Winner of a 2012 Shingo Research and Professional Publication AwardDemystifying the application of Lean methods, Lean Office and Service Simplified: The Definitive How-To Guide goes beyond the basic tools to detail the key concepts of Lean as they apply to office and service environments. It begins by discussing value stream management, followed by

Winner of a 2012 Shingo Research and Professional Publication AwardDemystifying the application of Lean methods, Lean Office and Service Simplified: The Definitive How-To Guide goes beyond the basic tools to detail the key concepts of Lean as they apply to office and service environments. It begins by discussing value stream management, followed by

Struggling to apply Lean effectively in your office environment? Office Lean is a book for anyone who wants to apply Lean better in contexts where the work is both intangible and complex. it explains in simple terms, what Lean is -- and what Lean isn’t -- enabling office professionals to understand how it can be successfully applied to their complex office-based work environments. Contrary to popular opinion, Lean is not only for mass manufacturing or healthcare. It applies just as much to the digital world of "knowledge work" industries such as banking and financial services, software development, and government. But the fundamental concepts, straight from the factory floor, need a fair amount of translation to be effectively applied in cube farms. Overturning the common perception that Lean is about imposing rigid rules, or simply eliminating waste in the name of "efficiency", Eakin presents Lean as a dynamic, flexible, people-centric philosophy that delivers outstanding business results by improving employee engagement and customer experience. Office Lean helps Lean practitioners (leaders/managers and coaches/consultants) working in professional office environments access the amazing, transformative results Lean can bring to their specific domains. It combines clear explanations of the core concepts of the Lean philosophy with relevant, practical examples from the fields of accounting, finance, insurance, IT and government.

While more and more companies are aggressively pursuing Operational Excellence by employing Six Sigma, Lean, and other continuous improvement methods, the concept has yet to be defined in a way that can be easily taught and applied, especially in industries other than manufacturing. This book fills that need. Beyond the Lean Office uses a compelling novel format to illustrate what it takes to create and sustain flow and Operational Excellence in the office. Readers learn as they follow the main character through initial attempts to correct late responses to a primary customer and the evolution to an approach based on Operational Excellence. The story illustrates the day-to-day issues that most organizations face in their pursuit of Operational Excellence. To achieve Operational Excellence, it takes more than just a strong leader with passion and drive. The key ingredient is practical knowledge that can be applied quickly and easily by following a process. This book supplies step-by-step guidance on how to move your office services from point A to point B. The practical insights and guidance presented here create a road map that can be shared with each employee to rapidly move your organization forward. All chapters also include a From the Author section that shares authoritative insights on the topic at hand. After reading this book, you will understand how to design and create self-healing flow that provides reliable, predictable output in the office and operates without the need for management intervention to deliver the services provided by the office. Instead, management focuses on the activities that grow your enterprise.

Written by one of the world’s most respected consultants on Lean, this work presents a methodology for value stream mapping that is appropriate for any organization, whether it be service or product oriented. Over the past 25 years, Locher has proven just how powerful this process is, having employed it in healthcare, transportation, distribution, education, financial services, and manufacturing environments. Illustrating his methodology through the example of the imaginary DevelopTek company, he explains how to: Identify development waste Assess an organization’s current state and develop a Current State Map Apply Lean principles to create a Future State Map

Winner of a Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award Lean Production Simplified, Second Edition is a plain language guide to the lean production system written for the practitioner by a practitioner. It delivers a comprehensive insider's view of lean manufacturing. The author helps the reader to grasp the system as a whole and the factors that animate it by organizing the book around an image of a house of lean production. Highlights include: A comprehensive view of Toyota1s lean manufacturing system A look at the origins and underlying principles of lean Identifying the goals of lean production Practical problem solving for lean production Activities that support involvement - Kaizen circles, suggestion systems, and problem solving This second edition has been updated with expanded information on the Lean Improvement Process; Production Physics and Little's Law - the fundamental equation for both manufacturing and service industries (cycle time = work in process/throughput); Value Stream Thinking - combining processes required to bring the product or service to the customer; Hoshin Planning -- using the Planning and Execution Tree diagram and Problem Solving -- including the "Five Why" method and how to use it. Lean Production Simplified, Second Edition covers each of the components of lean within the context of the entire lean production system. The author's straightforward common sense approach makes this book an easily accessible on-the-floor resource for every operator.

For many years, lean initiatives have generated staggering improvements on the shop floor. Currently, however, many managers and business leaders want these lean benefits incorporated into non-traditional environments such as service and transactions. This bookshows you how to efficiently translate and transition lean manufacturing principles into the office. In Flow in the Office, Carlos Venegas confirms that the competitive advantage will go to those who manage information and knowledge most effectively and efficiently. It is not enough to be a lean manufacturer - you need to be a lean business, and that includes your back office, your front office, and your corner office. The author translates the language of Lean Manufacturing into the language of Lean Office Flow, bringing bits, bytes, and conversations into the concrete world of process improvement.

To compete successfully in today’s economy, organizations need to be as good as or better than their global competitors. This goes not only for quality, but also for costs and cycle times (lead time, processing time, delivery time, set-up time, response time, etc.). Lean addresses these needs in its emphasis on teamwork, continuous training and learning, produce to demand (“pull”), mass customization and batch size reduction, cellular flow, quick changeover, and total productive maintenance. Originally applied in manufacturing settings, lean has now migrated to non-shop floor activities: in business support functions, such as sales, customer service, accounting, human resources, engineering, purchasing; within manufacturing firms; and also in purely service areas like finance, government, and healthcare. The intended audience for this book is any quality or operational professional who wants to start their lean journey or enhance their career opportunities. After introducing the concepts of lean and kaizen, various building blocks of a lean enterprise are described. After reading this book, any reader will have a foundation of what is understood today as "lean." All the examples of kaizens presented in the book are from the authors' experience associated with real lean transformations. In addition, the forms, figures, and checklists included as part of this book and also on the accompanying CD-ROM can be customized and used in the readers’ own lean journey when they perform kaizens. COMMENTS FROM OTHER CUSTOMERS Average Customer Rating: (4 of 5 based on 1 review) "This book gives a great introduction to kaizen, along with a sensible "how to" and several case studies across various industries, including for non-manufacturing applications. It also gives a good introduction to Lean in general, and it places enough emphasis on the "human side" of implementing Lean so that the reader walks away with an understanding that the Lean tools may be fairly simple but the implementation of them requires special attention to human nature and the associated challenges. It is easy to read and comprehend. Plenty of pictures and samples are provided. This could easily be used as a training tool for employees who will be serving on kaizen teams." A reader in Bradenton, Florida

The only current book to bring out lessons from actual Lean service initiatives Contains host of new tools developed and successfully used by author in Lean transformations Brings out leadership challenges encountered in Lean service deployment Provides Do’s and Don’ts that must be kept in mind on a journey of service Lean adoption Written in a jargon-free and easy-to-read manner so that the book can be read by both Lean change agents and those uninitiated to Lean thinking