Where to start?

In today's rapid paced business environment it is quite easy to mount ones horse and ride off in all directions. Wherever you get, there you are, but where is that? First, what is required is a plan, a Lean Vision. Lean is a long-term initiative, so the plan should look out three to five years, ending with a Lean Enterprise.

So what's a Lean Enterprise? Well, it is the purposeful elimination of wasteful activities in all areas of the business. The plan will include detail, actions, and activities for the first year, then become less and less detailed as the years roll out. This is important because as one progresses through year one much will be learned. This increased body of knowledge will, no doubt, effect change in the rest of the plan. Yes, the plan must be dynamic and updated as new ideas and goals surface. Remember a plan is only a dream until the necessary resources and initiatives have been applied.

So now where do we start? How about a Lean Implementation Team. Numbered among this group will be those that have received training in Lean Thinking. There are many resources for such training. On a local note, KAVON International can meet all your training, implementation, and team facilitation needs.

When to Start

Something as strikingly different as Lean shocks most managers. The very best time to start is when the company is in a crisis. When times are good it is difficult to imagine change is required, but in crisis one turns to change more easily. It becomes painfully clear that if we keep on doing what we are doing we will continue to get what we are getting. If what we are getting is a crisis, then change must be necessary.

If you are keen to start Lean right now and you don't currently have a crisis, create one.

In today's rapid paced business environment it is quite easy to mount ones horse and ride off in all directions. Wherever you get, there you are, but where is that? First, what is required is a plan, a Lean Vision. Lean is a long-term initiative, so the plan should look out three to five years, ending with a Lean Enterprise.

So what's a Lean Enterprise? Well, it is the purposeful elimination of wasteful activities in all areas of the business. The plan will include detail, actions, and activities for the first year, then become less and less detailed as the years roll out. This is important because as one progresses through year one much will be learned. This increased body of knowledge will, no doubt, effect change in the rest of the plan. Yes, the plan must be dynamic and updated as new ideas and goals surface. Remember a plan is only a dream until the necessary resources and initiatives have been applied.

So now where do we start? How about a Lean Implementation Team. Numbered among this group will be those that have received training in Lean Thinking. There are many resources for such training. On a local note, KAVON International can meet all your training, implementation, and team facilitation needs.

Getting Started

Now lets really start. Don't try to boil the ocean. Pick an Initial Application Area (IAA) and make it Lean. The choosing and prosecution of Lean in the IAA will be part of year one in the Lean Enterprise Plan.

If it has been decided to begin with a manufacturing area, for the IAA, then the first thing to do is organize the products produced into value streams. Once this is completed, choose one for the IAA. In this selected IAA we will proceed to create a complete Lean Enterprise, including all connected and not so connected activities.

Next month we will learn how to organize the products by value streams. Also, just what is a value stream? We will demystify this whole area next month.