At Process Improvement, LLC we lead companies through Lean Deployments using the 14 Guiding Principles that are at the heart of Toyota's philosophy and success.
Before your organization attempts to implement a Lean Production System, it's time for a management gut check. Success hinges on leadership support and drive for any initiative. Support means verbally supporting Lean at every opportunity, but requires much more than verbal support. It means spending money, allocating resources, and making management incentive compensation tied significantly to Lean Production goals. Are you ready?
Senior leadership should get together and have an open and honest discussion.
Ask yourselves:
Are we ready to embrace a change of this magnitude?
It is important to know that there is no half-way - no trying out a tool here or there to see how it it works, it won't. Your organization may receive some benefit in the short term, but the benefits will not be sustained and eventually the Lean initiative will be dismissed as another flavor of the month.
If you decide to "give it a try," don't. Save your money and time for something that has a better chance of achieving ROI.
Can we persevere?
To be successful, you must be in this for the long haul. It will require the discipline to consistently apply the principles, systems, methods and tools/techniques over the years in your journey.
Don't try to implement too much too quickly. You will overload your resources, they will become frustrated, and will not be able to continue the pace and meet expectations. They will rebel against the systems and you will be forced to either abandon the initiative, or regroup and try again, neither of which is a desirable outcome.
Are we prepared to support this with money, resources, and the time required to educate?
The investment will return many times over, but it takes time to build momentum. Altering the way managers manage, creating systems to make problems visible and re-educating the workforce so that your company is truly an improvement-focused culture does not happen overnight. There will be years of investment in your most valuable resource - your people - before you really see the transformation you read about in world-class companies.
Once your organization is committed to the effort you are ready for the most amazing transformation your company will ever see. The results will be sustained and increasing year over year.
Guiding Principles established and supported at the highest organizational levels
Systems designed to support the principles and provide infrastructure to facilitate employees pursuit of operational excellence
Methods that provide the framework for employees to successfully work within the systems
Specific, well-defined tools, used within the method framework, for employees to use that help them improve everything they do to work toward the ideal principles
