No More Excuses for the
Name....LEAN
By: Dwayne Keller
It is interesting to me the number of times that I’ve heard
Lean practitioners make excuses for the term “Lean” because it usually has negative connotations before being fully explained.
When people hear “Lean” for the first time, they think it means that resources will be “Leaned out” and if they remain,
they will have to pick up the additional work. Of course, Lean does mean doing more with less, but work actually gets easier and less
frustrating. This sparked me to think about a way to proactively communicate what LEAN really means in a simple, easy-to-remember way.
Below is my attempt at that.
Leadership
Eliminate Waste
Act Now
Never-ending
Leadership
How appropriate it is that Lean begins with “L” for Leadership. The only chance a
Lean culture has of being implemented and sustained is with strong, committed leadership. Leaders must be willing to change their own behavior
by setting and communicating a Lean vision, developing and consistently following their own leader standard work, and developing people. They
know that they cannot delegate Lean implementation to a subordinate.
Eliminate Waste
The second letter, “E,” is perfect for communicating the essence of LEAN.
Eliminating waste is what Lean is all about. In Taiichi Ohno’s book, The Toyota Production System, he must have mentioned eliminating
waste over 50 times. He abhorred waste, and was ruthless in his pursuit to build and execute a production system that continuously exposed and
destroyed it. Eliminating waste is the only way to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost simultaneously. It doesn’t get much
better than that.
Act Now
Lean and analysis paralysis cannot co-exist. Lean is truly in place in an organization
when processes are signaling problems at a high frequency and people are following the scientific method (problem-cause-solution-action-measure)
to eliminate the root causes of the problems so they never return. Lean is about acting in-the-moment to solve problems where and when they
occur.
Never-ending
Finally, people with a Lean Thinking mind set will relentlessly pursue the Ideal. They are
always trying to find a better way to do their work to exceed their customers’ expectations and ensure the longevity of their companies.
This, they understand, is the only way to stay ahead of the competition and provide job security.
I hope this acronym helps give Lean a more positive image to the uninitiated. It
certainly has a positive image with those who have experienced its significant benefits.
