Lean Quest Services
LEAN QUEST APPROACH
The Lean Quest approach to every engagement is based around knowledge transfer and the development of skills and abilities of our clients and their organizations while delivering business results. Our many years of experience has taught us that Lean is not something that can be done “to you,” it must become the way you execute your business. To accomplish this our knowledge and experience must be transferred to our clients. Whether the engagement is a limited Kaizen effort or a full cultural transformation, to ensure sustainability and longevity, the ownership and the commitment must become part of the way or working daily into the client leadership team.
This transfer of knowledge and development of our client’s capabilities takes the form of Management Consulting & Coaching, Training and Tools & Products to support the activities.
MANAGEMENT CONSULTING and COACHING
Lean Quest is a high impact management consulting company whose mission is to increase its client’s customer service levels and profitability through the integration of Lean methods within the client’s enterprises.
Lean Quest refers to this part of the practice as Consulting and Coaching because we believe both are integral to our approach. Consulting is: “an expert who is called on for professional or technical advice or opinions. They are relied on to understand the problem and present solutions.” As experts in Lean, we are often called on to provide technical advice and opinions on the best solutions for our clients. Coaching is: “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” At Lean Quest, we are always forming partnerships with our clients to inspire them to maximize their potential as individuals and as an organization. It is the combination of Consulting and Coaching that allows us to develop the capability of our client organizations effectively.
Consulting and Coaching engagements range in scope from full cultural transformations that develop a new Management System to high-impact Kaizen (continuous improvement) events focused on specific problems or constraints. Lean Quest works with all levels of leadership from the C-Suite to front-line supervisors. This capability comes over many years of experience working and consulting at these levels.
Lean Quest brings a depth of knowledge that goes past typical Lean Manufacturing. Our experience is based primarily on Supply Chain and “Office” types of applications. The ability to apply Lean Tactics, Techniques and Procedures outside of the traditional manufacturing environment requires an advanced level of knowledge and experience gained through our staff’s more than 30 years of application.
Over the years, Lean Quest has worked extensively with the Lean Rules In Use and Tactics, Techniques and Procedures specifically related to:
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Product – The design and development of Products that solve customer problems
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Process – Processes that produce and deliver the Product at the right quality, on time, in the exact amount and at the correct cost
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Structure – The alignment of organizational structures and roles that enable the decision making and problem-solving required to ensure the Product and Process function as designed
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People – The development of People to have the capability to execute the structural roles
TRAINING
Knowledge transfer and the development of our clients’ capabilities are fundamental to the Lean Quest approach. This knowledge transfer comes from hands-on coaching and consulting, which is reinforced by a foundation of effective and targeted training.
To ensure our training offerings are effective, Lean Quest has studied adult learning and has incorporated this into the design of our training programs. All of our training programs combine a combination of classroom learning with simulations and / or hands-on exercises and are often coupled with immediate application.
The Lean Quest training programs are accessible through several different channels, including:
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Public Workshops
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Private Workshops
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Embedded with Consulting and Coaching Activities
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Online Training (COMING SOON)
To support the training and to acknowledge the accomplishment of learning goals, Lean Quest has joined with a consortium of other Lean Consulting specialists to create a GetLeanCertified.
Public Workshops
Lean Quest partners with organizations that focus on education to deliver some of our most popular training programs in workshops available to individuals in a public format. Allowing organizations to explore the concepts of Lean and to see our training with a low level of commitment with a limited number of attendees.
For many years Lean Quest has offered workshops through:
These offerings combine classroom instruction with simulations designed to enhance the learning of the students.
To register for a public workshop, follow the link to our partners’ registration sites.
Embedded with Consulting and Coaching Activities
Training workshops are useful for awareness training and establishing a foundation of knowledge, and many of the workshops listed above have actual application built into them. However, the most effective preparation for more specific or involved topics is through just-in-time training with immediate use.
At Lean Quest, we have learned the most effective training is embedded with consulting and coaching activities. Nearly all of our consulting activities have an element of training built into them. The results are small compact training opportunities that are easier absorb and increased retention because of the immediate coaching and hands-on application. To facilitate these activities the entire Lean Quest curriculum is available in this format.
Certifications
GetLeanCertified was created to fill a need within the industry. With no governing body for Lean, there have been many “versions” and “adaptations” that have drifted from the original founding values, principles and capabilities. This consortium of firms has a common understanding of Lean that can be tied directly to the teachings of Toyota and those that originated Lean thinking.
GetLeanCertified is a consortium of Lean consulting firms that have come together to issue meaningful certificates for Lean methods, tools, techniques and capabilities. These certificates have been earned through individuals’ effort and study or as part of a capability initiative sponsored by any employer. GetLeanCertified offers two types of certificates. “Certificates of Completion” – issued to individuals that have completed a training program (one or more classes) to the satisfaction of a consortium member. “Certified Lean” – issued for those individuals that have completed a training program and demonstrated a capability through an actual project(s) that have been reviewed and certified by a consortium member.
Private Workshops
Lean Quest has designed a series of workshops that work as a cost-effective way to introduce all employees to fundamental concepts of Lean being implemented within the organization. These workshops range from introductory topics to advanced concepts. These workshops are particularly effective at building the awareness that is required to form the foundational knowledge to engage in more required to complex activities.
PRODUCTS
Over our many years of guiding organizations through their Lean transformations, we have identified gaps that can be closed with “products” that allow our clients to continue their Lean journey in the most effective way possible for them. There are two main types of these:
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Software Tools
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Training Simulation Kits
Software Tools
Lean Quest has developed several software tools to speed the analysis and reduce the effort required for projects. A couple of these tools have been made available for purchase by our clients. These tools address specific problems that are currently not addressed adequately in the marketplace.
Daily Performance Reporting – The Daily Performance Reporting Tool (DPR) has been developed to provide critical information for the leadership team regarding Productivity and key metrics. DPR is a software tool that allows the operation to effectively gather data related to units of works completed and hours of effort used. Allowing for reporting and analysis of the actual performance levels and is fully aligned with Know Your Business (KYB). KYB is the critical data required for Workforce Planning and Progress Control Visuals.
This tool fills a gap that exists in nearly all systems. Labor tracking systems track hours, but generally at a high level (for payroll), and operational systems can track work completed, but typically don’t track hours well.
Storage Maintenance Tool – Proper storage practices are critical to an efficient warehouse operation. Organizations often make significant investments to slot and reorganize their storage, but seldom develop the proper storage maintenance techniques to maintain the improved state. Lean Quest has developed a Storage Maintenance Tool that allows the operation to sustain and improve upon the facility’s storage rules and conditions. It takes uploads from your Warehouse Management System and produces a report card of your storage conditions that allow you to make the incremental improvements that maintain the optimum storage conditions without needing to reinvest in another slotting and reorganization effort.
Training Simulation Kits
Lean Quest has developed three training simulation kits that can be used to deliver multiple types of training workshops. For an organization with a large population of associates, it is often more effective for them to purchase the simulation kit and work with Lean Quest to develop a train-the-trainer program. Allowing them to bring the delivery in house at a substantially reduced cost. The three training simulation kits currently available are:
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Lean Foundation Kit – Utilizes Lego Cars to demonstrate the foundational thinking and vital elements of a Lean environment. Simulation can work in many configurations and go from 2 to 8 rounds; this depends on which key points are in focus -- used for workshop ranging from “Taste of Lean” to “Advanced Problem Solving.”
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Lean Warehouse Simulation Kit – Utilizes foam blocks to simulate a warehouse environment. Simulation can be run in 2 to 3 rounds; depending on the key points to be communicated -- used for workshops on “Advanced Lean Warehousing Techniques” and “Lean Storage.”
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Lean Pull Based Supply Chains (Sell 1 Buy 1) – Utilizes movement of beads across a three-level supply chain to demonstrate the “bullwhip effect” and show the benefits of a pull-based sell-1-buy-1 supply chain. Simulation runs in 2 rounds, traditional and Lean -- used for the “Sell 1 Buy 1 Supply Chain Workshop.”
