LEAN SUMMIT 2010

New Horizons for Lean Thinking

2nd - 3rd November, 2010

Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2LD, UK

Recent research on the frontiers of lean thinking has thrown up four major lessons: -

• Lean has to be led from the top, focused on the most important opportunities and driven by results
• Lean can improve the productivity and effectiveness of management as much as it is doing in operations
• New management roles and structures are needed to manage end-to-end value streams that cross departments and organisations
• Traditional change management programmes do not deliver sustainable results

We have learnt a great deal about Toyota’s management systems and practices and about the theory and tools of lean leadership and management. For the last few years we have been conducting our own pilot experiments to learn how to use these in practice, in hospitals and in several multinationals, as have other lean pioneers. It is now possible to draw together the lessons from these early experiments so we can describe the generic practices of lean management, for others to learn from and follow. These include: -

• How top management prioritizes, deselects and focuses lean initiatives on the vital few problems or opportunities facing the organisation
• How managers define the underlying problems, the performance gaps to be closed and how they develop A3 plans for every initiative
• How managers build a business case for lean, relating process improvements to financial results
• How managers use visual project management to gain agreement on what needs to be done and to review progress
• How the responsibility of value stream managers can be reconciled with department heads’ authority over the resources
• How managers can build on new capabilities opened up by lean to create new business models
• How to design effective lean transformations by creating experiments and building an internal knowledge base
• How to teach managers to use A3s to develop the problem solving capabilities of their subordinates at every level in the organisation

This Lean Summit 2010 brings together some of the best lean pioneers to share their hard won experiences of what works and what does not. It also brings together some of the best examples we have found that illustrate these lean practices. If you are struggling with these questions come and join in the discussions, share your own experiences and be inspired by new insights that will take your organisation to the next level of lean. I look forward to meeting you there.

We have also brought together many pioneers who have successfully taken lean into new areas, like healthcare, sales and service delivery and there will be ample time for detailed learning and discussion with experts in workshops and at the Summit Dinner. We will also open with one remarkable story – the transformation of the oldest hospital in Europe and will close with another remarkable story of how McLaren, the most successful Formula One motor racing team, is building a new lean car company from scratch.