Lean Assessments

One Key to Improvement

One of the principle tenets of Lean Manufacturing is that measuring things (metrics) by itself can lead to improvements. This applies to those specific goals of the organization such as productivity, but also applies to the goal of implementing Lean. We therefore also measure how well the organization has adopted a lean methodology.

A comprehensive Lean Assessment will measure many lean factors in as objective a fashion as possible. The results of this assessment then need to be publicly presented, along with specific goals for improvement and realistic plans to achieve them.

Some typical factors to measure are:

5S conditions
Pull Systems, Kan Ban, & Supermarket usage
Appropriate levels of automation ("Autonomation") & Poke Yoke implementation
Standard work in place in Work Cells
TPM implementation
Visual Controls which allow anyone to understand how well the process is working
Continuous Flow instead of Batches
Setup Time tracking systems in use, with quantifiable reductions in Setup time
Waste Elimination as a constant goal, with quantifiable reductions in waste documented
Formal Training programs in use, with comprehensive Skill Matrices on display
Load Leveling via Heijunka box or other visual scheduling system