Ensuring the value. Doing less to achieve more.

When talking about guaranteeing and especially maximizing value delivery, the Lean philosophy –which searches for efficiency– is applied based on several features and tools allowing to develop increasingly optimal processes focused on the continuous value delivery at all stages.

As mentioned in previous posts, the value is the most important factor to identify. In other words and regarding improvement, it should be clear what we will call value. This is based on knowing the customer’s needs and expectations through the Voice of the Customer (VOC). Thus, once value is identified, it is necessary to observe and analyze in-depth the improvement scenario, that is to say, the aspects called the Lean dimensions.

An aspect of these Lean dimensions for improvement is the Process. This is about carrying out activities in order to achieve a result through which the customer expects to satisfy his/her needs. In that regard, the analysis of the process dimension leads us to think about the Value Stream, a Lean principle. Every process should be a value stream, i.e. the best set of related activities ensuring the result delivery as expected with no obstacles (e.g. unnecessary activities). Anything that does not help in delivering that value should be considered as waste; therefore, it should be reduced or removed as much as possible. For that purpose, Lean promotes the treatment of these wastes and identifies them as Muda (Waste), Mura (Unevenness), Muri (Overburdening).

In this context, clear actions should be useful to deliver much more value with less effort. Less effort does not necessarily mean fewer people, but the reduction or removal of leftovers, resulting in optimal activities focused on what is really useful for the delivery of value.