Lean focuses on the reduction of wastes, optimization of processes and consideration of the production of highly customized systems. Over the past decade the maritime industry has been working to apply unique solutions capable of improving their design and development performances by focusing heavily on production time and quality, however work and progress has been limited due to the competitive nature of the market [1–4]. Despite efforts, design methodologies applied in the industry have remained rather unchanged, regardless of demand for the incorporation of new technologies and materials. Literature and multiple case studies were utilized to develop a design methodology, that aims to transform the design process into a lean process that is measurable and capable of addressing multiple areas of improvement. Through a holistic lean transformation methodology developed through this work, sociotechnical variables were incorporated to allow for maritime vessel designers to customize the method to overcome unique deficiencies. The paper describes the approach and work being undertaken as well as outlines the Lean Design Methodology for Maritime.