What is lean productivity? The goal of getting lean is to develop a process that reduces your costs while improving the quality of your product or service. This idea was originally used in manufacturing to identify the best way to eliminate waste and deliver a better product to the consumer.
Whether you call it streamlining or waste reduction, as an entrepreneur you want to find the most cost-effective way of doing business. Think about the parts of your process or day-to-day operations that may take away from your customer's experience. Do your customers wait longer than they should to receive merchandise or find your website difficult to navigate?
Conducting a full assessment of your current business processes may help you identify areas that could benefit from taking the lean approach. Here are a few examples:
- Is there any duplication of efforts within your team? If so, redistribute the work or review your employees' strengths. You may not be taking full advantage of the skills that your employees can offer you.
- Are you being paid by your clients on time? Lack of money may delay your process and you may, in turn, have difficulty paying your suppliers. It may be time to rethink how you are paid - introduce technology (e-transfers) if you haven't already done so.
- Are you paying your suppliers too much? Seek out potential replacement suppliers who may be able to provide you an equal product at a better price.
- If you have an established relationship with your suppliers, find out if they can speed up their delivery times without compromising quality or safety. You will be helping your production facilities to introduce lean thinking as well.
You may want to involve your employees in the lean process. They could have thoughts on how to streamline their own tasks or parts of the larger work stream they are involved in. In addition, involving employees in the process helps to validate their ideas and make them feel involved, making such a transition more liveable for the whole organization.
Becoming a lean business will not be a quick undertaking, but a long term commitment that will reflect an exciting change in your business culture. The result will be happier customers and a rewarding return on your investment in efficiency.
For more information about the lean way of doing business, visit A quick guide to thinking lean.
