Lean Principles and its other Possible Uses

While Lean was originally developed with the manufacturing industry in mind, it’s now being used to improve the processes of businesses in other industries. Industries like software development, healthcare and administration now adapt the principles of Lean in their workplaces to improve their production and organization.

While this would still require a lot of change and development in order to ergonomically fit or suit other industries, a lot of the practices of Lean are fundamental, therefore applicable to many other aspects of life. Practices like Kaizen, ergonomics, and 5S are applicable to manufacturing as it is applicable to organizing the life of an individual.

It is, thus, a good idea to share the principles and practices of Lean and to motivate its use in places other than the production floor. The Lean philosophy or at least some of its practices can help improve not only companies, but lives and homes. Lean in healthcare, for instance, teaches an improved way of efficiently handling patients in emergency situations through the 5S principle.

The 5s principle, as can be learned from Lean presentations, deals basically with management—using the five practices, namely, setting in order (seiri), organizing (seiton), cleaning (seiso), standardizing (seiketsu) and self-discipline or sustaining (shitsuke). These practices can be used in manufacturing, in healthcare management, and even in managing household cleaning.

Moreover, in the light of the household, showing Lean presentations to your kids can also prove to be helpful in terms of helping them understand that the world can work in an alternate way that uses less of our natural resources, accomplishing task in a shorter period of time while improving value, even without sacrificing quality in whatever context applicable.

Lean is such a powerful philosophy, and there’s no easy way to know how Lean education can help mankind. While you might think that all it takes to change is watching Lean presentations, it’s unfortunately not as simple as you might think. Lean involves a certain degree of commitment and dedication. It is, after all, not just a practice you can pick up, but a kind of philosophy, a distinct way of life.