1. Identify Value
To lay the foundations of a lean process, you need to first identify the team's work value. You need to distinguish the value-adding from waste activities. It is crucial for everybody to be on the same page about it, so this should be a collective approach.
2. Map Value Stream
After you've identified the value that your team produces, it is important to visualize its path to the customers. The visualization includes process, people, decision points, wastes and KPIs.
3. Create Flow
In the world of lean, flow is a key concept. Since any kind of waiting is a waste, when creating a flow of value, your goal is to ensure smooth delivery from the second you receive an order to the moment when you deliver it to the customer.
4. Establish Pull
The idea is simple, start new work only when there is a demand for it and your team has spare capacity. Your goal should be to produce the value that is actually needed by your customers (along the whole value chain) and avoid over production.
5. Seek Constant Improvement
Your goal is to constantly improve every process in your team by focusing on enhancing the activities that generate the most value for your customer while removing as many waste activities as possible.
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