What is LEAN?
LEAN SYSTEMS
LEAN SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT IS BECOMING THE STANDARD FOR SYSTEMATIC PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT ACROSS ORGANISATIONS WORLDWIDE.
With its roots in the Toyota Management System, Lean systems thinking is used to eliminate waste, so every step in the process of producing goods or services adds value to the customer. Non-value-adding activity is removed using the PCDA model (Plan, Check, Do, Act repeat) and Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) is embedded to create sustainability through repeated Continuous Improvement events.
When wasteful action is eliminated the result is that less effort, space and capital are required and lead time is reduced whilst quality increases and the cost of quality decreases.
A lean systematic approach allows organisations to define a project to analyse, measure, improve and control the interconnectedness and efficiency of processes that impact product/service/experience journey and customer value. It considers goods in (supply chain and stock control), production flow, engineering and maintenance, sales, delivery (logistics) but can cover the whole organisation.
In essence, lean is made up of a set of tools and techniques (5S, Value Stream Mapping, Visual Management Systems, , 7W, Problem Solving, Kaizen, TPM, etc.) that are applied, where appropriate, to areas of the workplace. A typical lean implementation involves an initial value stream mapping (VSM) which defines the journey of improvement. Next there is the organising of the business or department. This might involve 5S (sorting, straightening, systematic cleaning, standardisation and sustaining). Thereafter other systems can be introduced.
A weakness in a typical lean implementation approach can be a fixation on just learning and applying the tools of lean. This can promote isolated improvement rather than optimisation of the entire production system and an incomplete appreciation of the role of leadership for organisational development and culture change.
Embedding lean systems involves a focus on the people of the organisation, creating a culture that empowers staff at all levels to make innovative changes that improve productivity by reducing wasteful action (muda). This approach creates dynamic and flexible learning organisations of emergent change.
Efficient and effective communication processes enable collaboration and consensus along with shared vision and engagement. In this way “respect for humans” works synergistically with and for “waste elimination”. Neglecting the human component results in internal resistance to new ways of working and jeopardises the sustainability of the change effort, making it difficult to reach the level of cultural excellence for continuous improvement.
