In its simplest form, Lean is the set of "tools" that assist in the identification and steady elimination of waste (the Japanese call this muda). Lean implementations focused on getting the right products/services, to the right place, at the right time, in the right quantity to achieve perfect work flow (value transfer to customers) while minimizing waste and being flexible and able to change.
Lean aims to make the work simple enough to understand, to do and to manage. The tools provide different ways to identify, understand and workaround certain types of problems but they don’t solve them. It is up to operators and business improvement practitioners to highlight the underlying cause of many types of problems and then determine a context specific solution.
But the tools on their own do not fully define lean; ‘lean is both technical and emotional’. There are many examples of Lean tool implementation without sustained benefit and these are often blamed on weak understanding of the Lean culture. The cultural and managerial aspects of Lean are just as important as, if not more important than, the actual tools or principles themselves. When implementing Lean, the key question is not, ‘what tools do we need to use?’, but ‘how do we understand our business system and how can we engage our employees so that they can improve it?’
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Our Lean training focuses on three key groups within your business, the practitioners, the observers and the management. Practitioners are taught the lean tools and techniques to ensure that they are able to support lean activities and coach and mentor others. Observers are made aware of lean and the simple tools and techniques as they are often called upon to act as subject matter experts. Managers set the strategy for improvement and play a pivotal role in the formulation and scope of improvement projects. They also empower lower levels to improve, which is essential for the real power of lean to be utilised.
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LEA101 - Lean Awareness
Enterprise-wide awareness is essential for a successful Lean programme. Whether you produce a product or deliver a service, this 1 day course is a must for all employees. It provides a basic introduction to Lean thinking and ensures employees understand the core principles of Lean, how it is deployed and how they can contribute. This is achieved through lecture presentations and participation in a lean improvement simulation exercise.
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LEA103 - Lean Foundation
Successful improvement projects are delivered by confident and competent practitioners. This 5 day course focuses on developing foundation skills and introduces the basic tools that will enable participants to visualise, analyse and improve business processes. The learning experience is a blend of Lean theory and practical exercises that builds technical skills and confidence.
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Lean is not simply the application of analysis tools, indeed our most important analysis tools are our brains. As such lean is as much about thinking and seeing as it is about formalised analysis. Lean is deployed in three ways; through rapid improvement events (kaizen events), through long term interventions (conventional projects) and through workers finding the best way every day to do their jobs.
Kaizen events require a facilitator and are run over 1-5 days during which a problem/opportunity is resolved and implemented. By nature these solutions are often simple and easy to deploy. More complex projects are delivered through interventions. However the real success of lean is when every member of staff is focused on improving their area of work through a collective vision of the business system. As you can imagine this takes time to achieve, in fact it’s taken Toyota over 40 years and they are not finished yet!
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For an informal discussion about how we can help you to implement Lean within your business please fill in the form below and we will give you a call (please specify a time and date) or call 0844 858 4120 to speak to one of our consultants.
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