Lean Communication: Applications for Continuous Process Improvement

The concept of Lean is often associated with manufacturing and production processes. While the origin of such systems derives from the Toyota Production System it is in now being applied in service industries, healthcare and banking. What all of these sectors have in common is the transfer of information: in order to get anything done communication is required between many different stakeholders and players, regardless of the particular industry sector. Furthermore, because of the current state of globalization, the ever-increasing pace of new market entries and the need to establish suppliers in distant lands, an all-consuming interdependence defines todays business environment. While Toyota established a system to deal with factory floor problems in close proximity, todays factory floor is the size of the world. This book will apply principles of Lean to analyze and assess communication break-downs and problems across the supply chain. It will draw upon those same principles to demonstrate how to then develop a set of best practices and methodologies to improve those communications. The authors believe that by treating communication as a process, like any other business process, and by drilling deep into the details of Lean and showing how Lean practices can be applied successfully to optimizing the communications process, the entire organization and its supply chain partners will benefit.

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