Lean QuickStart Guide_ The Simplified Beginner’s Guide to Lean - PDF Room

3. Simplicity
Simplicity is a golden rule in many fields. If companies “reap what they sow,”
then simple in means simple out, and a process that produces simple is simple
throughout. Simplicity reduces the human error component in many cases and
can make fixing errors easier as well. Simplicity also speaks to the Lean business
model’s waste reduction approach. Focusing energy and resources on a
complicated problem can be alleviated by reducing a complex scenario into
simpler parts, and simple problems generally have simple solutions.
Simple processes are easier to teach, and they are easier to implement. Simple
configurations have lower chances of producing defects or errors due to
malfunctions or “moving part syndrome.” Derived from the no-nonsense world
of engineering, moving part syndrome is the theory that the chances of defect
increase with the number of moving parts.
Simple operations are easier to monitor, and sources of waste are more easily
identified. In some production applications a simple approach may mean
reducing the number of processes or cycles at a specific workstation. This may
create more workstations but will improve flexibility, allowing the process at
each workstation to be tweaked to compensate for changing production needs or
to rectify defective production.
Another aspect of Lean’s simplistic approach is apparent in what creating an
effective value stream strives to do in the first place: differentiate between
value-added and non-value-added activities. This is certainly not necessarily a
simple task, but with the narrowing of focus comes a lessening of clutter and
mixed signals. It is in this spirit that Lean focuses not on departments and their
functions but on the processes themselves that create the products and value for
the customer. If the process is established as the most important aspect of
production, then the departments will be restructured as needed or tasked
accordingly to match the flow of value-added activities. Simplicity also reduces
wasteful motion. If every activity and task at a workstation is as simple and
productive as necessary, there is less room for unneeded motion.
4. Continuous Improvement
The kaizen culture built around continuous improvement affects a company in
the most positive way possible. This concept makes for an “easier said than