Sense and respond

Sense and respond has been used in control theory for several decades, primarily in closed systems such as refineries where comparisons are made between measurements and desired values, and system settings are adjusted to narrow the gap between the two. Since the early 1980s, sense and respond has also been used to describe the behavior of certain open systems.

Sense and respond is based on lean principles and follows URSLIMM:

• U - understand customer value
• R - remove waste
• S - standardize
• L - learn by doing
• I - involve everyone
• M - measure what matters
• M - manage performance visually

The term "sense and respond" as a business concept was used in a 1992 American Management Association Management Review article by Stephan H. Haeckel. It was developed by Haeckel at IBM’s Advanced Business Institute.