Lean methods for every business process

Lean production methods have been evolving since the
beginning of the industrial revolution.  Examples
include Henry Ford’s creation of the first production line for
the automobile industry, and
in World War II where a B24 was rolling of the assembly line
every 56 minutes.  Lean methods have been further improved
by Toyota, and other forward
thinking companies with undeniable results. Toyota has been rated #1
in auto manufacturing quality for the past five years.
Lean methods include:

• 5S Programs


• Theory of Constraints


• The 7 Wastes


• Toyota Production Systems, (TPS)


• Demand Flow


• Just in Time


• Value Stream Mapping


• Transactional Mapping


• TQC


• Re-engineering

In all cases the expected outcome remains the same:

• Focus on Customer, their expectations and what they perceive as value


• A passion for Continuous Improvement in the elimination of waste


• Identification of where an organization adds value and the identification
  of non-value activities to enable the successful implementation of
  the future state vision


• Creating the ability for products or activities, (transactions) to
  flow through a process map in shortest amount of time possible


• Establishing disciplines to link Customer Demand directly to processes,
  transactions, resource, or material.

There is a strong case that
can be made for a partnership between Six Sigma, which fixes processes,
and lean, which fixes the connections between processes. By combining
Six Sigma and Lean you will gain a broad perspective on your people,
processes, and results that will yield powerful data driven solutions
and grow your business.
Many companies will latch onto one or two lean methods
and realize short term improvements. This is where a comprehensive Six
Sigma program then steps in to assess process variation and manage the
continuous improvement of expected outcomes for the long term.