Question

Assess the applicability of TPS/Lean into your current place of employment. Describe the pros and cons of such an attempt. Speculate on the support and/or resistance that you might expect. You can base this assessment on (A) your own observations and judgment, (B) your discussion with and interview of colleagues and/or management, and/or (C) research of organizations similar to yours that have attempted to implement TPS/Lean.

Answer 1

Answer –

TPS –

Toyota production system (TPS) is like a super charged Lean Six Sigma program. TPS is the outcome of such powerful Lean Six Sigma team, which leads to high performance culture and lets employees to know their full strength. It also bestows creativity, while the firm gains from increased, profitability, market share, productivity and high customer satisfaction.

Toyota Motor Corporation created this Six Sigma system to offer best quality, low priced and shortest lead-time by eliminating wastes. Generally, TPS consists of two pillars such as Just-in-Time and Jidoka. TPS is improved and maintained through loops of consistent work and improved quality. Elimination of Waste has several forms such as material, idle equipment, time, and inventory. Most organizations do waste about 70% to 90% of their existing resources. Hence, TPS emphasizes the detection of such waste followed by certain Six Sigma tools and systems to eliminate it. Inventory is one such largest waste. It demolishes capital, become outdated and consumes both space as well as workforce. At times, it also hides other kinds of wastes. Almost each defect or difficulty makes a need of inventory. Thus, inventory is an outcome as well as evidence of overall manufacturing effectiveness.

Lean Flow eliminates waste –

The Lean Flow process, also called Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Flow, and more recently, Just-In-Time Manufacturing, was innovated by Henry Ford just after the turn of the century. He likened his concept of the assembly line to a river that flows continuously. Anything that disrupts the flow is waste that must be eliminated. Utilizing this methodology, Ford Motor Company could start and finish a Model T in just over 30 hours.

Lean Flow experts have found that the greatest success can be achieved by methodically seeking out inefficiencies and replacing them with “leaner”, more streamlined processes. Sources of waste commonly plaguing most business processes include:

• Waste of worker movement (unneeded steps)

• Waste of making defective products

• Waste of overproduction

• Waste in transportation

• Waste of processing

• Waste of time (idle)

• Waste of stock on hand

Application of Lean Flow into Higher Education –

When thinking about the one industry could benefit the most out of Lean Flow tools and templates, the winner would have to be the higher education system. Probably rising costs, outdated protocols, ineffective existing programs, and a high absentee rate are the obvious reasons for implementation of Lean.

Applying Lean methodologies can prove to improve quality, remove waste, and quantify opportunities in colleges and universities. Competition is fierce in higher education. Universities have started distance learning, e-learning programs rapidly. Obviously, the main focus and objective is to impart quality education at affordable fees. But the colleges have to make sure that the system and services are in place especially improving the internal work processes.

For instance, higher education institutions can become more responsive and offer better service to students by providing real time status to application acceptance, implementing an automated registration system that enables the integration of financial aid to support payment requirements, and integrating a system to retrieve and complete forms online.

It requires a disciplined and organized approach to process improvement to achieve these goals. With this in mind, many institutions look to implement a robust document and content management solution to gain efficiencies and improve the handling and processing of information, which ultimately reduces time, cost, and labour-intensive paper-based processes.

Implementing a Lean Flow requires having the right data and knowing how to use it. There are a number of different approaches taken by organizations, but fundamentally, Lean Flow is achieved by:

• Analyzing the steps of a process and determining which steps add value and which do not.

• Calculating the costs associated with removing non-value-added steps and comparing those costs versus expected benefits.

• Determining the resources required to support value-added steps while eliminating non-valueadded steps.

• Taking action.

Lean concepts can certainly be applied to teaching practices within higher education, but it is important also to think about all of the processes that surround what happens in the classroom. Schools rely on a complex web of processes including:

Accounting Emergency Preparedness Human Resources Facility Maintenance

Budgeting Food Service Technology Professional Development

Certification Fundraising Document Management Parent/Community Relations

Communications Office Administration Transportation Reporting

With a list of process like this, the opportunities for improvement certainly abound in every institute of higher education.

Lean Flow applied to document management services in higher education –

One key area where higher education institutions seek to improve efficiency is by implementing electronic document and digital image repository to simplify and streamline document-intensive business processes, such as enrolment. Imaging and document repository solutions include scanning, organizing, and storing back files and incoming documents so they are readily available and instantly accessible to people who need them most.

Many institutions look at image enabling, but not process improvements. One without the other is half a solution that does not consistently attain its goals of improving communication and information flow. Other institutions take a departmental, rather than a holistic enterprise, approach and create silos of information, resulting in information that can’t be leveraged by everyone. Also, institutions focus on the administrative side, but not the academic side of capturing documents, missing on opportunities to collaborate, share knowledge, and improve course work.

Pros and Cons of such an attempt –

Leaders who first brought up the idea of applying Lean to education were hit with some unexpected pushback. Many people associate Lean with manufacturing, where it was first developed, and assumed that the goal was to create something of an assembly line in colleges. No one likes the idea of assembly line education, so resistance was strong. Fortunately, Lean thinking is not assembly line thinking. It is focused on the perfection of processes, and while schools don’t produce tangible products, they certainly produce measurable results in terms of student achievement that can be monitored and improved over time.

Advantages –

• Waste Minimization – If the higher education system would incorporate certain Lean Flow methodologies, the first issue that would leave is waste. The elimination of variation or waste (Muda) would allocate resources better and consequently help create unity among departments. As universities/colleges sit on large sums of inventory and waste, this process eliminates outdated or aged inventory. Along with waste minimization, the process also reduces cost within the operation as well.
• Fund Management – Since funds would be going to where it is needed (instead of outdated programs as an example), the funds would go to improving the education system instantly. Part of the Lean Flow mind-set is employee happiness, which improves loyalty, so investing in the staff, teachers and professors is critical.
• Enhanced Customer Relationships - Solely focusing on the needs of all customers (students & parents) and builds strong and reliable relationships.
• Lean Infrastructure - A lean infrastructure means only dealing with several components: building, tools, office supplies, equipment, classes and staff, employee to fulfill demand. The facility does not waste any space or material and enables the facility to come as close as it can to efficiency.

Disadvantages –

• More tools/equipment/workbenches - to make your cells adaptable, requires additional tools/equipment for proper processes. This comes with a relatively high up-front cost.
• Learning curve - Lean requires a cultural shift, and it takes time to get everyone on board. Organization need to be dedicated to the cause, otherwise the conversion is doomed to fail.

Speculated support & resistance expected while implementing Lean –

Support	Resistance
The Management and Principal understand the importance of Lean Flow to develop the institute and show support	Lack of time, management support, finance, resistance to change, change process, and training.
If staff is provided with sufficient skills which they need to control their jobs, students and resources by proper training, this stress can change into creative tension and a positive challenge.	In addition, lack of skilled staff for implementation of lean flow can be a barrier. Resistance from employees against increasing the number of tasks they have to perform. Training can also reduce this resistance
A clear plan and communication can bring in support. Constant positive communication can be the driving force.	Staff does not know how to do the new stuff; they would have to invest time, money, effort or equipment to make the desired change; they feel they cannot do it; they truly feel the new solution is not as good as the status quo.
Distribution of task, resources, jobs can be helpful	Real or perceived fear of losing autonomy, authority, respect, power, etc. The change just does not feel right; stakeholders are used to or comfortable with the status quo; peer pressure, fear of standing out.

(Assessment are based on observations, judgements & literature/research found of similar organizations that attempted to implement TPS/Lean.)

Conclusion –

There   are   many   improvement opportunities   that   justify   Lean   implementation   in universities. Problems may appear in understanding the need   of Lean, as   humans   in general are reluctant   to change, but good   follow-ups help in establishing an adequate strategy that   can   contribute   to   the   success   of   Lean implementation.

References –

Benefits of Toyota Production System (TPS)

https://www.6sigma.us/six-sigma-articles/benefits-of-toyota-production-system-tps/

The Advantages of Applying Lean in Education by Maggie Millard

https://blog.kainexus.com/improvement-disciplines/lean/lean-in-education/the-advantages-of-lean-thinking-in-education

Ross Raifsnider & Dave Kurt (September, 2004). Lean Six Sigma in higher education: Applying proven methodologies to improve quality, remove waste, and quantify opportunities in colleges and universities.

https://www.xerox.com/downloads/wpaper/x/xgs_white_paper_dkurt.pdf