CASE STUDY / LESSONS LEARNED
By Aina Aliieva (Alive)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Why This Visit Matters
Toyota has been studied for decades, yet most organizations still misunderstand what they are copying. They replicate tools — Kanban boards, visual controls, stand-ups — but miss the underlying logic that governs how decisions move through the system. This visit made that gap visible. What looks like efficiency on the surface is, in fact, a deeply disciplined approach to decision-making, problem exposure, and flow.
Seeing the system matters more than reading about it because systems don’t live in frameworks — they live in space, movement, timing, and restraint. You can understand Toyota intellectually and still miss the point entirely. The logic only becomes visible when you watch how people move without rushing, how problems surface without drama, how decisions are made without escalation.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) operates its Cambridge facility alongside a sister plant in Woodstock, Ontario, producing the Toyota RAV4 and Lexus RX. The visit was structured deliberately: a short seminar on Toyota’s production system followed by a guided tram tour through the entire facility—concept first, then observation.
As we moved through the plant, the scale and precision became immediately apparent. Automatically guided robotic vehicles delivered parts directly to team members. Lead times for specific components were measured in hours, not days. We saw a towering robot — over 20 feet tall — nicknamed “Godzilla,” and one of the largest hydraulic presses in the world, shaping metal components. All of this operated inside a highly immersive, three-dimensional work environment designed for flow.
“The customer is the center of everything we do.”
When asked about the company’s high retention rate, a staff member pointed to Toyota’s inclusive environment and the expectation that team members actively contribute to continuous improvement. People are not just executing processes; they are part of improving them. Contributions are visible, taken seriously, and acted upon — which explains why engagement here feels structural rather than motivational.
Lean Manufacturing, Just-in-Time, Waste reduction, and Continuous Improvement were visible during the tour emphasizing how work was organized, how inventory was managed, and how problems were addressed.
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How to cite this work: Aliieva, A. (2026). How Decisions Move Through a Toyota Plant, case study, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue II, February. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/pmwj161-Feb2026-Aliieva-Toyota-Plant-Visit.pdf
About the Author
Aina Aliieva (Alive)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Aina Aliieva (Alive) is an experienced Agile Coach and a Business Consultant with 20 years of experience in different industries, from hospitality and tourism to banking and engineering, a Founder & CEO at Bee Agile – a boutique company with a mission of bridging Humans & Machines.
She is a keynote speaker on Agile, Project Management, Cybersecurity, Negotiation, People Management, and Soft Skills topics. She was a guest instructor at NASA in 2022 & 2023 with topics on Conflict Resolution & Negotiation and Facilitation Techniques.
Her book, “It Starts with YOU. 40 Letters to My Younger Self on How to Get Going in Your Career,” hit the #1 position in the #jobhunting category on Amazon and is featured in a Forbes Councils Executive Library.
She also contributed to the books “Mastering Solution Delivery: Practical Insights and Lessons from Thought Leaders in a Post-Pandemic Era”, “Green PMO: Sustainability through Project Management Lens”, “Agile Coaching and Transformation: The Journey to Enterprise Agility”. She is a lead author of the Amazon bestseller “Evolution of the PMO: Rise of the Chief Project Officer.”
Aina was also a Finalist in the Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year category at the 2021 Canadian SME National Business Awards.
She can be contacted at https://www.linkedin.com/in/aina-aliieva/
To view other works by Aina Aliieva, visit her author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/aina-aliieva/
