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Lean Training: An Efficient Solution

Lawrence M. Miller

Lean Training

The problem for most organizations developing lean management is two fold: first, how to change the culture in a significant way, in a reasonable period; and second, how to provide the needed training to a large number of people in a consistent and quality manner.

Team Leadership – The Kata of High Performance is an effort to solve both of those problems. Self-paced online learning is the answer. The course is now available for a very low price, $50. The accompanying book, Team Kata, is now available in my Amazon store.  The intention is that team members and team leaders, both natural work teams and management teams, go through the online learning and are then assisted by an internal coach. The coach focuses on helping the teams do the “deliverables” that are suggest with each section. It is an action-learning model – learn, do, receive feedback, learn more, do, etc.

I recommend that the course be a six month to one year curriculum for teams. While going through the course they will develop a scorecard, interview their customers, map their work process, eliminate waste and variances, learn three problem solving models, develop standard work, and solve human performance problems, and develop facilitation and listening skills. It will create change through real world experience.

The Kata

A “kata” is a routine of practice that results in the building of skills. The word is most commonly used in karate, however Mike Rother in his book Toyota Kata has brought the word to management attention. What I have taught for many years is a discipline approach to practicing the skills of effective teamwork, team management, and problem solving – in other words, a Team Kata.

The first section of the course focus on organizing the team, establishing  a charter with roles, responsibilities and process definition.

The second section is the Improvement Kata, gathering the facts of performance, interviewing customers, setting targets and gradually moving from the current state to an ideal future state through continuous problem solving and experimentation.

The third stage is to standardize the team practices, methods proven successful through experimentation, and developing the skills of team facilitation and interpersonal communication.

There is a lot of material in the course and students or teams may skip around, go back to sessions as needed, and use attached materials.

I will be continuously improving the course as I receive feedback (from you?) from my customers. I hope you will take a look.

The Curriculum

Section 1: Introduction

Section 2: Principles of Lean Management

Section 3: The Coaching Kata

Section 4: Writing Your Team’s Charter

Section 5: Getting Organized

Section 6: Stages of Team and Organization Development

Section 7: Clarifying Decision Styles

Section 8: Developing Your Team Scorecard

Section 9: Defining Customer Requirements

Section 10: Solving Problems

Section 11: Mapping Your Value Stream

Section 12: Analyzing Variances in Your Process

Section 13: Finding and Eliminating Waste from Your Process

Section 14: Motivation and Human Performance

Section 15: Standard Work and Leader Standard Work

Section 16: Team Facilitation Skills

Section 17: Effective Listening Skills

Section 18: Giving and Receiving Feedback

Section 19: Improving Team Dynamics

Section 20: Improving the System

Thanks,

Larry Miller

 

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