The Lean Champion Resource Guide
Raphael L. Vitalo, Christopher J. Bujak, James S. Byron, Patricia V. Bierley, and Barbara J. Ruffino
Don’t Leave the Commercial Benefits That Lean Enterprise Delivers Unrealized!
You have heard about lean and its ability to produce dramatic improvements in business success. You want your business to take advantage of its capabilities, but
What concretely does it mean to become “lean”?
Who can lead such an initiative?
What must they do?
How does a business proceed in adopting the lean approach to commerce?
What sort of organization must it put in place to support the initiative?
How can a business tell if the adoption of lean thinking is on track and really adding to its success?
How does it sustain the gains lean yields?
James Womack introduced to the world the transformational commercial concept lean enterprise in 1990. Recently, he challenged the lean community to address above concerns and produce products that package “lean knowledge an easy-to-use form that guides managers step-by-step down the path to implementing thinking in every value-creating activity.” The Lean Champion Resource Guide is our contribution to addressing these needs. Its goal is to close the between promise and practice by providing a practical guide for leading successful lean initiative.
It describes what the lean approach to commerce means and clarifies, in detail, how it differs in practice from a traditionally run business.
It explains the two ways businesses apply lean ideas.
It provides detailed guidance on preparing a business to adopt the lean approach to commerce, including steps for fulfilling each requirement a business satisfy before it can become a lean enterprise and a detailed action
plan for transforming a traditional business into a lean enterprise.
It specifies the role, responsibilities, and accountability of the lean champion, the person who manages the lean transformation
It details the 10 tasks that produce successful lean initiatives.
It supplies the knowledge and tools needed to ensure each task is done correctly.
Step 3.3 Define Value From the Customer's Perspective
Lean’s Origins
Step 3.4 Use Your Customer Knowledge
The Emergence of Lean
Task 4 Lead Meetings
Lean Thinking and the Quality Model
Step 4.1 Plan the Team Meeting
Lean’s Extension of the Quality
Model
Step 4.2 Conduct the Meeting
The Limits of Lean
Step 4.3 Evaluate the Meeting
A System’s View of the Lean Enterprise
Model
Step 4.4 Follow Up After the Meeting
Lean’s Goal
Task 5 Participate in Meetings
Lean’s Inputs
Step 5.1 Prepare for Meetings
Lean’s Outputs
Step 5.2 Working With Others in Meetings
Lean’s Process for Realizing Its
Purpose
Step 5.3 Follow Up After Meetings
Lean’s Feedback Component
Task 6 Solve Problems
Lean’s Interfaces
Step 6.1 Understand Problem Solving
How Different Is a Lean Enterprise?
Step 6.2 A Deeper Look Into the Methods
of Problem Solving
The Fundamentals of Change Making
Step 6.3 Focus Problem Solving
Change-Making Basics
Step 6.4 Describe the Problem
What You Must Know About a Proposed Change
Step 6.5 Uncover Root Causes
How You Assess the Feasibility of Success
Step 6.6 Develop Solutions
The Critical Barrier to Transformational
Change
Step 6.7 Take Action
How to Succeed in Leading a Lean Transformation
Task 7 Make Decisions
Executing a Lean Initiative
Step 7.1 Identify the Goal of the Decision
How Businesses Apply Lean
Thinking
Step 7.2 Use Information to Make a Decision
Full-Adoption of the Lean Model
Step 7.3 Use Knowledge to Make a Decision
Limited Applications of Lean Ideas and
Tools
Task 8 Coach Performance
How Can You Use Lean’s Ideas But
Not Be Lean?
Step 8.1 Profile a Role
What the Lean Champion Must Know
Step 8.2 Identify Strengths and Development
Needs
Implementing a Full-Adoption Lean Initiative
Step 8.3 Provide Feedback and Guidance
The Initiative’s Sponsor
Step 8.4 Broker Assistance
Modification of the Company’s Business
Model
Step 8.5 Support Self-Directed Learning
The Required Role Every Employee Must
Fulfill
Task 9 Measure Results
The Requirements of the Business Setting
Step 9.1 Understanding Measurement
Rationalizing Your Company’s
Organizational Structure
Step 9.2 Know What a Business Should
Measure and Why
Eliminating Obstacles and Closing
Gaps in the Business Setting
Step 9.3 Managing and Using Measurement
Information
An Overview of Lean’s Business
Setting Requirements
Step 9.4 Refine and Document Measures
Create a Lean-Ready Workforce
Step 9.5 Take Measurements—Look,
Listen, Ask
Satisfy Lean’s Information Needs
Step 9.6 Record Findings
Establish Standardized Work
Task 10 Learn and Share
Create a Standard for Problem Solving
and Decision Making
Step 10.1 Status, Reason, Learning, Direction
(SRLD)
Establish a Hoshin Kanri Business Planning
Process
Step 10.2 Share Information and Learning
Judge the Feasibility of a Full-Adoption
Lean Initiative
An Action Plan for Implementing a Full-Adoption
Appendixes
Action Plan Overview
Appendix A: The Lean Champion Role
A Full-Adoption Lean Initiative Action
Plan
Appendix B: Meeting Power Scale
Overview of the Plan
Appendix C: An Example of a Team Charter
A Closer Look at the Process’s
Getting Ready Tasks
Appendix D: Factors That Affect the Outcome
of Performance
A Closer Look at the Process’s
Doing Tasks
Appendix E: Guide for Designing an Experiment
A Closer Look at the Process’s
Following-Up Tasks
Appendix F: Testing Speech Against Corporate
Conduct
Section II - Core Competencies
Appendix G: Status, Reason, Learning,
and Direction (SRLD) Job Aid
Task 1 Focus the Lean Initiative
Appendix H: Learning Derived From the
Sustaining Change SRLD
Step
1.1 Understand Your Task
Step 1.2 Ensure the Business’s
Readiness to Adopt Lean Enterprise
Bibliography
Task 2 Involve Stakeholders
Glossary
Step 2.1 Know About Stakeholders
Authors
Step 2.2 Identify Stakeholders
Additional Resources
Step 2.3 Understand Stakeholders
Step 2.4 Elicit Stakeholder Support
Step 2.3 Understand Stakeholders
Step 2.4 Elicit Stakeholder Support
About the Authors
Raphael
L. Vitalo received his doctorate in clinical psychology from
the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has authored 50
professional articles, technical reports, and chapters in the areas
of psychology, education, business management and commerce, information
systems, and artificial intelligence. He has designed, managed,
and implemented more than 400 projects serving public and private
sector organizations in the areas of strategic planning, organizational
effectiveness, performance management, workforce productivity,
business process reengineering, risk management, knowledge engineering,
information systems design and development, and expert systems
design and development. He is the lead author of the Kaizen
Desk Reference Guide and Life Enabling Commerce: An Economic
System for the Good of Humankind. He is currently the president of Vital
Enterprises.
Chris
Bujak is a managing partner of Continual
Impact, , a consulting group providing consulting and training
in continuous improvement. Chris is a mechanical engineer with
extensive postgraduate training and experience in the application
of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies and tools.
As global director of continuous improvement (CI) for Air Products
and Chemicals, Inc., Chris was one of the principal developers
of an integrated CI model that included Lean Enterprise, Six
Sigma™, and other critical enabling elements. This global
initiative yielded $13 million (2021 current U.S. dollars) in
savings during its first year of implementation, $21.1 million
in its second year, and over $68 million in its third year. His
program was featured in a Business
Excellence article in July
2007. His work with Continual Impact has reached some 200 organizations,
with more than 4,000 people trained and engaged in continuous
improvements efforts. His recent focus has been on public health
organizations across the United States. Chris is the co-author
of Life Enabling Commerce: An Economic System for the Good
of Humankind.
James
S. Byron has a masters degree in Organizational Psychology and
an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Organization Design and Effectiveness.
He joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln
Laboratory in 2020 following several decades of leading global organizational
effectiveness functions in Fortune companies, including Pfizer, Air
Products and Chemicals, and Citibank. In his current role, he heads
the Organization Design and Change group charged with elevating organizational
culture and performance. Jim’s work consistently produced bottom-line
results with documented returns on investment in the tens of millions
of dollars in benefits to his companies. Equally important, it generated
dramatic improvements in employee engagement and satisfaction. He
has authored or coauthored books, technical papers, and graduate
text chapters on organizational improvement topics. Jim also provides
pro-bono consultation and training solutions to community agencies
and individuals around the United States in the areas of organization
and leadership development. Jim is is the co-author of the Working
With Others Training Program and numerous articles on business improvement
methods.
Patricia
V. Bierley received her bachelor of science in psychology
from Purdue University. She has over 20 years of consulting experience
in the areas of knowledge engineering and expert systems development,
training development and delivery, team facilitation, and program
and product evaluation. Ms. Bierley co-developed one of the largest
expert systems ever built for microcomputers (7,000 rules). She
has conducted skills training sessions serving over 400 technicians
and professionals and train-the-trainer courses to teach clients
how to deliver their own skills development programs. She also
has led over 40 “workout” problem-solving sessions
tackling a wide variety of business improvements affecting both
top- and bottom-line results. She has designed and conducted
evaluation studies to determine the content, effectiveness, and
cost efficiency of training products and programs. Recently,
she codeveloped and delivered the Kaizen Facilitator Training
Course to assist in the development of new Kaizen leaders. Ms.
Bierley is the coauthor of the Working With Others Training
Program.
Currently, she is an independent organizational effectiveness
consultant working with public, private, and nonprofit enterprises
to elevate personal and organizational performance. Her special
interest is in developing and empowering performers to improve
their well-being, resulting in greater job satisfaction and improved
business results.
Barbara
J. Ruffinoreceived her master of arts degree in industrial
organizational psychology from George Mason University in Fairfax,
Virginia. She has over 25 years’ experience in instructional
systems design and organization development. Ms. Ruffino has experience
in all phases of instructional design, including conducting training
needs assessments, designing and developing training products,
delivering technical and non-technical training programs, and evaluating
the effectiveness of training interventions. Her professional experience
includes creating a wide variety of instructional products such
as classroom training courses, web-based and CD-ROM training products,
independent study courses, paper-based and electronic job aids,
and procedural manuals. Ms. Ruffino authored Establishing the Value
of Training Resource Guide.