The goal of Lean is to produce the right
amount of high quality products or services,
at the right time, with the least amount of
time, effort, and cost. The customer defines
what the right product or service is, when
they need it, and how much they want of it.
The Lean approaches, methods, tools, and techniques
are built on the world’s most efficient
system—the Toyota Production System.
Implementing Lean requires that you build
quality into all steps of the process with
an objective of 100% defect-free production.
With Lean, you are providing products and
services at competitive prices by eliminating
waste in the system. You are supporting team
members through effective management deployment
and support, and you are instituting a never-ending
cycle of improvement.
What
makes Lean different from Six Sigma?
The difference between Lean and Six Sigma
becomes apparent when you are determining
which method to use to implement improvement.
Lean uses known approaches and applies them
to known root causes, while Six Sigma studies
the unique situation and develops customized
solutions to address underlying root causes.
What
are the similarities between Lean and Six Sigma?
Lean and Six Sigma share a common purpose
to increase value to the customer and increase
value to the business—they rely on three
basic interdependent tenets:
Focus on the customer
Use of a scientific approach
Teamwork
Can
I use Lean if I’m already using Six Sigma?
Yes, many organizations that have started
with Lean are incorporating Six Sigma into
their programs. STAT-A-MATRIX can work with
your organization to integrate Six Sigma concepts
and tools into your existing structure, giving
you the ability to use the tools and techniques
that are best suited for the specific problem
being addressed.
We
already have a continuous improvement program.
What can Lean do for us?
Lean focuses on reducing waste in the entire
value stream—the complete set of activities
required to bring a product or service into
the hands of the customer (Lean Thinking,
Womack and Jones, 1996). Focusing on the entire
value stream allows you to identify and eliminate
waste within each process and activity and
between processes and activities. Improving
individual processes and the overall value
stream flow can help you reap the largest
benefits from your continuous improvement
efforts.
Can
Lean be used in nonmanufacturing environments?
Yes, Lean has been applied successfully in
a variety of non manufacturing environments
including financial services, healthcare industries,
government, military, and nonprofit foundations.
Virtually any organization can be described
in terms of the value stream—and any
value stream includes waste, which can be
identified and eliminated using Lean.
What
are the benefits of Lean?
Improved quality
Reduced errors/defects
Reduced costs
Waste eliminated
Improved flow
Simplification of complex processes
Improved safety
Reduced lead/cycle time
Providing the right product/service in
the right amount at the right time
Providing the highest value to the customer
at the lowest possible cost
Increased profitability
What
is a Lean/kaizen/blitz event?
A Lean (kaizen or blitz) event is an intense,
brief team effort to apply specific Lean approaches
to reduce waste, defects, and cycle time and
implement improvements in a particular process
or department.
What
is a value stream map?
A value stream map is a workflow visualization
tool for representing how customer needs are
met. It is a picture of the entire value stream.
Some of what it includes is supplier and customer
information, the flow of materials and information,
lead time, and cycle time. The value stream
map makes waste easier to see and opportunities
for improvement are easier to identify.
What
would it take for us to implement Lean?
Implementing Lean requires:Understanding
and commitment of top leadership.
Access to current information on customer
needs—your critical data pool.
A process-management system to measure
current performance and identify where you
need to make improvements.
Resources—Coaches, Team Leaders,
Team Members—trained to design and improve
processes and to assist process owners.
Ongoing management involvement and review
to reinforce process management, improvement,
and design.
Communication to ensure that customer focus
and Lean methods are embraced throughout the
organization.
Assigned responsibilities for Lean within
the organization.
How
do we know which processes our organization
should target for improvement?
Not every process needs immediate improvement.
Start by considering which processes concern
your customers the most and place your priorities
there. Use your value stream map to identify
waste and opportunities for improvement. For
example, a hospital might learn from surveys
that their customers care less about the time
it takes to be admitted than they do about
safe medical procedures and proper medications.
How
do we select Lean events to work on?
There is a systematic process for selection
that begins with the organization’s
strategy and top management. They identify
what processes are “hurting” the
organization the most, and then develop value
stream maps for those processes. Areas of
waste are identified, and then translated
into executable improvement opportunities.
Once the opportunities are prioritized, then
process improvement teams are assigned to
work on the problems by conducting Lean events.
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