As a result, only few procedures and work guide exist, if any. This means the job is done in a manner people think it is the best, or at least the most convenient, way to do it.

Office activities, as industrial or sales activities, are facing growing competitive pressure. Office and Administration staff need to measure their productivity, then to improve it to keep up with competition.

Lean Manufacturing principles help administrative jobs

The Lean Manufacturing principles can be applied in office activities with little adaptation. They are the cornerstones of Lean Office or Lean Administration.

Describe and analyze the process

Any process can be described with 4  basic activities:

1. Transform
2. Check the Quality / Check the Quantity
3. Storage, waiting, WIP
4. Transportation, handling

Once the process description done, the "as is" state is shown. Next step is to sort out value added tasks from non-value added tasks, then to reduce (ideally to eliminate) non-value added tasks, the Lean approach qualifies as wastes.

Therefore it is necessary to build a future state, which the associated action plan will help turn into reality.

This type of analysis and the tools and methods are standards from the industry, and fully adaptable to office activities. The whole set is known as lean office or lean administration.

 

After 12 years of operationnal practice in a YAMAHA plant, he commited himself to help his clients to cope with industrial and logistics problems.