The Mastery of Innovation ─ A Field Guide to Lean Product Development

This book details successful product development and marketing and is appropriate for any business leader or developer. Each chapter delineates ways in which specific companies have made successful use of one or more aspects of the Lean strategy. Section one presents the definition of Lean product development, explores value and waste, and introduces the benchmarking study discussed in the book. Section two focuses on pioneers in Lean thinking, while section three focuses on successful products and markets, and section four focuses on better, faster, and cheaper production strategies. Section five examines transformation of development methods and section six focuses on the application of the presented strategies and tools. Format includes diagrams, bullet-points, and brief sections to aid in comprehension, in addition to four appendices which include materials for study groups and further research. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Katherine Radeka has a rare combination of business acumen, scientific depth, and the ability to untangle the organizational knots and remove the barriers to change. In the past seven years, her consulting firm, Whittier Consulting Group, Inc., has engaged with clients such as Steelcase, Hewlett- Packard, and more than 50 other leading organizations.

In 2010 and 2011, Katherine conducted the Lean Product Development Benchmarking Study to document Lean Product Development practices at more than 60 companies in North America and Europe. In 2005, she logged more than 11,000 miles driving around the country to research how the best companies got more ROI from product development. In 2007, she co-founded the Lean Product & Process Development Exchange, a nonprofit organization to promote the use of Lean Thinking to improve ROI from product development.

Katherine has climbed seven of the tallest peaks in the Cascade Mountains and spent 10 days alone on the Pacific Crest Trail until an encounter with a bear convinced her that she needed a change in strategic direction.