Much has been written and published about Lean Management and Process Improvement methodologies. Those not already familiar with these concepts might confuse its applications, while the rest may be growing tired of yet another variation of the same methodology, and wonder why the subject continues to be exploited. The answer is simple: Lean Management and Process Improvement stay relevant as technology and business practices evolve. These concepts emerged in the context of rapid changes in technology, specifically in information technology as an enabler of more sophisticated and global business practices. The root of both practices goes back to manufacturing and production environments, where improvements in production methods and the reduction in quality deficiencies were at the center of any given organization’s competitive advantage. With automation, improvements in these areas proved to be even more critical, as deficiencies turned out more frequent, with higher outputs, and more consistent. In other words, automation enabled product and quality deficiencies to be produced at higher rates with less variation. Manufacturing Process Improvement surged as a methodology to change quality issues earlier in the process, implementing corrections in a consistent and predictable way, thanks to the nature of automation. Beyond manufacturing, virtually every practice is a process. Information technology brought automation capabilities outside of the manufacturing arena, giving birth to Lean Management as the practice to optimize business processes, eliminating inconsistencies and wasteful practices. Process Improvement then is the methodology to analyze and re-engineer any process with the goal of producing a more consistent end result with less consumption of resources: people, information, time, etc.
IT Consulting & Lean Process Management