Today's Lean! It's All About Workflow

At the heart of any Lean Sigma improvement initiative are some fundamental principles that should be in place to ensure a long-term commitment to the process. Some of these principles are management commitment and involvement, easy access to the improvement tools for the front-line worker, engagement of that employee of the process being examined, and the What’s In It For Me? answered. To address these principles, (except the management commitment and involvement, which is an entirely separate issue) this pocket handbook was created.

Many Lean and Six Sigma tools inter-relate and rarely will only one Lean tool be used. So, why you might ask are these tools being “separated” into individual topics? It is because we have realized that many Lean and Six Sigma tools also are fairly simple to understand and most people can make the “common-sense” connection to a specific improvement activity once the basics of a tool is explained.

Today’s Lean! It’s All About Workflow provides the following:

1. A standard communication platform on the methods and tools to make products, data and information, and services flow better
2. Examples (i.e., photos, forms, worksheets, etc.) of various workflow methods and tools from a wide range of industries, as well as the physical areas and electronic or Desktop areas
3. Easy 1-2-3… steps as a guide for implementation
4. A Workflow Needs Assessment
5. A Workflow Audit
6. Detailed case studies on how a few organizations implemented various workflow methods and tools in their Lean journey

About the Authors

Rob Ptacek is a Partner in the Global Lean Institute and President and CEO of Competitive Edge Training and Consulting, a firm specializing in leader and organizational development, and Lean Enterprise transformations. He is an Approved Scanlon Leadership Network Consultant. Mr. Ptacek holds a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI (USA), and a Masters of Management from Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI (USA). He speaks on leadership and continuous improvement topics for several industry associations including the Precision Metal Forming Association (PMA), Society of Manufacturing Engineering (SME), American Society for Quality (ASQ), American Mold Builders Association (AMBA), and the Scanlon Leadership Network (SLN).

Jaideep Motwani, Ph.D. is Chair and Professor of Management at the Seidman College of Business, Grand Valley State University since 2000. He is also the E. Seidman Endowed Chair of Management. He received his Ph.D. in Operations Management from University of North Texas. He has co-authored a book entitled Classics in Operations Management, and published more than 150 articles in prestigious journals. The majority of Dr. Motwani's publications are in the area of total quality management, customer service, service strategy, managing for results, and creativity and innovation, among others.