What is Lean Thinking?
If you are a Lean practitioner you would more or less agree with the definition of “Lean” as the relentless elimination of waste to satisfy the customer.
While Lean finds it roots in the manufacturing industry, it can be applied as well in processes in the services industry such as airline reservation, loan application or preparation of a financial report.
In fact as long as there is a process one can apply “Lean Thinking” into it. I used to have a boss who applied Lean in his everyday routine (even in his home). Now that’s one true Lean fanatic !
That one might be too extreme but perhaps the next time you look into your process, you might put on your “Lean goggles” and think how you can further improve it. You will be on your way to become a master of Lean Thinking.
Here are some questions that will guide you through it.
What is my process?
What is the output of my process?
What who is the recipient of the output?
What are his requirements for the output?
What transformation is happening from my input to my output?
Am I contributing in that transformation?
What sub-steps if any are hindering the transformation?
How can I hasten the transformation towards the output.
Whether you are a loan processor, a reporting analyst or a process team leader ask these questions puts you in a Lean Thinking mode. Sooner or later you’ll be on your way on making dramatic improvements on your process.
