Lean For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 14

Lean within the Enterprise

In This Chapter

Recognizing that Lean applies in all areas — not just manufacturing

Understanding Lean at the enterprise level

Identifying how Lean is practiced within different business activities and functions

Lean is an enterprise methodology. Some organizations have believed (mistakenly!) that it is only for the “production” part of their business, but it’s applicable to all of the business. Take your supply chain, for example: if it takes you ten times longer to get your stuff from suppliers, you will not be able to supply your customer any faster. Also, by applying Lean across the enterprise, the multidisciplinary views and experiences help the core businesses better serve the customer. Because Lean principles apply to processes in general, any process in any area of your organization can be improved using Lean.

Practicing Lean anywhere benefits the practice of Lean everywhere. As we stress throughout this book, Lean is not a sideshow — it’s not just something done by Lean experts or worker bees off in a corner of the organization. The more widely you practice Lean across the enterprise, and the greater understanding, acceptance, and ...