Exploring Lean Product Development with Jim Morgan - Rivian's Former COO

My guest for Episode #515 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jim Morgan, senior advisor at Lean Enterprise Institute and a board member at Adrian Steel. Jim’s most recent industry experience was as Chief Operating Officer at Rivian, an electric vehicle manufacturer.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

He was previously a guest in Episode 109 back in 2011.

Before joining Rivian, Jim spent a little over ten years at Ford Motor Company. He began by leading the development of the Global Product Development System (GPDS). 

He then served the last nine years as Director of Global Body and SBU Engineering and Tooling operations, where he and his team contributed to the company’s historic, product-led revitalization under then-CEO Alan Mulally.   

Prior to Ford, Jim served as Vice President of Operations at Troy Design and Manufacturing (TDM), a tier-one global automotive supplier of engineering services, prototype tools, and low to medium-volume production parts and subassemblies. 

Jim holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Michigan, where his original research into Product Development won two Shingo Prizes for Research Excellence. In addition, he co-authored (with Professor Jeffrey Liker) the award-winning books The Toyota Product Development System (2006) and Designing the Future (2018). 

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We’ll dive into his incredible journey, from his time at Ford, where he led the development of their global product system, to his work at Rivian, helping to shape the future of electric vehicles. Jim shares valuable lessons learned along the way, especially around integrating lean principles into product and process development. We also talk about how embracing risk and learning from mistakes can fuel innovation.

Questions, Notes, and Highlights:

• Lean Origin Story: What’s your lean origin story, and how did you get introduced to lean thinking?
• Product Development vs. Production: Can you explain the difference between product development and production systems?
• Rivian Involvement: How and when did you get involved with Rivian, and what drew you to the company?
• Challenges at Rivian: What were the major challenges and opportunities as Rivian evolved from concept to production?
• Recruiting for Rivian: How did you recruit talent for Rivian, and what was the mix of automotive and non-automotive experience?
• Rivian’s Product Strategy: How did Rivian’s product strategy differ from other electric vehicle manufacturers like Tesla?
• Culture Development: How did Rivian focus on building its own culture and operating system from the ground up?
• Learning from Mistakes: How did Rivian’s culture embrace learning from mistakes, and how was that risk tolerance cultivated?
• Ford and Alan Mulally’s Leadership: How did Alan Mulally’s leadership at Ford influence your thinking on surfacing and solving problems?
• Board Involvement: What has your experience been like as a board member at Adrian Steel, and how does it differ from your previous roles?
• LEI Learning Groups: Can you tell us about the LEI Product and Process Development Learning Group and how companies collaborate and learn together?
• Designing the Future: What’s the central message of your book Designing the Future, and who is the target audience?
• Agile and Lean Integration: How are you integrating agile and lean practices, especially in product and software development?

Key Topics:

• Jim’s introduction to lean via The Machine That Changed the World.
• Differences between lean product development and lean production systems.
• Jim’s role at Rivian and the company’s approach to electric vehicle manufacturing.
• Rivian’s unique culture and the importance of building the “Rivian Way.”
• Challenges in launching new vehicles and managing diverse teams.
• Importance of learning from failure and embracing risk at Rivian.
• Lessons from Alan Mulally’s leadership style at Ford.
• Jim’s board experience at Adrian Steel and how it differs from operational leadership.
• Collaborative learning through LEI’s Product and Process Development Learning Group.
• The integration of agile and lean principles for better hardware-software development alignment.

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