a way to measure or characterize how lean their company's operations are, how to prioritize their lean efforts, and how they could track the progress of the company's improvement efforts over time.