What is LEAN
What is LEAN?
LEAN is a process improvement approach that identifies and minimizes wasted time and effort. Through a week-long exercise, cross functional staff teams identify needed improvements and develop a one-year plan to implement the improvements.
Benefits of LEAN
- Empower staff to identify and implement the improvements, not management alone.
- Become more efficient, without lowering our environmental requirements.
- Promote tracking of performance indicators and use of visuals so staff adhere to standard processing time.
- Improve efficiency to give the agency more time to protect the environment, including addressing new environmental challenges.
- Increase the value of DEEP’s services to customers.
- Embrace a continuous improvement philosophy, bringing about cultural changes.
Added Value of LEAN
As more innovative and efficient practices are implemented through LEAN, DEEP is able to use staff resources to more effectively meet our obligation to protect and preserve the environment and natural resources of this state. Improving and streamlining our processes allows DEEP to:
- Address backlogs and stay current
- Improve the quality of our work
- Better meet the needs of our “customers”
- Address new challenges and tackle emerging issues
- Promote environmental sustainability
Value Stream Mapping (VSM)
- Value Stream Mapping is a tool of the LEAN process; it is a mapping method used to document the Current State and the desired Future State of information and material flows.
- VSM is used to compare Current State versus desired Future State. This type of analysis allows for the determination of the percent reduction in process steps and the related improvement in the delivery of services.