Lean Is A Journey Not A Destination
Many companies have already started lean but I think many people might ask “Are we lean?” You might measure “being lean” on how much waste is removed. To be truly lean 100% of the waste form a process has to be removed and the reality is that there will always be some level of waste. Another way to think of it is that lean is a way of doing business. LEAN IS NOT A SET OF TOOLS! Lean is a cultural change to the way a company does business. Because it’s a culture change it becomes more of a journey than a destination.
Here are some ways to differentiate between lean culture and lean as a set of tools:
How do we as an organization move towards a Lean facility? Here are the steps to follow:1) Determine where you are and how you react to the situations above. Be honest with yourselves and have your lean consultant help you.
2) Once you determine what needs to be addressed you will want to begin changing areas of the operation. This can include but are not limited to the following:
a. Metrics Used to Measure Performance
b. Governance Process
c. Policy Deployment
d. Daily Meeting Schedule
e. Leader Standard Work
f. Performance Management System
g. Cultural Training
3) Once you determine the areas for change then the leaders and the lean
How does your company execute to lean?