LEAN Process Improvement: Delivering More with Less

Delays, inefficiencies and rising costs often stem from processes that no longer work as intended. This LEAN process improvement course teaches practical tools and techniques to help you identify waste, streamline workflows and deliver more value with fewer resources.

Participants learn how to apply key LEAN concepts, including the 7 types of waste, 5S, Kaizen, Kanban and error-proofing techniques, along with the DMAIC framework. You’ll map value streams, evaluate which activities add value and eliminate those that do not.

Through hands-on exercises and a guided case study, you’ll apply LEAN tools to analyze and improve a real process. By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped to implement LEAN process improvements that increase efficiency, reduce costs and deliver measurable results.

• Focus your actions on customer requirements 
• Differentiate between value and non-value-adding activities 
• Measure and analyze the efficiency of an existing process 
• Improve the efficiency of a broken, cumbersome process 
• Re-measure the efficiency of an improved process 
• Customize a LEAN tool you can utilize right away 
• Deliver better results faster with fewer resources

• Understanding LEAN methodology concepts 
• Finding and assessing the bottlenecks that make your internal processes costly and cumbersome 
• Mapping the customer value stream 
• Identifying LEAN metrics 
• Discerning the connection between LEAN and Six Sigma 
• Grasping the 7 types of waste 
• Understanding the 5 key LEAN methods used for process improvement : 5S, Poka, Yoke, Kanban, and Kaizen 
• Implementing LEAN tools to decrease process waste 
• Recognizing the elements of continuous improvement

Learning Objectives

• Cite Real-World Examples of the Use of LEAN Tools
• Look at Business Problems in a New Way
• Deploy the Tools Necessary to Fix Those Problems
• Demonstrate Thought Leadership
• Use Your New Skills to Differentiate Yourself in Your Organization

LEAN Basics

• Define LEAN
• Identify Key Milestones and Players in LEAN
• Describe the Cost-Plus Model and LEAN
• Compare and Contrast the Cost-Plus Model Versus Lean
• Explain Six Sigma and Compare It to LEAN

LEAN Concepts

• Identify and Describe the Seven Types of Waste
• Define the 5Ss
• Describe Just-in-Time Manufacturing
• Explain the Difference Between Push and Pull Production Systems
• Explain the Purpose of Kanban
• Explain the Benefits of Jidoka
• Explain the Benefits of Creating a Visual Workplace with Visual Controls
• Define Poka-Yoke/Fail Safing and Describe Its Purpose and Benefits
• Calculate Rolled Throughput Yield, or RTY
• Define the Three Types of Benchmarking and Their Benefits

Process Mapping

• Define the Aspects of a Work Process: A Critical Work Process, Inputs and Outputs, Project Roles and Responsibilities, and Problem Statement
• Flowchart a Process
• Draft a Project Charter

Value Stream Mapping

• Conduct Value Stream Mapping and Describe Its Purpose and Value
• Explain the Difference Between and Identify Value-Added (VA) and Non-Value-Added (NVA) Process Steps
• Measure the Relationship Between VA and NVA Steps
• Define and Contrast Takt and Cycle Time

Kaizen Events

• Describe the Purpose of a Kaizen Event
• List the Components of a Kaizen Event
• Define the Roles and Responsibilities of Team Members
• Explain the Recommended Rules of Engagement

Your Turn! Putting It All Together

• Reduce or Eliminate Process Waste and Redesign a Process Based on LEAN Concepts
• Evaluate and Improve Cycle Time
• Identify the Cost of Change

Communicating Success

• Use an Executive-Level 4-Blocker to Communicate Successful Implementation of LEAN Principles
• Use a Managing-By-Fact Storyboard to Communicate Successful Implementation of LEAN Principles

Download Extended Seminar Outline PDF