Lean Office

Government, Financial institution, Insurance, Retail, Manufacturing, Health, Services we all have offices.

Often 40% plus of all costs and process time are within the administrative process

The Lean thinking, principles and practices apply equally to all business sectors. They deliver operational improvement to whatever sector they are applied. The thing that is different from one business sector to another is the implementation strategy and Lean Tools applied as each enterprise has unique customers, processes, systems, people, skill sets and products and/or services.

The main difference in an office situation is that we cannot readily see what work is waiting, in progress and finished. For instance in a factory the raw material, parts in process and finished are instantly recognizable.

So as a first stage, you could go the work place and see if the answers to the following are readily identifiable.

• What and where is the raw information, documents, material waiting to be worked on?
• What has been started and is work in process?
• What stage is it in completion?
• What is completed?
• How well are we going to expectations and demand? (Short interval control)
   

So the first objective for you is to make work visible - contact us to find out how

Visit our bookstore          Visit our free downloads

The chart below gives you some idea of the commonality of lean thinking across three distinctly different sectors. 

 Our Graham Eagles has been at the forefront of Lean Office applications and has delivered several key note papers on the subject. Contact us for leading support and a meeting to discuss your Lean Office strategy.

To help you get a better understanding and to get started

  
The “Lean Doing” (Implementation) stage does require a unique and broad strategic application of the lean tools and techniques.

Your Lean Office implementation and employee training development program must be tailored to suit your enterprise as you have unique:

• Processes
• People
• Culture
• Products
• Services

and this applies equally to the private/public sector, for profit/nonprofit.

You are right - an office is not a factory, but they are experts in:

• Batching
• Queuing
• Duplication 
• Lack of coordination
• Working in functional silos

The “Stealth Reactive Management” approach is out in the open

• Adding more resources and space does not equal better customer service.
• More automated and faster technology and continual process change can be a liability.
• Recognize that each customer and process environment is unique: There is no “one size fits all” approach.

Today in an Office Environment “Optimized efficiency” drives customer value

• Optimize the existing technology before making additional investments.
• Has the view that customer expectations and future needs drive technology and process change.
• Understands that customers expectations will change and can be unique, therefore builds in capacity for the business to be agile and flexible in the form of responsiveness.

If you are looking for support to create:

• An office strategy for each of your value streams (Define your “Future State” Intent)
• A stable and in control office (What needs immediate attention) 
• An organized, visual and unconstrained work flow office (Office 5S – Make work visual)
• A self managing team focused office (Self managing workflow and performance)
• A continuously improving workplace utilizing an engaged workforce (Team Work – Work design/decision Involvement)
• A standardized office (Stability and consistency)
• An office that understands and plans for demand (Failing to plan means you are planning to fail) 
• Optimized resource utilization (Heijunka – work flow & Balance – Takt Time)
• Lean champions to lead and support projects and ongoing training (Sustainable team led improvement)

Contact us for the best support and training available today

Then you need to contact us

We have worked with Land Services South Australia, Community CPS Credit Union, Homestart Finance, UniSA, Australian Central Credit Union, Adelaide Bank, DTED, AME, Inghams Enterprises, Taylors Wines, Debortoli Wines, Flinders Medical Centre and many more ......