LEAN TRANSFORMATION TAKES TIME AND PASSION

LEAN TRANSFORMATION TAKES TIME AND PASSION!

By Larry Coté

I spend much of my time talking with management in various environments who want to transform their existing organization using Lean. One of the discussion points early on is how to start and the time commitment for them and their staff. When I explain to them that it will take a month or so to see any process improvements and years to change the culture, I see the enthusiasm for change immediately drop.

Most are looking for someone or something magical; to create that overnight success so that they can move on to the next challenge and/or return to their day-to-day managing of the operation or business. So once they have accepted the commitment levels, we spend the next several hours discussing the importance of preparation.

• strategic alignment (Hoshin Planning – adapting Lean to their existing strategy)
• their unique training requirements for all levels
• the Current State analysis both culturally and operationally
• the Key Performance Indicators and quality measures – baseline
• the Future State – ideal and 3 month
• the detailed Future State Implementation Plan – Kaizen or CI events, sequencing, staff involvement and KPIs
• the Charter – champion, team, KPIs, timeline, etc.
• ongoing roles of management and staff to ensure sustainable results and continuous improvement

At the end of the discussion, the management team recognizes that this type of sustainable transformation is not your typical bandaid fix. They also recognize, some reluctantly, the importance of the planning efforts and the ongoing support required; if they truly want to make this a successful transformation. The true test of success is when the transformation is still moving forward months and years later, and when more and more ofthe staff are learning how to support and drive value to their clients using the effective structured change methodology.

I recognize that all of you have heard this message in one form or another in the past. Some of you may have had the opportunity to be part of a successful sustainable transformation that is still moving forward. So I thought it might be helpful to use an analogy to reinforce the importance of structured methodology and change.