Lean,

is the name of the team I have met today. A team composed by a 2 people who are analyzing a set of processes that they need to be improved in terms of efficiency and ability to absorb peaks.

The guys complained that all is in paper and that they were expecting data in a database or at least in an excel so they can analyze that.

I just broke out laughing: welcome to real life.

Real life

is the main fact these guys want to ignore. Yes, there are processes with legal papers that are scanned and managed, but legal communications are done by paper and we cannot change it.

This fact supposes a great wall that did not let them to see beyond. They just were paralyzed in front of this real fact.

“Come on guys, you have Six Sigma certifications, you share all these theory of Lean in LinkedIn, and now you come to me with this problem?”

Theory of constrains

is the basis of the history of the book The Goal (written by Eliyahu Goldratt), that simplifies the application of this theory in 5 steps.

I have commented them to go through this simple guidance and avoid a big bang approach to work on specific aspects. A big bang approach is not sustainable in a production line that cannot stop, this is a basic idea that they understand.

Finally I found that they perfectly understood the situation and my approach, the funny thing is that all they are asking is because their boss just want “data”.