What is the difference between an agile Supply Chain and a lean Supply Chain?

A lean Supply Chain is optimized for efficiency in stable, predictable environments: minimum waste, minimum inventory, maximum cost control. An agile Supply Chain is optimized for responsiveness in volatile environments: fast detection of change, continuous plan adaptation, and service level protection under uncertainty. The two are not mutually exclusive. Leading retailers design planning architectures that maintain lean efficiency during stable periods and switch to agile response when volatility hits. The key enabler of both simultaneously is dynamic buffer sizing, which holds less inventory where risk is low and more where risk is high, rather than applying blanket coverage rules across the entire catalogue.