MSc in Lean Enterprise
Full or Part-time: Part-time
School: Business School Back to course finder
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Since the publication in 1996 of Lean Thinking (Womack and Jones), ‘Lean’ has established itself as the most effective and most widely adopted improvement methodology for operations in the world. With roots in the Toyota Production System and in earlier approaches, Lean has expanded vertically into accounting, marketing, HR, IT, design and R&D, and logistics, and horizontally into service, health, government, and banking. Lean is now integrated with other effective approaches including Systems Thinking and Six Sigma. The Buckingham degree is titled ‘Lean Enterprise’ rather than ‘Lean Operations’ . The focus, however, is on integrated operations rather than on learning a range of diverse disciplines or tools.
Whilst today not everyone agrees with the term ‘Lean’, the principles learned in this degree are now ‘mainstream’ in any aspiring operation. Find out more by contacting bleu@buckingham.ac.uk.
Download the MSc Lean Enterprise brochure
Why Buckingham?
The 22 month, part-time Buckingham MSc is specifically designed for practising managers working, or aspiring to work, in the delivery of services or products. The degree is in ‘enterprise’ because most organisations rely on the integration of employees, customers and suppliers to deliver value. This involves end-to-end value streams from understanding customer requirements, through design and operations and on to product or service delivery. Knowledge of accounting, quality, design, innovation, service are all necessary.
The typical age of participants is 30s and 40s. All participants have considerable experience and are contributors as well as recipients.
Buckingham has an ethos of student support, consistently leading the National Student Survey for student satisfaction. As a private university with a Royal Charter, Buckingham has great opportunities for innovation. The MSc is part of the Buckingham Lean Enterprise Unit (BLEU).
Faculty
The staff of the programme are all experienced Lean, Systems, and Six Sigma practitioners as well as all having years of experience in hands-on Master’s-level Lean teaching.
John Darlington
Programme Director, MSc Lean EnterpriseValue Flow Consulting Ltd John Darlington is the founder and Managing Director of Value Flow Consulting Limited, a UK based management consulting firm working with clients around the world. Value Flow helps customers improve performance by using a combination of … Read more
Professor John Bicheno
Professor of Lean EnterpriseBSc (Eng), GDE (Witwatersrand), MA (Lancaster), MBA (Bradford), PrEng, CFPIM (APICS), FSAPICS John was born in South Africa. He graduated with Engineering degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and spent 12 years in industry and local government in … Read more
john.bicheno@buckingham.ac.uk
Professor Pauline Found
Head of Business Improvement Science & Lean | Professor of Lean Operations Management | Programme Director for MSc in Continuous Improvement in Public ServicesProfessor Pauline Found is Head of Business Improvement Science & Lean, Programme Director of the MSc in Continuous Improvement in Public Services and Professor of Lean Operations Management at the University of Buckingham. She was previously Senior Research Fellow of … Read more
pauline.found@buckingham.ac.uk
Professor Daniel Jones
The Lean Enterprise Academy
BLEU AssociateA management thought leader and adviser on applying Lean process thinking to all kinds of businesses across the world, Dan Jones is an honorary graduate of the University of Buckingham Business School (Doctor of Science, 2015). After studying at the … Read more
Professor Darrell Mann
Systematic Innovation Ltd
BLEU AssociateDarrell is an engineer by background, having spent 15 years working at Rolls-Royce in various R&D related positions, ultimately becoming Chief Engineer responsible for the company’s long term future military engine strategy. He left the company in 1996 to first … Read more
Professor John Seddon
Vanguard Consulting Ltd
BLEU AssociateJohn Seddon is an occupational psychologist, researcher, professor, management thinker and leading global authority on change, specialising in the service industry. He is the managing director of Vanguard, a consultancy company he formed in 1985 and the inventor of ‘The Vanguard Method’. Read more
- David Brunt
- Phil Catherwood
- Ed Clements
- Jeremy Cox
- David Howells
- Lynne Oliver
- Will Pyke
- Andy Lahy
- John Lovell
- Julia Schmitz
- Justin Watts
Philosophy
The philosophy of the programme is that Lean can only effectively be learned with hands-on practice. Hence, a considerable part of the programme is held on-site at plant and service locations. By the end of the programme, participants will have taken part in real exercises (not just case studies) in several organizations in several sectors.
Mentoring is an important part of learning about Lean. Detailed mentoring, feedback, and discussion are important incorporated aspects. Networking, of course, is also a valuable aspect that results from the class profile.
The student group is deliberately small to allow both practical hands-on participation and personal interaction with some of the leading practitioners in the UK.
Course outline
During the first 13 months, students take eight 5-day modules, all of which are assessed by assignment. Extensive use is made of electronic meetings and mentoring. An iPad is recommended.
The modules are a set, one flowing into the next, building into an integrated system. Hence there are currently no elective modules. Several staff contribute on more than one module.
Modules on the course are as follows:
- Foundations, Standardisation and Disruption
- Quality and Systems Thinking
- Demand, Capacity and Flow – Part 1
- Demand, Capacity and Flow – Part 2
- Total Productive Management
- Leadership and Change
- Supply Chain
- Innovation, New Product Introduction, Policy Deployment and Lean Accounting
By the end of the programme participants will have taken part in real exercises (not just case studies) in several organisations and sectors.
Mentoring is a fundamental part of learning about ‘Lean’. Feedback and discussion are all important aspects of the programme. Networking is also a valuable aspect; our class profile and student group is deliberately small to allow both practical participation and personal interaction with some of the leading practitioners in the UK.
In year two, students write a dissertation and regular feedback sessions take place, both face to face at various locations and electronically.
More information in the University Handbook.
Reading
Read the latest version of Bicheno’s Top 100 on Lean (XLS file, 65 KB)
Assessment
Part 1 (120 credits). All modules must be passed. Each module is assessed by assignment (100%).
Part 2 (60 credits). 15,000 word dissertation. A dissertation presentation is assessed.
- Written assignments often based on own company cases.
- Practical case study held on-site and covering all modules
- Dissertation
- (No examinations)
Our graduates have gone on to further study at most of the world’s leading universities, including Harvard, London, Oxford and Cambridge and secured jobs in senior positions around the world. Among our alumni we have a graduate who became the head of his country’s civil service and one who became a leading Formula One motor-racing driver. Another secured a position as the Minister of Sabah and one female law graduate became the first British lawyer to become a French Advocate.