This is the last post defining the four-step process to implement Lean manufacturing principles in knowledge work.
The previous posts were defining the workflow, defining the connections, then defining the work of one.
The last step is continuous improvement. Continuous improvement can only come from a place of stability or a defined standard. For instance, if you try to apply continuous improvement to a process that everybody does differently, then the improvement may only improve one person’s activities. On the other hand, if you improve an existing standard then you can capture the benefit for all users and determine how it is working (Plan-Do-Check-Act).
Continuous improvement should be developed in the company culture where it is part of everybody’s job. It can also be a specific effort. Here are a couple of thoughts on identifying the need for a continuous improvement project.
You should expect things to flow allowing individuals to work on the critical work not a bunch of ancillary tasks (doing work to allow them to do work). Examples of work-about-work are looking up information and figuring out what needs to be done. A significant percentage of the work should be value added (Meet the 3 Cs: Customer Pays for it, Changes the product, Correct the first time). Bottlenecks are a key indicator of lack of flow, though it is harder to identify these in knowledge work.
Talk with the users of the processes. Figure out where the process is not meeting expectations of process flow, connections, or the work of one. This is called going to the Gemba (where the work is done). In knowledge work, this requires talking to the users more than it would in manufacturing. Frustrations about their job indicate where continuous improvements may be needed. You may have to pull this out of them because many people feel that ancillary tasks are part of the job and some people make a name for themselves doing this type of work.
We have to be careful with continuous improvement though. I have seen some companies turn this into a metric that drives the wrong behavior (one company considered labelling a clock on a wall as 5S as a continuous improvement).
Finally, some knowledge workers believe we will eventually improve everything and work ourselves out of a job. That will never happen because the environment is always changing (new employees, new software, new company expectations…).
Sunny: Giving team members time back after a shorter than expected meeting