Toyota invented the production system that every industry now imitates: just-in-time, kaizen, respect for people, and stop-the-line authority. FTN's Toyota playbook connects these ideas to competitive outcomes; this list supplies the canonical texts, from Ohno's memoirs to modern kata coaching.
Core TPS Canon
The Toyota Way
Jeffrey K. Liker · Book
14 principles in structured format—default starting point for operators.
Workplace Management
Taiichi Ohno · Book
Ohno's voice on waste, observation, and shop-floor truth—pair with Liker for modern framing.
The Machine That Changed the World
Womack, Jones, and Roos · Book
Benchmarking study that introduced "lean" to Western manufacturing vocabulary.
Advanced Practice
Toyota Kata
Mike Rother · Book
Coaching routines for continuous improvement—useful beyond factory floors.
The Goal
Eliyahu M. Goldratt · Book
Constraints thinking through a novel—intellectual cousin to lean throughput focus.
Context and History
Deming's influence on Japan (lectures / writing)
W. Edwards Deming · Speech
Statistical quality control roots—understand why Toyota credits American ideas Japan operationalised.