Have you seen our new Lean Healthcare Video?

Hopefully you will already have switched to viewing our new Lean Healthcare Blog but if not, you should now as we have posted a new Lean Healthcare Video.

Whilst you will have missed the window to download our new book 'Sustaining Lean Healthcare Programmes' you can still get a copy if you email us with details of your Lean Programme and the problems you have encountered. Just email info(a)amnis-uk.com for further details.

Have you signed up yet?

Have you visited our main website and signed up to our newsletter yet?

In return you will receive a free copy of our eGuide 'Lean for Practitioners' which whilst focused on the Healthcare sector has much broader applicability.

Also, you will shortly receive our new free eGuide 'Sustaining Lean Healthcare Programmes' which is due for release in November.

Lastly, you might want to visit our Lean Healthcare Blog which has some useful hints and tips to help your Lean programme go further and faster - it is also where the really interesting stuff will be posted from now on.........see you there soon!

Lean Healthcare

Just a short announcement to say that you will also be able to find out about our thoughts on Lean in Healthcare at our Lean Healthcare Blogsite.

Why haven't you already got it?

You might be living proof that not everyone has read our FREE eBook (Lean for Practitioners) which was described as 'Inspiring' by one reader and 'Excellent and Really, Really Useful' by another.

To obtain your free visit our WEBSITE and join our Newsletter Network when you will be sent a link to enable you to download our free gift to you!

Rapid Improvement Event?

Over the last few weeks I have received a number of enquiries about doing 'Rapid Improvement Events'.

The way it normally goes is that I get an email which reads;

"I would like to discuss you coming to do a Rapid Improvement Event on the X, Y & Z of Month X"

Now, I am a fan of Rapid Improvement Events - but as part of an improvement process not as the 'be all and end all' of the improvement process. Where does training, scoping, communicating and process redesign come into the equation? At the very least there will be a heap of questions that need to be answered prior to the actual event - but that assumes that a Rapid Improvement Event is the most appropriate mechanism for improvement - what about Continuous Improvement Teams (improvement spread out over a longer period), Project Teams (high level improvement teams focused on strategic issues such as changing IT systems) etc?

I can theorise what is causing this confusion in the marketplace and hope that the message goes out more effectively in the future.

To find out more about my views about where a Rapid Improvement Events fits into the improvement process visit the Amnis website and join our newsletter network to receive a free copy of our eBook 'Lean for Practitioners'.

Lean Panacea?

Do you believe Lean is a panacea?

I was in a presentation this week and it was clear that people in the audience felt that 'Lean' was the answer to all their problems. They had all tried things before but this time 'Lean' was going to make the difference.

So what is Lean - is it some form of magical power that transforms unsuccessful organisations into successful ones or a genie in a bottle which (when released) can make improvement programmes go further and faster than ever before?

Of course it isn't.

Lean has the power to do good if done well and the power to do great harm if not.

For many people who think their previous improvement attempts have not worked is because they either have been sold a Turkey (by a consultant who has read a book on XYZ Methodology) or they have not prepared their organisation effectively for the change or supported it after the change.

Will 'Lean' stop these problems? Is it possible that many of the people who claim to be 'Lean Experts' have just read a book or that many of the organisations engaged in Lean will not prepare their organisation and/or support it?

What do you think?

Philosophies, Processes & Tools

I was discussing different approaches to improvement with a friend this week who is very keen on 'NLP' and he took the stance that 'Lean' was just a 'tool' for improvement.

Sadly, this is the perception of many who do not know the detail of how to make organisations better or only understand 'their' way (whether that is Six Sigma, Lean, NLP etc etc)

I would identify three levels of activity to be undertaken:

• Philosophy - what is the strategic approach that best suits your need
• Processes - what are the different ways that you might use to implement your philosophy
• Tools - what techniques or management tools might you use to support your processes

Taking a comparison of Six Sigma, Lean (and because it was raised NLP) at these three levels I propose the following:

Lean
- Philosophy - the elimination of 'waste' and creation of value, flow and pull
- Processes - Value Stream Mapping, Rapid Improvement Events etc
- Tools - 5S, SMED, TPM etc

Six Sigma
- Philosophy - the elimination of variation in process and through this consistency
- Processes - DMAIC, Process Analysis, Focused Improvement Teams etc
- Tools - SPC, TPM, SMED, DoE etc

NLP
- Philosophy - improving relationships between individuals and getting 'more done'
- Processes - coaching sessions, group facilitation etc
- Tools - Swish, Goal Setting, etc etc

Now, if you just assume that 'Lean' is a tool, which of the hundreds of improvement tools is it?

What do you think?