Natalie J. Sayer

To understand how to apply Lean in any organization, you should know the basics: the principles, the definitions of value and waste, how to lead effectively, and how to define and improve the value stream. You should also be aware of how a Lean leader thinks and acts.What is Lean?Lean is a customer-centric methodology used to continuously improve any process through the elimination of waste in everything you do; it is based on the ideas of “Continuous Incremental Improvement” and “Respect for People.

Lean is a customer-centric methodology used to continuously improve any process through the elimination of waste in everything you do; it is based on the ideas of “Continuous Incremental Improvement” and “Respect for People.” Focus on the fundamentals The basic principles of Lean are Focus on effectively delivering value to your Customer Respect and engage the people Improve the Value Stream by eliminating all types of waste Maintain Flow Pull Through the System Strive for Perfection Your customer tells you what they value You customer defines value or value-added with the following three conditions: It must transform the product or service.

Waste comes in three main forms: Mura or waste due to variation Muri or waste due to overburdening or stressing the people, equipment or system. Muda also known as the “seven forms of waste”. The following are the wastes most commonly associated with Lean. Transportation: Is there unnecessary (non-value added) movement of parts, materials, or information between processes?

The term Kaizen is derived from two Japanese characters; kai, meaning “change” and zen meaning “continuous improvement.” Eliminating waste in the value stream is the goal of Kaizen. The PDCA (or PDSA) Cycle is the Lean working structure –the system for executing Kaizen. The acronym stands for: Plan. Create a plan for change, identifying specifically what you want to change.

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Lean leaders effectively exhibit the following behaviors every day. They know how the business serves the customer by Understanding what customers want, need, and value, or what will thrill them Knowing how the business satisfies the customer Improving the effectiveness of how the business satisfies th

To create a sustaining Lean organization, you lead differently. Lean leaders lead from gemba, where the action happens. They know the only way to truly understand what is happening is to go to the place where the action occurs. Once there, they apply 3Gen or the 3 Actuals: genchi — (like gemba) go to the actu

The value stream includes all of the activities, materials, people, and information that must flow and come together to provide your customer the value they want, when they want it and how they want it. You identify the value stream on a value-stream map, using specific icons. You improve the value stream by following the Plan-Do-Check-Act process (sometimes called the Plan-Do-Study-Act process).