Written by Sean Blake, Head of Marketing 7/2/2021
There are Five Core Principles for implementing lean methodology:
Value
Value stream
Flow
Pull
Perfection
These principles describe a five-step process that guides the implementation of lean techniques for manufacturing, software development teams, and other agile practicing industries.
1. Identify value
The first step requires you to step into the shoes of the customer. Value is what the customer needs and wants from a specific project or product.
Consider from the customers’ point of view: What are their expectations? What are they willing to pay for? How do they want their needs met?
Sometimes, customers may be unable to define exactly what they’re looking for — especially if it’s a new product or technology they’re unfamiliar with.
In any case, the project cannot move forward without clearly identifying what it will take to provide customer satisfaction. You’ll need to identify the end goal (value) customers are hoping to find with the product or service.
2. Map the value stream
Next, the team visually maps each of the steps and processes it will take to bring the product from inception to delivery. By making each step visible and always keeping the value top-of-mind, it’s easier to see which steps don’t directly contribute to continuous delivery. Once wasteful steps are found, the team finds ways to eliminate those steps or reduce them as much as possible.
Getting rid of waste ensures your company doesn’t unnecessarily spend money on steps and processes that don’t add value. And — most importantly — the customer gets exactly what they’re looking for.
3. Create flow
Once the waste is eliminated from the value stream, the next step is ensuring the remaining processes work as effectively and efficiently as possible, which means no delays, disruptions, or bottlenecks. It’s important for the steps that create value to work in tight sequences to ensure the product flows smoothly toward the customer.
In order to achieve this kind of agile transformation, lean businesses must train their employees to be adaptive and multi-skilled, create cross-functional teams, break down and reconfigure steps in the production, and balance employee workloads.
4. Establish a pull system
With enhanced flow, your team can deliver products and services faster. A pull system enables “just-in-time” manufacturing and delivery, limiting inventory and work in progress (WIP) items by only producing enough to meet customer demand.
By establishing a pull system, you create products and services as needed as opposed to creating them in advance, which leads to a growing inventory or list of tasks that need to be stored and managed — draining your bottom line.
5. Seek perfection
By completing steps 1-4, waste is eliminated — for now. However, the work is never done. There is always a process that could be improved, and there will always be steps in project and product development that waste time and money or don’t deliver value. That’s why the fifth step of seeking perfection is key.
Lean takes time to implement, and going through the process once is not enough. Build a continuous improvement mindset into your company culture, and never settle for the same old.
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