Question

QUESTION
Lean deployments use a five (5)-step prescriptive roadmap and a set of principles, Using a real business example, critically evaluate how these steps and principles were used to deliver radical business process improvements.

Answer 1

Let me consider a real business operations, heavy machinery organization needs to work on manufacturing machineries, the production process includes several processes are to be performed, these are cutting process, drilling process, bending process, fabrication, painting and assembly works. In such organizational context, we can work on lean deployment and build five steps prescriptive roadmap and a set of principles, let me analyze and critical evaluate each steps as stated blow:

• Identifying the value, in production environment, value added tasks mainly associated with cycle time, process lead time, throughput, items delivered in an hour, etc. we want to reduce handling time, movement time, as this could bring more defects and we may be shifted from core objectives.
• Value stream mapping: Mapping of the processes and system another essential step here, as that could reduce non value added activities; we could help production resources to put maximum efforts on the tasks much flexible way.
• Build a flow: operations activities are much repetitive in nature, we need to build flow within the system, so, we can improve productivity, for example: Raw material first passed to cutting process, once cutting done, we will feed components to drilling and bending as per requirements, then, once drilling and bending are over, we will fabricate them as to produce sub –assembly, such sub assembly items are assembled at assembly works after doing having painting operations. These way flows would be maintained to deliver finished goods from raw material feeding.
• Create pull system: it is another requirement, where we will follow JIT practices, we will consider order first, once order received and confirmed, we will start processing units and components are transferred from one process to another process through pull practices.
• Continuous improvement: every process, system needs to be improved over time, such improvement consider step by step improvement and consider less time and cost to get each small improvement, hence, we could improve result and productivity with reducing defects in the system.