Lean Thinking - Specify Value

The next few entries will share some examples of Lean Thinking in the Office and we will begin the journey with the first of five steps.  Begin Lean Office transformation with strategically aligning the opportunities.

Step 1. Specify value from the standpoint of the end customer by product family.






Beginning the Lean Office transformation is not a decision to be made flippantly and without a plan.  Does this mean you need to be in crisis mode or your platform needs to be on fire?  It's not required, but it does help to put energy behind and a reason for the change.  You may find that a new material is available on the market at a price that improves profitability, or Congress has written new industry regulations, or perhaps a company that you thought had no chance in being a real competitor has just had a successful launch of a new product or service.  What ever the reason, it is now in your lap.

To start this journey we first have to decide what product needs help the most.  Is it a series of financial reports, or briefings to provide information to decision makers, or how we procure office equipment?  One thing you cannot say is, "Lets go fix the sales team!!".  This is focused on the products we create, not people to berate.

Here we come to fix the Sales Team!!

The next step is to go have a conversation with your customer about the chosen product.  Now this should not be a scary trip to take.  When you schedule this discussion, frame it be asking some questions up front like "what about the delivery of my product needs to be perfect?".  Use this to collect attributes that would be critical to the quality of your product.

Another side of this method is asking what are the business needs of your operations.  Do you have to operate within a budget, or maintain a skills or knowledge requirement, or keep a safe work environment?  Think about the measures you are keeping now and are they helping you and your team find opportunities?  This is also a great chance to go talk to your boss about their expectations of your team since it is your job to make the boss look good.

The third piece of the puzzle is how the process is performing.  Are you having visions of SPC charts right now?  My friend's wife would yell out "NERD ALERT!!" at this point and we would all quickly look busy.  We should know what is going on, but the measures we take need to be used for good and not evil.  We never, ever take a chart and go beat up our supplier of data even if that was the standard practice in your industry.

This first step is very important as it sets the foundation for the rest of the things you will see and learn with this product and your team as it helps to create the vision of what the future looks like, but this is not a "one and done" activity.  As the market changes, you may need to do this with your customers on a regular basis.  It requires courage and tenacity, and don't be afraid to ask for help!  You may learn that you have some other Lean Thinkers on your team to help along the way and you will need their help when you move to the next step of transformation.