Senior Management must practise what they preach. The desire to implement lean must be evident from the top of the organisation.
Select a charismatic project leader capable of binding together teams from a cross functional environment.
Select an implementation team (3-5 people) to work with the project leader. Make sure they are from different departments and are enthusiastic about lean.
Train the implementation team in the various lean tools and techniques.
Select the most appropriate techniques for you company and then a prioritise their implementation. Do not make the mistake if thinking you have to introduce as many as you can.
Brief the workforce. You must make sure you address the following issues:
a. Why you are implementing lean?
b. How will it affect them?
c. What is required of them?
Select a pilot area and a pilot project. I would suggest you start with a lean tool which is fairly easy to introduce and will bear immediate results, something like 5S.
Run with the project in the pilot area for 2-3 months and learn from your mistakes before you gradually roll the project out to other areas.
Once the first project is well underway in the business start to collect data for your second project. Start to involve the staff from the area where the second project will be introduced to get their thoughts, concerns and ideas.
Repeat the above steps as appropriate to introduce further lean tools & techniques.
For further information contact:
Paul Wilson
Axis Electronics Ltd
