Durward K. Sobek II is an Associate Professor of Industrial & Management Engineering at Montana State University and Board Chair of the Lean Product and Process Development Exchange, Inc. He holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an A.B. degree in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College.
Dr. Sobek has been researching lean product development and lean healthcare for over a decade, focusing on how organizations can increase their performance capacity through the application of lean principles. He is a frequent presenter, and has published numerous articles in publications such as Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review,and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. He is co-author of the prologue to Allen Ward's seminal book, Lean Product and Process Development, and is co-author of the Shingo Prize winning book Understanding A3 Thinking: A Critical Component of Toyota's PDCA Management System.
Understanding A3 Thinking: A Critical Component of Toyota's PDCA Management System