What Is Lean Accounting?

Lean accounting is the application of lean thinking to accounting. It has two practice areas: providing lean companies with the information they need to make better decisions and continuously improving accounting’s own processes.

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The Lean Accounting Center

The Lean Accounting Learning Center is where I've consolidated my experience, content, and approach to practicing lean accounting, so you can use it on your own. Whether you're curious and want to learn what lean accounting is, ready to plan a transformation, or looking to sustain your system once you've started, you'll find the content, courses, and applications to guide you at each step.

—Nick Katko

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What you can do at the Lean Accounting Learning Center

  • Learn about Lean Accounting by watching explainer videos and doing learning exercises & activities, all for free.
  • Become certified in 6 Lean Accounting practices to demonstrate individual competency and knowledge in understanding the principles, practices and tools of a lean accounting system. Users must register and pay course fees.
  • Create your own Lean Accounting Transformation Plan, using free assessment and checklist tools and subscribing to our Lean Accounting Apps.
  • Subscribe to the Lean Accounting Apps to enhance your practicing of lean accounting in your company. Registration and subscription required
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Lean Accounting Certification Program

BMA’s online, self-paced certification courses are designed to demonstrate individual competency and knowledge in understanding the principles, practices and tools of a lean accounting system. You will validate your knowledge by taking quizzes at the end of each class. These certification courses are based on BMA’s proven approach to implementing lean accounting in all types of companies in any industry.

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Our Current Books on Lean Accounting

Nick’s newest book

Creating a Continuous Improvement System in Accounting

About the Book

The Lean CFO is the best lean book I have read, and I have read them all.  It is perfect for management teams looking to make a huge immediate impact.

-Steven Vitale – President, Midwest Industrial Supply, Inc. -

Nick explains The Lean CFO from direct experience.  Experience as an accountant, as a practicing CFO, as a leading lean accounting thought leader and pioneer, and as a guide and coach to business executives leading their organizations to successful change.  Nick has been there and done that for the lean organization and The Lean CFO is the guidebook and plan.

-Jim Huntzinger – President and Founder, Lean Frontiers -

Lean accounting is the essential backbone of a company’s lean management system because it provides useable and understandable information that aligns lean operations with financial performance.  Classical management accounting and cost management simply cannot meet the instant and immediate information requirements of a lean company. The Turkish Lean İnstitute has worked with Nick has worked several years and translated the first edition of The Lean CFO into Turkish.  We highly endorse the second edition of this book.

-Yalçın İpbüken – President, Lean İnstitute Turkey -

This book takes you on a journey which many would like to travel, and many may have started but not transitioned. Based on practical examples and case studies we get insights into how accounting can progress from transactional processing to a value added function for a lean company by bringing in the analytical skills of your accounting team to support the improvement journey.

-Kevin Bennett – Facilitator, Best Practice Network NSW and QLD, Australia -

As a long-time lean practitioner, I am consistently frustrated with my inability to effectively communicate the wonders and benefits of lean to my financial counterparts.  Low volume, high mix, flexible production seems to constantly conflict with standard cost accounting tools and processes. Enter the Lean CFO. Nick unlocks this disconnect and shows how the benefits of lean flow directly from the shop floor into clear and actionable financial statements.  His writing is concise and makes these concepts simple and easy for the most skeptical finance professional to understand.   The Lean CFO is required reading for our entire management team!

-Jud Barr – CEO, JTB Custom -

The Lean CFO informs us of the holistic approach we must take to achieve the greatest gains from Lean practices. Lean companies require a Lean management accounting system that focuses on flow and maximizing capacity. Nick offers executives a blueprint that is easy to understand and champion.

-Johnson McKnight – CEO, M&M International -

Upcoming Events

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BMA YouTube Channel

Access Nick’s library of recorded webinars and presentation videos, all organized based on lean accounting practices