Lean Basics

Introduction

Lean is the term used to describe the production system developed by Toyota during the post World War II years; the system is known in Toyota as the Toyota Production System (TPS). The term "Lean" was first used to describe TPS in the book, The Machine that Changed the World by James P Womack, Daniel T Jones and Daniel Roos. In the book they describe TPS as a system with the ability to achieve more with less resource by the continuous elimination of waste - a Lean system.

The concept of Lean is not restricted to manufacturing but is relevant to all sectors of the economy, public, private, retail, manufacturing, finance, health, etc. and applies to the whole enterprise: core operations as well as support functions such as HR, Finance, IT as well as the company’s supply chain.

Aims

The aim of this 4-day programme is to provide delegates with an understanding of the basic concepts of a lean operation in both the service and manufacturing sectors.

Delegates will learn how to identify waste and how to apply tools and techniques to reduce or eliminate waste in order to improve the experience of the customer while, at the same time, reducing costs.

Objectives

By the end of the programme delegates will be able to:

Outline the benefits of utilising Lean in the workplace
Describe the Toyota Production System
Explain the 5 principles of Lean
Identify value-added and non value-added activity
List the 7 classic wastes (plus other wastes)
Describe the activities needed to establish an efficient workplace environment
Demonstrate an ability to construct simple process maps, flowcharts and value stream maps
Use a range of tools to inform understanding of process performance dynamics to assist in improving productivity
Explain the process for effective resource planning and deployment
Describe how to improve work flow through the use of ‘pull’ systems and more effective work place design.

Methods

It is our intention that delegates have an opportunity to understand the principles and practices of Lean. To achieve this, we will be using a range of learning interventions that will include: presentations, discussions, case studies, exercises and simulations to create a unique learning opportunity to help you transfer your learning to the workplace.

Duration: 4 days

Class size:

To ensure maximum benefit for each delegate it is recommended that the class size for this programme does not exceed 16.

Who it's for:

This programme is relevant tor executives, senior managers and managers in all sectors of the economy who wish to explore opportunities for the introduction of an organisation-wide business improvement strategy; it is also relevant supervisors, team leaders and Quality Management professionals who wish to develop and improve their process improvement skills.

Course Content

Day 1

Introduction

Planning for Lean