Lean Health Care Transformation – Customizable

We understand that the major factors in sustaining a lean transformation depend on the culture of your organization. Our experienced Lean Healthcare implementers can offer you a clear view of “what it will take” to develop your lean culture and can help you create a lean transformation program that is customized specifically to your organization’s needs.

The three components critical to create the framework for your lean transformation are:
Top Management
Performance Improvement Teams
Front Line Professionals

Top Management

For a lean transformation to be implemented and sustained, all employees must understand the importance of this effort. Therefore the lean champion must be a member of top management and have authority and broad-based operational support through all levels of organization.

It is important for the lean champion to establish and share the vision for lean transformation. The vision will serve as a guide to the lean transformation efforts and will help focus strategic deployment in the following areas: quality, safety, customer service, efficiency, architecture/physical environment, workforce development and physician development.

Process Improvement Teams

The Process Improvement Teams prioritize the actual lean projects at your organization and communicates the results to the top management group and front line professionals. This group, typically comprised of middle management, must include individuals with in-depth training on lean concepts. They are the lean change agents and must be competent in analyzing, and interpreting the data. They must lead others through implementation of lean change activities by demonstration, negotiation, and teaching.

Front Line Professionals

This group carries out most of the actual lean projects at your organization. They know the processes and the problems that exist in your organization. Front line professionals include individuals that receive training on lean concepts and tools over time.

Standardized work is one of the most powerful lean tools and is the baseline for kaizen or continuous improvement. Standardizing the work adds discipline to the culture, an element that is frequently neglected but essential for lean transformation. Standardized work also supports audits, promotes problem solving, and involves team members in developing safety guards (poka-yokes). All of the standardization efforts need to be surrounded and embedded in the culture of the lean organization.

If you would like to discuss a customized lean solution with our Lean Healthcare experts, please contact your regional Account Manager. Download more information on the Customizable Lean Health Care Transformation Program.

Figure – Transformation-To-Lean: Three-Level-Framework