The Principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS reports):

    (1) highly specify activities, 
    (2) clearly define the transfer of material and information,    
    (3) keep the pathway for every product and service simple and direct
    (4) detect and solve problems where and when they happen, using the scientific method.

There was significant time spent on systems like this in my Industrial Engineering manufacturing classes. These systems like Six Sigma sound kind of hokey, but if you rigidly and ruthlessly adhere to good principles, it really makes manufacturing function better. It's much better than running without a rigid system.