Lean project management and its implementation

Abstract

Lean management is a popular approach to improving efficiency, reducing waste, and enhancing quality. Lean management is a way of thinking and a systematic approach to eliminate waste, and lean project management is using this approach to create efficiency and delivery better results for costumer’s needs. Lean project management focuses on removing obstacles in the project plan to speed up the project by eliminating unnecessary waste from the project process.

Lean management originated from the Japanese car manufacturing companies such as Toyota in the 1940s and 50s as a response to the country’s socio-technological economic problems of increased competition levels and resource limitations. Lean management has 3 principal sources of waste: Muda, Mura, and Muri. Lean project management seeks to eliminate all 3 sources of waste.

This article will cover the theory behind lean management and lean project management. This will include the background of lean management, and further elaboration on the 3 sources of waste in relation to lean management and lean project management, the 7-types which is specific types of waste, the principles of lean project management, and explain multiple tools and techniques project managers can use in managing lean projects.

This article will also cover how project managers can implement lean management. Implementing lean management can be challenging, and many project managers struggle to achieve the desired results of improving efficiency, reducing waste, and enhancing quality. The project managers must clearly set goals for the implementation and communicate them to the team. In addition, the project manager must have sufficient knowledge of lean and analyze where improvements are necessary for the project process. The lean project manager can introduce lean tools into the project process and provide training to the employees. Lean management is based on continuous learning and improving the project process and because of this monitoring and analyzing progress is a good way to keep the project lean.

Lean project management has many advantages such as high customer satisfaction, reduced costs, and efficient project process. But there are also some limitations for the project manager and the project process such as lack of analysis of which process needs improvement, time-consuming management, and higher risks. All these limitations can cause the opposite effect of the benefits of lean management. Because of this, some areas in the industry make the lean approach more suitable than others.

Theory behind lean

Lean management is a business philosophy and management approach. It aims to increase efficiency and minimize waste by reducing costs and improving quality.

The idea behind lean management is to ensure continuous improvement in the organization by producing a product or service which is needed while minimizing waste in all stages of all processes. Lean management enables the ones using it to be more flexible, adaptable, and responsive to changing customer demands.

Lean management started in the Japanese automotive industry in the 1940s and 1950s when the companies had limited resources and a competitive market. To face these challenges of resources and competitiveness, Toyota developed a production system that eliminated waste and increased process efficiency and known as the Toyota Production System (TPS).

The positive results of the TPS lead to the name lean management in the 1970s and 1980s and had an increased interest in Western countries, and General Motors, Ford, and Boeing all began to adopt lean models into their production process. Today, lean management is widely used to improve efficiency and reduce waste in many different industries such as healthcare, service industries, and software development.

The theory can be applied to many organizations and roles in organizations. Lean project management has and can be expanded to more industries other than production processes including healthcare, construction, and software development.

The 3 sources of waste - Muda, Mura, and Muri

The basis of the Toyota production system and later Lean is to reduce or eliminate 3 types of unnecessary allocation of recourses across the whole project process. These 3 sources are named Muda (無駄, waste) Mura (斑, unevenness), and Muri (無理, overburden). (ref?)

Muda

The Muda source of waste refers to the elimination of waste in terms of time and resources. Identifying and eliminating any activities that do not add value to the project can reduce waste as much as possible and this is the goal. For project managers managing lean projects, the Muda can for example minimize unnecessary workflows, documentation, or meetings which does not add value to the project. https://www-accessengineeringlibrary-com.proxy.findit.cvt.dk/content/book/9780071392310/chapter/chapter3

Mura

Mura can be translated to Unevenness, non-uniforming, and irregularity. It refers to the reduction of variability in the project. Reducing the likelihood of errors and delays can ensure the project is completed on time and within budget. Standardization is a common method to enforce Mura in projects.

Muri

The Muri source of waste refers to the reduction of stains on the project team for lean project management. The goal is to optimize the workload and workflow in the team to ensure efficient work without being overburdened or stressed by people and equipment.

In a lean team, the project manager is responsible for enhancing a reduction of all the 3 M’s in the project process. The management aims to create a streamlined and efficient process that maximizes productivity and minimizes waste and errors.