Lean design is a product design philosophy that aims to drive down resource waste on the factory floor using efficient design. Munro [i] provides data to show that Lean design has the greatest impact on the efficient workings of a manufacturing operation. Lean design influences floor-space, labor, raw material, quality, and ultimately profits for a manufacturing company. In this paper, how companies can pursue Lean design utilizing geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) through target manufacturing and zero tolerancing at the maximum material virtual condition (MMVC) are shown. Although these concepts are available in different places within GD&T and quality texts, the connection eludes some educators and most students. Further, how these concepts can be utilized by manufacturing companies as strategic tools to better communicate between product-design and manufacturing personnel is presented. Why it is important to include the concepts of Lean design in product design and manufacturing engineering curriculum is also explained.