When implementing Lean in a company, there are three important considerations to avoid failure:
1. Lean is not an end in itself, but a way of structuring the operation of the company to carry out its foundational objective according to parameters of authentic Operational Excellence. Therefore, the first thing is to understand what is said foundational objective, the purpose, the reason of being of the company; In short, its mission and its vision, in addition to its values or corporate culture. All that is done, therefore, must be framed in this paradigm.
2. Once the change to the Lean has been decided, the company’s Directorate must achieve the commitment of the entire organization towards the marked objective, without considering it as mere superficial change but a complete cultural change that must be sustained and sustainable. Without such conviction, the result will be, in the best of cases, mediocre and of little duration.
3. The implantation of the Lean culture is a long process that requires involvement, formation, decision making, reorganization, change of paradigms, etc. The first step is a very detailed internal and external analysis that allows to detect where the main problems to solve are and which would be the ideal “pilot zones” to start the change. Implementing Lean specific tools, simply because they are used in other companies or their names are known or appear to be “fashionable” is a mistake that will be paid very expensive.