Lean Thinking

Currently in this world of constant change and uncertainty, we seek to offer products and services that create value for both, the company and the client, but… how do we achieve it? One of the most interesting innovation methodologies is Lean Thinking, a well-founded concept by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones, whose goal is the continuous improvement in the way of working.

The main objective is to eliminate waste while increasing the productivity of the company. It also focuses on improving the quality of products and services, as well as the stability of their processes. So if you think there are small tasks that can be eliminated because they do not add value or quality to your product, acquiring this method of work would be a good option.

Lean House

The fundamental concepts about this methodology can be explained with the metaphor of the house.

• At the base, we would find teamwork, challenges, and Kaizen, whose meaning is the continuous improvement of production processes.
• Then we would find two pillars: lean tools and people.
• And all this would be collected under a roof that represents Lean Thinking as Design Thinking.

Absolutely everything is important for the success and improvement of our activities, especially the role of people and teams.

The way is to implant in the culture of the organization the Keizen Spirit, the good change.

Lean Principles

We find fundamentally 5 Lean principles.

• We must identify and define the value from the client’s perspective.
• As well as identifying the flow of value.
• Once identified, that flow should be optimized.
• It is also important to extract the value of small activities.
• In addition, we must permanently seek perfection by observing and analyzing the process.

What kind of waste are we talking about?

As we said, the main objective is to reduce the waste to the maximum to be as efficient as possible. This is a list of waste types that invites us to reflect on what things we are doing wrong and we can change.

• Movement
• Overproduction
• Wait
• Transport
• Extra processing
• Correction
• Untapped talent
• Information and data

The list could be infinite. The truth is that continuous improvement is only possible by measuring and analyzing what is happening. Creating value and reducing waste in order to reduce costs and improve productivity is not only a concern of the industrial world. Lean Manufacturing, Lean Startup, management, and all interpretations of Lean Thinking are also applicable to service companies and the creation of experiences. Discover the example that BCG uses with pizzas.

In short, the activities provide value when the customer is willing to pay for them, transform, and improve those already existing products and services, and perform correctly the first time. Are we beginning to implant Keizen Spirit in our organizations?