Since the term Lean first appeared Lean the 1990s, it has been more or less overused ever since...
People are obsessed with adding a specialty to the word Lean manufacturing, office, IT, supply chain, pharma, management, etc.)
What's the point? Isn't it just making this approach confusing and complicated?
Read on to find out more!
The challenges of implementing Lean industrial/service companies
1- Companies (in the service sector, manufacturing, etc.) often think that if the consultant or external recruiter is not familiar with the business or the product, they will not be able to help us...
Wrong! Lean is Lean about the business or the product, but about processes! So there are no major difficulties in applying Lean principles Lean and at all levels (only certain tools may not be applicable).
According to Christian Hohmann in his book " Lean management lean be summarized as follows:
" Lean a systemic approach to designing and improving processes by aiming for an ideal state focused on customer satisfaction, through the involvement of all staff whose initiatives are aligned by common practices and principles."
2- Companies' perception of Lean be distorted because it is too often reduced to simply eliminating waste...but it is still necessary to understand and define the term "waste" (Muda, Muri, Mura).
Lean above all an approach that increases customer satisfaction through:
- Understanding customer needs and translating them into measurable requirements (VOC, CTS)
- The ability to be flexible in order to respond in real time to the voice of the customer (JAT)
- The ability to detect anomalies and malfunctions that could lead to non-compliance as early as possible (JIDOKA)
- The most efficient use of resources and means to best meet customer requirements
3- Companies often reduce Lean one-off improvement projects...
Projects are necessary to initiate the Lean approach, to demonstrate that it works, and to quickly adopt certain simple tools (e.g., 5S), but they are not an end in themselves. On the contrary, they are the beginning of the Lean mindset Lean
4- Companies often have too short-term a view of Lean
"I want quick results and an even quicker ROI!"
However, Lean intended to be a collective mindset fueled by Kaizen (improving a little bit every day), and it is understood that changing a mindset, and even more so long-standing habits, will take time.
We can therefore set up a project to demonstrate to everyone the relevance of the approach and the associated tools in order to project ourselves into a longer-term vision (Hoshin), and to integrate Lean a comprehensive, virtuous change process involving all staff at all levels.
5- Companies often think that employees are there to produce work, perform tasks, and are paid for that, so if you give them time to think about improving their processes, those employees will not produce any work!
An untreated malfunction inevitably becomes a work habit, a waste that we get used to and therefore no longer see as such: waste = an area for improvement.
Employees must be given the ability to map their processes, identify their issues (irritants and real problems), and take a step back from the activity they perform eight hours a day.
Identify Muda, Muri, and Mura with those involved in the process in order to reduce their impact.
The time investment required is incomparable to the potential gains of the process (effectiveness and efficiency).
6- Companies confine Lean and quality!) to specific departments ( Lean continuous improvement department, quality department), even though these two fundamental concepts are resolutely cross-functional within a company!
This makes it even more difficult for operational staff to understand and apply Lean philosophy Lean daily basis.
Launching an introductory training program to understand Lean principles Lean tools at every level of the company allows everyone to speak a common language and quickly identify areas for improvement, not to mention the management change management .
Combined with quality tools such as QRQC, results will be quick and will give everyone confidence in the usefulness of these approaches!
Lean vs. Lean
Why make a difference? What's the point? It's true that manufacturing companies operate without any support services...
Lean to manufacturing inevitably applies to support services that revolve around the shop floor
. The principles are the same, but some tools will be very difficult to apply in services (e.g.,SMED ).
Since the approach is process-based, Lean in the same way regardless of the industrial sector or service (tertiary):
- Understanding customer requirements
- Map the process and its components
- Identify Muda, Muri, Mura
- Initiate corrective actions
- Measuring the effectiveness of actions
A lead time is still a lead time! Whether it's the time it takes for an industrial product to be manufactured or for a bank loan application to be processed, it's the same thing and the same process... Why insist on adding extensions to the word Lean ultimately undermine the original spirit of the concept?
The Afnor NF X06-91 standard, which sets out the requirements for Lean Sigma project managers, makes no distinction between Green or Black Belts in Industry or Services. The only differences are in the depth of knowledge of certain tools.
Lean & Six Sigma
After 25 years of practicing these approaches in virtually every industrial sector, our expert consultant cannot do one without the other!
More than 50 years ago, Deming explained that a process can only be improved if it is measured and monitored. Six Sigma tools such as control charts make it possible to monitor the behavior of a process over time and quickly visualize any deviations.
Six Sigma complements Lean
- Focusing solely on Lean lead to managing tasks that are very useful but with a lot of variability in their execution.
- Focusing solely on Six Sigma can lead to mastering completely useless tasks...
- Implementing Lean Sigma can ultimately be a very winning combination!
Six Sigma is often mistakenly associated with high-volume industries, but Six Sigma also applies to processes where variability is the enemy.
Six Sigma will enable us to identify deviations from standards (defects, faults), quantify them, find the root causes, and implement corrective actions to get it right the first time, every time.
- Examples of deviations from service standards: customer complaints, unanswered calls, missing information, delays, missing items, response times, payment times, etc.
- Examples of deviations from industry standards: non-compliance, supplier deliveries, breakdowns, absenteeism, time, supply shortages, etc.
Here too, there is no distinction to be made between services and industries; Six Sigma can be applied everywhere!
Yanis CALDER – Consulting Director – Lean Sigma Black Belt
Please don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to learn more about our Lean Six Sigma expertise!
