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The basic principles of Lean and how they are used in a workplace
Lean originated in the manufacturing industry, but is used today in everything from production and logistics to offices, hospitals, and service. The core is simple: you focus attention on what the customer actually experiences as value, and systematically eliminate what does not contribute to this value.
Value is what the customer is willing to pay for, or what is a necessary part of a good result. Waste (in Japanese muda) is all activities that use time, space or resources without adding value. When you learn to see waste, you often discover that a large part of a working day is spent on waiting time, duplicate work and unnecessary transport.
One of the strongest concepts in Lean is continuous improvement (in Japanese kaizen). Instead of large rare changes you work with many small improvements suggested by those who know the work best — the employees themselves. Many workplaces use board meetings where the team briefly reviews what went well what was tricky and what improvements they want to try.
5S is a simple method for creating order and overview in a workplace. The five steps are about sorting, setting in order, keeping clean, standardising and sustaining habits. The result is a workplace where things are where they should be, and where deviations are easy to spot.
“It is not the fastest hand that wins — it is the one that does not have to search for the tool.”
— Lean sayings
Lean works best when management and employees work together on it. Management sets the framework and prioritizes, while employees contribute with concrete knowledge of where the waste actually is.