In knowledge work, and also in work contexts such as manufacturing, it is desirable for work items to pass smoothly through a series of steps and stages on their way to completion. Flow is a Lean term that describes that movement of work items. In any Lean system, it is desirable for the movement of work items to be consistent, without sitting in an idle state for very long. In knowledge work in particular, a person can also be in a “state of flow,” where they are completely focused on the task at hand.<\/p>\n
One way to understand where flow fits in a Lean system is its placement in this series of steps:<\/p>\n