Cynthia C.Y. Tsao, Ph.D.
Navilean
Lean Coach, Educator, and Researcher
Recognized by her peers as an expert in process improvement and involved in lean project delivery since 1997, Cynthia uses her expertise in product-process design integration to help teams improve project outcomes by efficiently using and enhancing team member capabilities.
While coaching companies and project teams throughout the U.S. on their lean journeys, Cynthia remains involved in lean advocacy on a national level and lean education and research initiatives on an international level. She is proficient in guiding project teams in Last Planner® System implementation, general process improvements, and overall lean transformations. She also helps clients formulate and implement project and process improvement strategies and facilitates value-stream mapping exercises. Her experience includes multi-project engagements with nationwide general contractors, and she is assisting them in the start of their lean transformations. Working closely with their field superintendents in particular, she has been customizing the strategy for lean implementation on projects to better match the capabilities of project team members. With an eye for making explicit the handoffs of work between project participants, Cynthia has a passion for transforming complex design problems into ones that are easier to manage and construct.