Lean operation is the ongoing practice of maximizing value through continuous improvement. It involves focusing on the customer, eliminating waste, and empowering people at all levels. It is achieved by making incremental changes daily, not through monumental overnight transformation.
Start small with focused impact
*Applying the 80/20 rule to identify and implement the most meaningful changes first.*
✔ Identify the top 20% of problems causing 80% of your inefficiency or waste
✔ Tackle the easiest, most obvious improvements first to build momentum
✔ Document one core process today to understand its current flow and pain points
✔ Celebrate small wins to build team confidence and reinforce progress
✔ Schedule regular, short improvement sessions rather than occasional marathons
Optimize organization and flow
Redesigning work areas and processes to promote efficiency and reduce waste.
✔ Map your primary workflow using a simple flowchart to visualize each step
✔ Conduct a 5S sort of one work area: Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain
✔ Ask "How can we serve our customer better, faster, or cheaper?" with one specific idea this week
✔ Remove one piece of unused inventory or obsolete equipment from your workspace today
✔ Ensure tools and materials are placed logically to minimize movement and search time
Cultivate continuous improvement
Building a culture where everyone is empowered to identify and implement improvements.
✔ Hold a brief daily or weekly team huddle focused on "What can we improve?"
✔ Recognize and reward one employee-suggested improvement each month
✔ Lead by example—show your team you are committed to learning and improving daily
✔ Document and share successful improvements to build collective knowledge
✔ Reframe challenges as opportunities for improvement, not just problems to solve
Sustain the lean mindset
Making lean thinking a daily habit, not a one-time initiative.
✔ Incorporate a "continuous improvement" item into every team meeting agenda
✔ Encourage every team member to suggest one small improvement per week
✔ Review and update process documentation regularly as improvements are made
✔ Share customer feedback directly with teams to connect their work to value created
✔ Remember that lean is a journey, not a destination—progress matters more than perfection
No comments:
Post a Comment