In 1643, the undefeated Japanese sword-master, Miyamoto Musashi, wrote a book known as The Book of the Five Rings, in which he described his understanding of what it took to survive life and death duels. In his mid-50s when writing, he had reached a point of clarity where he saw that real expertise was based on mastering of basic principles – that true excellence was founded on using and deeply understanding basic principles. So he decided to share them. Richard Keegan started his own journey in Lean, World Class Manufacturing, Benchmarking or Best Practice in 1986 with Williams & Woods / Nestlé in Tallaght, Dublin, where he developed his basic understanding of how to work with and through people to get things done in a business context. Having written several books on the subject, he presents his insights – as best understood at this point – in the form of the Five Rings of Lean Business Excellence, to help you on your journey towards your personal and business excellence goal.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keegan Richard is an author and specialist in management and business performance improvement. He is particularly interested in Lean methodologies, process optimization, and the development of organizational competitiveness. Through his work, he offers practical and accessible approaches to help companies enhance their operational efficiency and strengthen the skills of their teams.

His work follows a pedagogical approach aimed at making management and operational excellence concepts both understandable and applicable for managers and employees alike. He places particular emphasis on continuous improvement, benchmarking, and value creation within organizations.