Building a Lean Culture: Engaging the Value Stream

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of a Lean Leadership (LL) training program initiated by the company about three years ago. The program’s main goal is to disseminate Lean throughout the company, which has been using Lean principles in its projects for about twenty years. So far, the LL program has reached over four hundred participants. Over the last year, the program included participants from the company’s extended value stream. Participants include project teams and the company’s strategic partners for prefabrication, equipment rental, and VDC/Project Controls support services. As part of the program, authors one and two visited participants to understand how they are applying lean leadership principles. This paper, the third in the series of building a Lean culture, shares success stories on how organizations in the company’s value stream applied LL knowledge to their business including value stream mapping, Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), go and see, and effective meetings. It also presents how these teams will continue their LL training to further build a Lean culture which the company can learn from its strategic partners while driving home a common purpose.