Lean is not a quick fix Commitment, ongoing attention and resources Readiness to implement the changes Promotion of the Lean Philosophy as the way of thinking Leadership, including frontline supervisors becoming Lean champions Belief that those doing the job know best how to improve the job Emphasis on fixing the processes on the people – avoiding blame Understanding Lean is a continuous process with ongoing opportunities for improvement Communicating openly across the organization Giving work teams the responsibility and authority for making improvements Celebrating Successes

Is your organization ready for Lean?    Important Questions to Ask.... -Are you as leaders aware of current business trends in your industry? -Do you frequently survey your customers to understand and adapt to their changing needs? -Do you have a formal strategic plan? -Are organizational actions aligned with this plan? -Do leaders communicate values, performance goals and clear expectations throughout the organization?       -Does your organization encourage employees to innovate and value their contributions? -Do you use cross functional teams to solve problems? -Do you see a need for change within your organization? - Would everyone in your organization answer these questions the same way? If you can answer yes to these questions, your organization will have a good chance of succeeding on your Lean journey.  If you have answered no to most of the questions, all is not lost - you will need to  work harder to implement Lean and the improvements may be tougher to implement and sustain.

Wastes found in Office Processes -  Are these familiar?   Fixing Defects/Errors  Examples:   Errors, incomplete information, wrong forms, design errors, order entry errors, inspection stations vs. quality at the source  Overproduction Examples:  Producing sooner than needed by the downstream workstation, producing more than is needed by the next downstream workstation,  printing paperwork too soon,  just in case logic,  because we can Waiting Examples:  Queue time, batch processing, system downtime, approvals from superiors, information from customers (internal/external), telephone tag, information gatekeepers Unnecessary Transport Examples:  Information hand-offs, report distribution, e-mail attachments, movement of paperwork, circulating paperwork for signatures Over-Processing Examples:  Entering data more than once, making extra copies, producing unnecessary or excessive reports, expediting, picking and kitting, creating multiple work orders, entering non-critical data Excess Inventory Examples:  Surplus forms, computers, materials, obsolete forms, filled In-boxes, partial data forms, retention of documents beyond what is required Excess Motion Examples:  Going to and from the copier, fax machine and traveling to meetings Underutilized People Examples:  Limited authority and responsibility for basic tasks, management “command and control,” inadequate business tools available