Bringing “Lean” Principles to Service Industries

Standard course duration: 8 hours

Thanks to the pioneering success of Toyota, the concept of a “lean” operating environment has been implemented in countless manufacturing and distribution companies. With its focus on standardization, quality improvement, cost reduction, and efficiency, lean’s influence continues to grow. The motivation for this course was to present relevant aspects of lean manufacturing and to discuss how some of these lean concepts could be brought to service industries.

This course provides an overview of lean tools that provide a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement. The tools are divided into five areas: analyze, organize, prepare, establish and involve. The course presents the following specific lean tools: value stream mapping; workplace organization and layout; visual workplace; standard work; mistake-proofing; business process improvement, and kaizen.

Upon completion of this course participants will have learned about lean operations and the benefits it provides; how to identify wasteful activities; and major lean tools and their application in service environments.

Implementing Workplace Organization & 5S

Standard course duration: 8-16 hours

The 5S program is frequently the starting point for companies launching a Lean Services initiative. Too often, the quick start and enthusiasm generated in employee training for SORT, SET IN ORDER And SHINE loses momentum amid the continual turmoil of daily priorities and a lack of knowledgeable and consistent support for the implementation process. Training in the requirements and execution of the implementation process can overcome these obstacles and enable the sustained gains that are intended. This course provides participants with necessary tools to successfully initiate, plan and execute the 5S program. It takes participants beyond basic principles of 5S by discussing why the situation has occurred and how to prevent this situation from happening again. It concentrates on the preventive side of the 5S program – from remedial to preventive. This course uses a workshop format to “Learn and Do” the implementation techniques necessary to STANDARDIZE procedures and SUSTAIN gains.

Upon completion of this course, participants will understand the meaning and basic principles of 5S and learn the strategy and critical implementation skills for 5S implementation. They will gain practical experience with the implementation phase and will be able to lead departments or other organizational segments in a plant-wide 5S initiative.

Implementing a Continuous Improvement Program

Standard course duration: 8-16 hours

Lean Services focuses on waste, including many forms that are thought to be ordinary costs of doing business. While employees receive training in the identification of the various forms of waste in a service environment and discuss potential ways to reduce or eliminate it, they may not have the means of moving forward. A critical element in establishing a Continuous Improvement environment is Supervision knowledgeable in both waste identification and in basic problem solving techniques, and motivated to lead others in these activities. The course provides a real- world view of what works and what doesn’t. It teaches an effective way of introducing rapid change into an organization by utilizing the ideas and motivation of the people who do the work. The course discusses simple rules of survival in continuously changing environments. It teaches the basic problem solving techniques and helps participants become more successful at problem solving in a team environment. The course presents the philosophy of kaizen as the starting place for all lean improvements. This course uses a workshop format to “Learn and Do” the implementation techniques necessary to implement a Continuous Improvement Program.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to identify waste activities and know why they should be eliminated. They will be able to define and organize cross-functional teams. They will have gained practical experience with the implementation phase and will be able to lead departments or other organizational segments in a company-wide continuous improvement initiative.

The Visual Workplace

Standard course duration: 8-16 hours

This course presents visual operations techniques that can make the workplace an area where information is shared the way that every employee can take appropriate action. It discusses how to communicate and control operational requirements and to make goals, information, processing steps and progress visible to everyone by using displays, colors, pictures, lines, lights, etc. Starting with an overview of visual control systems, participants will learn the basic ideas of visual information systems and their application to company-specific situations.

Upon completion of this course participants will have developed an understanding of various visual production techniques and visual instructions, and their application to company-specific situations.

Value Stream Mapping

Standard course duration: 24 hours

This course teaches participants value stream mapping techniques to describe in workflow diagrams every vital step in business or service processes. Value stream mapping is a methodology for making both the waste and the flow of value highly visible to everyone. Major topics include: Basic Mapping Tools; Types of Maps; Defining a Company’s Value Streams; Developing Effective Maps; Analyzing a Current State Map; Developing a Future State Map; An Approach for Lean Implementation Using Mapping; and Implementing Improvements from a Value Stream Map.

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to apply value stream mapping techniques to their service processes; develop, analyze, and improve real value stream maps; develop alternate improvement scenarios; and select the right lean improvement tools.

Lean Office

Standard course duration: 24 hours

This course teaches participants the fundamental lean concepts of demand, flow, and work leveling as they relate to administrative areas with the goal of creating a lean office environment. It demonstrates the effectiveness of these techniques as they relate to the office environment and provides keys to successful implementation. Major topics include: How to Choose a Value Stream for Improvement; Basic Value Stream Management Tools; Map the Current State; Identify Lean Metrics; Map the Future State; the Kanban System; Standardized Work; Changing the Layout of the Work Area; and Sustaining the Commitment to Lean.

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to apply value stream techniques to their office processes; develop, analyze, and improve selected value streams using lean improvement tools.

Practical Lean Workshop

Standard course duration: 16-40 hours

Lean Services and other Lean disciplines have been developed, documented and are the subjects of many training sessions and publications. But how do you break the inertia between initial classroom training and putting that training to work?

This workshop teaches participants the steps for applying Lean principles in their workplace and then follows these steps in a series of activities culminating in a planned and implemented Kaizen event.

Training in the philosophy and basic concepts of Lean is a prerequisite for this workshop. Participants will be expected to understand and appreciate the importance of waste elimination and to have been exposed to Lean tools such as 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Visual Workplace and Pull/Kanban systems.

Participants start with a refresher on the tools of Lean and then move to the focus on waste in their workplace. A series of activities to find waste in its 8 forms, and then trace selected wastes back to root cause sets the stage for the class project.

Participants learn how to conduct a Kaizen event, then form teams and select an area or process with identified waste from the prior activity. Next they plan and execute the Kaizen event, using Lean tools to develop and recommend/make improvements. Finally, the class prepares a presentation for management on their project; from problems to solutions to actual or expected measurable results.

Upon completion of this course, participants will know how to apply Lean principles and will have hands-on experience in a successful Kaizen application in their workplace.

Lean Assessment

Standard course duration: 8 hours

Lean methodologies are justifiably credited with revolutionizing how businesses operate. In order to know where your organization is on its Lean transformation journey, you need a means of assessing your Lean implementation status and prioritizing your ongoing Lean implementation activities.

This course provides a scorekeeping system that considers 16 principles of the Lean philosophy of waste elimination. Each principle is viewed in terms of the degree of employee knowledge and experience with it, and the extent of implementation and use of the principle in moving the company forward.

Upon audit completion, the methodology provides for results being entered into a scorecard that serves as the basis for analyzing results. Prioritization is performed based upon criteria determined by the participants based upon company objectives, resources, savings potential, etc.

Upon completion of this course, participants will have learned a methodology for conducting a Lean assessment, how to analyze the results to identify areas for improvement and then how to prioritize the improvement areas in consideration of company-specific criteria developed in class. They will be able to apply the assessment and evaluation methods to track future progress and direct future Lean initiatives.

Operational Excellence

Standard course duration: 8 hours

This course, directed at supervisors and middle managers, is designed to present the concept and philosophy of Operational Excellence, and subsequently engage them in the continuous improvement process. Participants will learn the “what” and “why” of OpEx; and how to identify, investigate and seize performance improvement opportunities. They will understand their role in leading their teams on the OpEx path and how to set and achieve appropriate improvement goals.

Upon course completion, participants will be prepared to be pro-active in both leading and supporting an OpEx culture transition.

Lean Yellow Belt Contributor

Standard course duration: 16 hours

Prerequisites: Trainees must have previously completed course work in:

• Identifying and Eliminating Waste
• Workplace Organization and 5S
• Problem Solving Essentials

Lean Service is a continuous improvement methodology focused on the elimination of waste and non-value-add activities in the workplace. Lean initiatives engage workers at all levels in identifying waste and then applying Lean tools to eliminate it.

The Lean Yellow Belt Contributor certification course is designed to lead participants through a Kaizen event focused on resolving a company-specific issue. Participants will apply previously learned tools or tools taught specifically for this event.

Upon completion of this course, participants will have had the opportunity to put previously learned skills to use in a company–specific Kaizen event. They will have:

• Identified problems and wastes in the workplace
• Utilized a structured problem-solving approach to define the problem, determine root cause(s) and develop solutions
• Implemented steps for organizing their workplace to reduce clutter, better organize necessary items, maintain cleanliness, and document        standard practice with potential gains through improved quality and productivity, and reduction of floor space, WIP, and lead times
• Practiced the keys to effectively function in work teams to improve the performance of their work processes
• Used a straightforward approach to problem-solving, from definition to cause to solutions.

The course includes practical implementation exercises to reinforce Kaizen concepts. Each exercise is customized and uses workplace examples and situations relevant to the Kaizen event to maximize practicality.

The course includes a test of the participants’ knowledge; those achieving a passing grade will be certified as a Lean Yellow Belt Contributor.

Lean Practitioner

Standard course duration: 40 hours

Lean is a systematic approach that utilizes well-proven techniques to facilitate the elimination of waste and non-value adding activity in any type of industry (manufacturing, distribution/wholesale, service). The Lean Practitioner, a key role in any company, is someone who has developed an in- depth skill set that includes a complete “toolbox” of lean methodologies and techniques that will enable an organization to take major steps to improvement. This will result in more “delighted” customers and in the reduction of unnecessary expenses; must-be objectives for all organizations in today’s competitive marketplace.

The Lean Practitioner Certification course has been developed to provide the in-depth level of skills necessary to meet an organization’s objectives. Training will consist of a combination of classroom learning and practical “hands on” exercises and simulation activities that will focus on minimizing waste and non-value added activities throughout an organization’s processes. The following are the tools that will comprise the toolbox that participants will acquire; they will learn how to use them singly and in combinations that will greatly enhance their effectiveness:

  • Lean metrics
  • Problem solving
  • Workplace organization
  • Visual management
  • Error proofing
  • Process mapping
  • Value stream mapping
  • Total productive maintenance
  • Rapid changeover
  • Push vs pull (Kanban)
  • The lean total value supply chain approach
  • Lean implementation project: bringing it all together

Upon completion of this course, participants will have acquired a detailed knowledge of the key lean tools and, more importantly, they will have had the opportunity to use those tools in a practical application and in combination. They will be able to return to their organization and make a measurable difference. The program will feature, as a conclusion, the testing of all participants and the certification of all passing participants as certified Lean Practitioners.

Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt

Standard course duration: 40 hours

Lean Six Sigma is a methodology that relies on a collaborative team effort to improve performance by systematically removing waste; combining lean manufacturing/lean enterprise and Six Sigma to eliminate the eight kinds of waste. Lean Six Sigma practitioners have taken on a major role in continuous improvement initiatives.

This course introduces participants to the philosophies of Lean (eliminate waste) and Six Sigma (eliminate variation) through the seven principles that are the foundation of LSS. Participants then learn the five concepts of the Lean improvement process: identify value, map the value stream, create flow, establish pull and seek perfection. Training then moves to Lean tools, including 5S, Standard Work, the Visual Workplace, and Mistake-Proofing and their practical application. Switching to the Six Sigma track, concepts such as Voice of the Customer (VoC) and Critical to Quality (CTQ) are introduced followed by learning and applying tools such as process mapping, control charts, cost of quality and root cause analysis. Finally, the LSS hybrid methodology is taught, participants identify improvement opportunities within their workplace and then apply what they’ve learned to a selected opportunity.

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to identify improvement opportunities and participate effectively and contribute to the performance of improvement teams. They will be prepared, should they choose, to continue to develop their LSS skills to the Green or Black Belt level.