The Simplicity of Lean
Defeating Complexity, Delivering Excellence
Lean organisations seem to work in a simple manner and operate with an innate calmness. They have removed much of the complexity that inhibits the performance of other companies, but achieving this level of simplicity is not easy. In The Simplicity of Lean, Philip Holt provides a comprehensive handbook of the Lean principles, presented in an accessible and easy to apply manner.
The Simplicity of Lean is a step-by-step guide to the Lean Thinking that makes your organisation more efficient and effective. The book offers the necessary context of how to apply Lean Thinking to make your Lean Transformation successful. Alongside the theory and the practical application of Lean, Philip also shares his personal insights and experiences, as well as individual success stories (and failures) from various Lean leaders from across the world.
The Simplicity of Lean is the perfect guide to make your Lean journey a resounding success.
If you want to recieve an inspection copy of this book please send an e-mail to docenten@managementimpact.nl.
'A powerful and versatile array of management tools, presented in a context that connects with the realities of daily operations, both technical and interpersonal. Philip doesn’t just give you the tools, he gives you a framework for introducing these tools to the people who will use and sustain them. The Simplicity of Lean will enable you to overcome the complex challenges that all organizations face in creating a better future for your company, its customers and your community.'
Collin McLoughlin - Author of True Kaizen, Founder of Enna, an imprint of Productivity Press
Foreword by Collin McLoughlin 11
1 - INTRODUCTION 13
The Simplicity of Lean 13
Operational Excellence is a strategic advantage 14
The Simplicity Model 15
Hansei 17
Personal stories 18
PART I - CULTURE
2 - DAILY MANAGEMENT 23
What is Daily Management? 23
The CommCell 26
Daily accountability and tier meetings 39
3 - LEADER STANDARD WORK 47
What is Leader Standard Work? 47
Kamishibai 51
Kata Coaching 56
4 - PROBLEM SOLVING 61
What is a problem? 61
The power of asking Why? 66
The 8 steps of problem solving 67
A3 problem solving 77
Andon 79
5 - VISUAL MANAGEMENT 83
Why Visual Management? 83
The 3 second rule 83
Visual Management is all around us 86
6 - WORK PLACE ORGANISATION (5S) 91
What is WPO? 91
How do you solve a problem like 5S? 93
The 5Ss 94
5S in the Office 98
7 - TEAM & PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS 103
Expectation leads to Excellence 103
Time thieves 108
Effective meetings: Terms of Reference (TOR) 116
Taking ownership of your own performance 118
Being the Culture 119
PART II - KAIZEN
8 - STANDARDISED WORK 125
Why do you need standardised work? 125
Keeping it visual 127
Implementing standardised work 127
9 - JOB INSTRUCTION 141
Training within industry (TWI) 141
Back to the Future 142
Implementing Job Instruction 144
10 - THE 8 WASTES 149
Mura, Muri and Muda 149
TIM WOODS 150
Waste in the Office Environment 154
11 - KAIZEN EVERYDAY 159
It doesn’t need to be perfect to be better 159
Kaizen explained 161
Kaizen is looking inwards 163
Creating the Kaizen culture 164
PART III - PROJECTS
12 - HOSHIN KANRI 171
What is Hoshin Kanri? 171
Management by Objectives versus Hoshin Kanri 174
The 5 steps of the X-matrix 176
Cascading the X-matrix 180
Monthly review 182
13 - VALUE STREAM MAPPING 187
Reducing the organisation’s BMI 187
What is a Value Stream Map? 188
5 steps of Value Stream Mapping 190
PART IV - KAIZEN EVENTS
14 - THE LEAN LEADER 217
The Role of the Leader 217
Leadership styles 219
The Leader and Kaizen Events 223
15 - KAIZEN EVENTS 227
What is a Kaizen Event? 227
Kaizen Event Planning 227
Kaizen Event Process 228
PART V - THE SIMPLICITY OF LEAN
16 - PERSONAL STORIES 241
The reality of Lean 241
17 - CREATING YOUR OWN STORY 273
The social dilemma in an organisation 273
Doing the right thing is good for you 275
What will you do? 276
Acknowledgements 280
About the Author 282
Notes 283
