"We're already Lean."

After twenty years, 221 clients, and more than $100 million in documented savings, I've heard that phrase more times than I can count.

Within an hour, I can usually tell whether it's true.

More often than not, "We're already Lean" means something like this:

• A 5S initiative was launched a few years ago.

• The workstations were organized.

• The shelves were labeled.

• A performance board was installed.

• A series of methodologies were implemented, just because

• Visual Management has become Decorative not Effective

• Lean Banners and Propaganda are still hanging everywhere, years later

Then... life got busy.

Lean isn't something you implement once. It become philosophical and penetrates the DNA of your organization. It just become intuitive, but with context.

It's something you measure continuously.

If you want to know whether your operation is truly Lean, don't look at the floor.

Look at the numbers.

• Inventory turns

• Process lead time

• Throughput per employee

• Changeover time

• Casual absenteeism

Those metrics tell the real story.

If they haven't improved in the last two years, the opportunity probably isn't behind you. It's still sitting in front of you. You truly need to quantify "Improvement", we often see marginal improvement that the organization then applauds as success ... when there is still so much more to harvest.

We also see that companies jump and implement a digital solution. Fancy screens filled with data that ultimately the employees do not really trust or bother monitoring. Stay with basic, simple things like pencil and paper.

This isn't a reflection of your people... Most teams work incredibly hard.

The challenge is that many businesses are still operating with systems designed for a company half their current size.

Growth changed the business.

The operating model never caught up.

Often, we hear that we implemented Lean but it simply did not sustain, because those initial problems were solved and the system failed to to embrace Continuous Improvement by offering the team new challenges ... but the Organization states that Lean has delivered, but Lean is NOT a project, Lean is an ongoing journey.

We recently visited a client where their Production Numbers (Demonstrated Output) was 50% of actual process capability. They were reluctant to re-energize Lean since it had not sustained, But the organization had failed to install a supporting infrastructure to make sure methodologies where part of the Daily Operating Protocol and hence would followed.

Other companies lose their way because they are Data Rich. and start chasing too many different metrics that the teams just simply lose focus. Focus on a few key metrics and metrics the team can directly impact and only use the additional data to drive Continuous Improvement of deeper Problem Solving.

Now we are hearing and seeing how companies are using AI to drive or enhance their Lean journey. HURRAY !!, AI will definitely help make short work of mundane tasks like

• Creating Work Instructions

• Creating Inventory Replenishment algorithms

• FMEA's

• Deeper Data analysis and presentation

• Work-Flow analysis and proposals

But I offer you very candid caution using AI. AI has a focus on providing Content but fails to provide Context. If we look at the game of Golf for example visit your local book store and you will find a plethora of books on how to improve your game of Golf. Sure, go ahead and read them all and yes you will become book smart but when you actually step on the Golf Course you will still look like a beginner. Books cannot tell you how to use your senses to make adjustments to your strategy, similar in Lean Deployment.

That's why some of the biggest opportunities we find aren't hidden.

They're hiding behind the words, "We're already Lean."