This section covers the history and background of Lean, starting with Henry Ford up through Toyota, including what it is and what it is not. You will learn about organizations that have successfully implemented Lean. We will discuss how Lean works in manufacturing and non-manufacturing environments, helping you see the hidden waste. You will also learn about the 5 lean principles of Value, Value Stream, Flow, Pull and Perfection. You will understand how variation and waste leads to process excellence, why improvement initiatives fail, and the House of Lean that describes the core Lean leadership principles needed for success. We will also discuss the importance of developing a learning organization, and watch a video of a morning meeting at FastCap.

This section reviews the 5 lean principles, and introduces the Lean Triad, called the 3 M’s (Muda, Mura, Muri). You will also learn about different problem-solving processes like Plan-Do-Check-Act and the 8-Step Problem Solving Process. You will learn how to communicate and organize your problem-solving progress onto one sheet of paper, called an A3.

This section introduces the Japanese word “kaizen” which means incremental and continuous improvement of our processes. Kaizen can be done in our own work areas to save ourselves time and effort, while improving the quality of our work. We introduce a methodology called Kaizen Blitz which can be performed with a small team to make dramatic improvements to a targeted process, and is highlighted with a video. We also explain the popular kaizen event format, which is a multi-day session that brings together a team of people across multiple process areas to streamline the entire system. We share a video of a value stream mapping event, which follows the kaizen event format. We end the session with a discussion on a Lean Project, which is used for larger improvements that can take 3-6 months to complete.

One of the first ways to improve your process is to notice and identify the 3 M’s (Muda, Muri and Mura). We start with Muda, learning the 8 different types of waste, summarized by the acronym DOWNTIME. We will explain each of the 8 wastes, and give examples across multiple industries and sectors. We go through the other two M’s (Muri and Mura) and end with a video exercise of someone making toast, where you can practice spotting waste in the process.

This section covers a few case studies across different sectors. We’ll take a look at the Province of Saskatchewan and how Lean applies to a government agency. Then we’ll look at a nonprofit, Saint Bernard Project, and how they used Lean to rebuild more homes. Next, we’ll look at Pierson Workholding, a small CNC manufacturer, to learn how they adopted Lean into their processes. Finally, we’ll look at the health care industry at the Virginia Mason Institute, an early adopter of Lean.