You’re considering Lean Manufacturing. What are the most common misconceptions you should be aware of?

Completely agree! Lean isn't confined to manufacturing. As someone deploying lean in local government, I've seen how it improves processes, employee engagement and service delivery. From permit processing to design reviews, lean fosters efficiency and empowers continuous improvement, transforming how we deliver value to our communities.

Before saying you want to adopt lean, it’s important to know that lean is more than continuous improvement, it’s more than tools, it’s more than andon cords, lights, signs, 5s and A3’s. To embrace lean, start with culture and leaders. Otherwise you’re just giving the company a new toolbox. The people on the line will follow the leadership. If leaders truly embrace lean, the team will follow.

Le Lean Management vise principalement les objectifs ci-dessous?: Création de valeur pour le client. Amélioration de la performance de l’entreprise. Implication de tous les salariés.

The majority of the organizations struggle with the application of the concept. The concept is simple and applicable. The key ingredient is to make sure the enterprise honors the very basic concept and the reason why the culture exists, once that is understood widely, then the application should be simple, any process can be mapped, it has inputs and outputs, and should define its performance measurements. Therefore, if we can define the target, and we can measure against it, then the problem would be visual, and if we have people that use problems as a method to learn, teach and develop then you are ready to embrace all the techniques that you can learn in a book or in a course. The major question: do you accept the challenge?

Myth that Lean should be used for cost reduction. While Lean may indirectly help with cost reduction, it should not be applied/initiated as cost reduction.

N?o exatamente. Implementar a Filosofia Lean n?o está diretamente atrelado a redu??o de empregos. Lean foca em redu??o de desperdícios e esta redu??o pode, sim, aumentar a produtividade do negócio com o mesmo contingente de m?o de obra. Abre uma possibilidade de capacita??o para melhoria da qualidade do processo. Outro ponto importante frisar é que consequentemente o Custo será impactado mediante a redu??o dos desperdícios.

Lean is about engaging employees, improving processes, developing employees’ skills, cutting costs and maximizing performance. It’s not about cutting jobs. People can always be reassigned to perform more value-added jobs. Lean is about securing jobs long-term. The better your organization is at deploying lean, the more secure your jobs will be long-term.

Lean is about customer focus. When you have eliminated or reduced the non value added elements, then efficiency, quality, and customer success will all improve.

When a company is serious about making lean a priority, the reduced waste typically creates an opportunity for growth. Many times I have worked as a change agent leading process improvement teams, and after we have developed a successful lean strategy, the labour and time capacity is freed up, which allows for the company to take on larger orders and more customers. Not to mention the fact that more orders are shipped complete and more orders are 100% accurate. Without a successful lean strategy, most companies will not be able to sustain profitable long-term growth.

Not necessarily, it will aid better use of resource and working smarter not harder. Trimming true waste in process is more common than trimming people. Right tools right time

Lean is a mind set. At initial stage lean is applied through projects to tighten the belt but in the long run it must become a routine practice, a habit, a way of life.

Um projeto Lean é um eterno PDCA. Organizar processos a curto prazo é um primeiro passo, rápido e eficaz se você tem problemas em sua organiza??o. A parte difícil é mante-lo, medi-lo, planejar as altera??es e executa-las. Isso garantirá um futuro sólido à empresa e aos processos.

Esse é outro mito sobre o Lean. O Lean n?o é um projeto único com um come?o e um fim. Em vez disso, é uma filosofia contínua que promove a melhoria contínua em todos os aspectos de uma organiza??o. O Lean envolve a identifica??o e elimina??o contínua de desperdícios, bem como o desenvolvimento de uma cultura de melhoria contínua em toda a organiza??o. Portanto, o Lean é mais um compromisso de longo prazo com a excelência operacional do que um projeto único com um resultado definido.

Lean project management isn’t a one-time thing rather, it’s an cyclic process. Lean is not a destination; it is a journey. For achieving perfection is the core principle of lean management, which involves making continuous improvements to your workflow. Whether your customer is an internal or external stakeholder, their demands will be ever changing. This means you’ll need to assess your product value intermittently and regularly analyze your workflow for waste.

Lean is not just a methodology or set of tools; it's a mindset, a way of thinking, and a culture that drives organizations towards excellence and continuous evolution. It goes beyond isolated efforts and instead becomes deeply embedded in the DNA of the organization. At its core, Lean emphasizes continuous improvement and the ongoing refinement of processes to achieve optimal efficiency and effectiveness. It influences decision-making at all levels and becomes ingrained in day-to-day operations. As a result, companies experience sustainable growth and enhanced resilience, capable of weathering market uncertainties and challenges.

How many companies copied the Toyota Production System, thinking with this Lean methods, the company will be boosted to the next level - but only those companies which adapted the philosophy and developed their own specific system succeeded!

Fake Lean is a cookie cutter approach and that is what gets folks in trouble. Instead of reflecting on what lies at the heart of continuous improvement (kaizen, scientific thinking, reflection), people apply old thinking to new problems instead of asking people in the current condition what we might do to achieve our goals.

Recent research results support the contingency theory proposed by many authors such as Henao et al. (2019), Chavez et al. (2015), and Sunder and Prashar (2020). Under this perspective, the “one approach fits all” LM implementation is likely to fail (Danese et al., 2018). Instead, companies should adapt their lean approach in accordance with their context, culture, and strategy, ensuring a less stressful lean transition and more sustainable results. It suggests that indeed cultural, geographic, and even language barriers are among the CSF for lean, and evidence was found on case studies that companies tend to achieve better results from lean practices that are highly adapted, rather than implementing them “by the book”.

In my experiance you can NOT read a book or think you know Lean principles and think you can copy and paste the program. You have to know and understand the current culture and start with the Basics and it must start at the Top! You have to understand Current State and develope the plan for this Team 'Step by Step' or Baby Steps! Its the change of the current DNA of the Team and the desire and acceptance of Continuous Improvement...... the overall Team must accept that they want to improve and have the desire to 'Be better Today than Yesturday' Remember why you got promoted in the old days ....you got things done Now imagine a whole Team Of Problem Solvers! WOW

Some think of Lean Manufacturing as a one-size-fits-all solution, easily replicated across organizations. However, Lean isn't a standardized template; it's a tailored approach that adapts to each organization's unique needs and circumstances. Rather than a rigid recipe, Lean serves as a guiding philosophy, empowering organizations to discover their own optimal practices and solutions.

Lean implementation is not an easy task. It requires the involvement of people with clear vision and plans to make it successful. Lean implementation failed in many cases as management wanted to see results quickly by implementing lean which is not a good approach. Dedication and patience are required to make it more beneficial to any organization.

Lean can be easy to implement as long as the team understands the game and how it works. The implementation varies from one team to another, but the concept of Lean remains the same.

Um exemplo que já vivenciei com a implementa??o do Lean, foi a participa??o total de todos os envolvidos para o sucesso desde o kick off da cultura Lean Manufacturing. O Lean requer uma transforma??o geral na organiza??o, onde exige total disciplina, apoio da alta gest?o, participa??o de todos com perseveran?a para o êxito na mudan?a de cultura organiza??o.

L'implantation d'un modèle Lean est toute sauf facile. Certes, nous avons plusieurs modèles de référence sur le marché, notamment le Toyota Way avec les 14 principes Toyota qui peuvent guider et faciliter l'implantation initiale mais il faut aussi des gens dédiés, compétent et qui y croit afin de bénéficier du plein potentiel d'un système Lean fonctionnel et qui va assurer une pérennité du modèle mis en place. De plus, il ne faut pas simplement copier un modèle existant, il faut l'adopter selon ses besoins et sa vision afin d'en tirer le plus d'avantages ainsi que d'assurer une meilleure acceptation de la part de l'équipe interne.

Primeiro passo para a desafiadora miss?o de implanta??o do Lean, e ter a total aceita??o e comprometimento por parte da diretoria, as mudan?as n?o partem de baixo para cima e sim ao contrário, toda mudan?a é complexa ainda mais quando n?o se tem envolvimento de todos, as possibilidades de implantar o Lean só é possível se as mudan?as psicológicas forem enraizadas antes das físicas.

Lean is a philosophy, but each philosophy requires the right people and mindset to be successfully implemented - success is much more than only following Lean!

Abandoning this myth is SO important for a business organization! The Lean strategy has brought notable success when it's a good fit to the real business needs, but so has good engineering, financial acumen, statistical thinking, etc. If you are considering adopting Lean, the best person to consult is someone who can and will tell you where it fits readily and where it fits poorly. A zealot will never be able to distinguish between the two.

Lean is Philosophy which needs to be breathe every day. Getting attracted to wards lean tools organization leaders forget the philosophy. Lean culture is only possible if it top down approach, efforts are put to train the workforce. Built the second line leadership with lean philosophy.

Lean practices focus on improving operational efficiency and responsiveness but do not shield companies from external market forces. Competitors offering superior products, services, or pricing can still impact market share and profitability despite Lean implementation. Strategic decisions related to market positioning, product development, expansion, partnerships, and risk management are crucial alongside Lean methodologies. While Lean aims to enhance resilience and agility, it may not fully mitigate risks posed by external factors like geopolitical events, natural disasters, or supply chain disruptions. A culture fostering innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement complements Lean practices effectively.

Alta competitividade e o sucesso requerem uma base bem solida e enraizada nas organiza??es, e o Lean é apenas um dos pilares de sustenta??o desta estrutura . Como toda cultura de qualidade, se n?o houver o engajamento da alta dire??o e principalmente das lideran?as para que as práticas do Lean saiam do papel e entre na "corrente sanguínea " da organiza??o, difícilmente os resultados planejados ser?o alcan?ados e duradouros nos processos onde foram implementados. Sem resultados duradouros difícilmente a organiza??o será competitiva em sua atividade.

- Lean is not just about cutting costs - Lean applies beyond manufacturing - Lean isn't solely about automation - Lean is a continuous improvement process - Lean benefits companies of all sizes - Lean is about working smarter, not harder - Lean doesn't eliminate all inventory - Lean is a proven philosophy, not a fad

Nothing in this world stays static. You need to constantly improve your value to your customers and markets. Lean also engages the creative energies of all your employees which keeps them engaged and more fulfilled. It provides them with a sense of subsidiarity that is important in any healthy employment culture.

Lean is a journey and all journeys have a beginning and an end. What is the beginning of the Lean journey? Where does it start? How does it start? It starts as all things start - with a need. A manufacturing issue, a failing KPI, a quality event; all needs a company might encounter. You'll never get to the end. With innovation and changing business climates, there will always be a need for change in manufacturing processes, business models and culture. It takes a big commitment from the highest levels of the ORG Chart.

Lean Manufacturing is a Culture…. !!!, all departments need to be included. Lean Manufacturing is the full optimizations of process.

Lean es más acerca de personas que de procesos. Uno de los errores más comunes es dejar el factor humano como último recurso en consideración.