On 12.05.2025, third-year students from the department of Industrial Engineering and Management took part in an exciting, interactive learning session dedicated to Lean Manufacturing—not through lectures, but through games.
These Lean simulation games were designed and presented by Blagica Nikolovska, a master’s student in Lean Management, as part of her practical engagement with Lean education and gamification methodology.
The session included three custom-developed Lean games:
- 5S LEGO Game – visualizing how workplace organization boosts efficiency.
- Line Balancing Game – simulating the distribution of tasks across workstations.
- Kanban & Pull Game – demonstrating pull production using Kanban cards and LEGO.
What Did We Learn?
Each game was tailored to simulate a core Lean concept in a practical and engaging way:
5S LEGO Game
Participants experienced all 5S steps—Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain—through a hands-on LEGO assembly process. As the rounds progressed, students saw clear improvements in speed and quality, highlighting the value of workplace organization and visual control.
Line Balancing Game
Using paper airplane assembly, teams explored how unbalanced workstations create bottlenecks. They applied takt time principles and balanced their processes to meet production targets, reinforcing Lean flow optimization.
Kanban & Pull Game
Through a simulated LEGO production line, students compared Push vs. Pull systems and used Kanban cards to manage workflows. The activity showed how customer demand drives production in Lean environments.
Highlights from the Event
“The students were engaged, competitive, and reflective—exactly what active learning should look like.”
Why Gamify Lean?
Gamification brings Lean principles to life. It transforms theoretical concepts into memorable experiences that:
- Improve concept retention through active participation
- Encourage collaboration and problem-solving
- Create a safe space to test and fail, then improve—just like in real Lean improvement cycles
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to the participating students and faculty for their support. Special recognition goes to Blagica Nikolovska for her innovative game design, presentation, and facilitation as part of her academic journey in Lean Management.
Leave a Reply