Northbrook, IL (PressExposure) January 30, 2009 -- Lean goes beyond the shop floor. That's the word from Willie Carter, A Certified Lean Sensei experienced in implementing Lean Process Improvement.
"More than ever before, today's office and administrative areas represent substantial improvement potential. When you consider that 75% of an organization's opportunity for eliminating waste can be found in those areas, it is vital that you begin to look at your up-stream and down-stream transactional administrative activities", says Carter.
He goes on to explain that waste and inefficiencies are pervasive in administrative processes and lead to long customer response times, long lead times and quality problems. "All too often organizations overlook these inefficiencies creating an environment that operates with an enduring sense of urgency." The cost for running an organization this way is huge and often tough to see.
Carter says implementing lean in the office is more of a challenge than in manufacturing and that is why simulating how Lean can be applied to an office environment is important. "It was an experience to observe what the Lean Office Simulation gave our staff", says a CFO of a global manufacturing and distribution company, "It took vague concepts of something called Lean and made it real."
"The simulation lets office workers experience the potential results Lean can deliver to their own internal and external customers and let them see how Lean can make their jobs less frustrating and more enjoyable", says Carter. An Associate Dean of the College of Business at an urban independent university had this to say about the simulation, "The Lean Office Simulation was very useful in assisting our staff in understanding value-added activities and how to reduce or eliminate non-value-added tasks. The learning experience was fun."