This is a longer-than-usual newsletter, with a 75-point tweetstorm, because I want to tackle a fairly complex topic today: lean thinking versus fat thinking. You've probably heard the term lean used in the context of both startups, as in "lean startups" and in the context of old-economy big companies, as in "lean six sigma", or the Toyota Lean model. It can get confusing because lean startup aficionados often try to both distance themselves from the older manufacturing tradition, but also ally themselves with the best of the tradition. Is it new, or is it old? Are the two the same, or different?
Lean Thinking vs Fat Thinking
Lean Thinking vs Fat Thinking
This is a longer-than-usual newsletter, with a 75-point tweetstorm, because I want to tackle a fairly complex topic today: lean thinking versus fat thinking. You've probably heard the term lean used in the context of both startups, as in "lean startups" and in the context of old-economy big companies, as in "lean six sigma", or the Toyota Lean model. It can get confusing because lean startup aficionados often try to both distance themselves from the older manufacturing tradition, but also ally themselves with the best of the tradition. Is it new, or is it old? Are the two the same, or different?
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