1. Improvement Assessments and Lean Strategy
This service area is a great starting point for many companies. Activities include review data, observe operations, interview people working in and upstream/downstream from the process to develop clear and objective assessments of the area(s) and magnitude of improvement opportunity. Once an objective and unbiased current state is developed, the attention turns to defining the possibilities using future state analysis. The resulting gap begins to identify where and how resources should be applied to execute change and improvement. The assessment results guide the development of Lean strategy and improvement gameplan.

2. Operating Principles
Operating Principles provide a consistent and positive direction for a manufacturing company.  The process to create the Operating Principles involves an in-depth exploration by the leadership about what is important to the stakeholders, employees, and customers.  When effectively created and rolled out, they allow everyone to speak with one voice, understand priorities, and have a tool to hold each other accountable.  The Operating Principles will be unique to each company to reflect each company’s situation.

Download Operating Principles interview transcript - July 2014

3. Operations Improvement
Operations improvement is all about getting results to fix problems and to fund longer-term, methodical Lean initiatives. Back2Basics works with your people to understand and attack root causes of disruptions and defects. Focus is skewed towards achieving results to particular business issues with secondary emphasis on skill development. This is the approach to use when you have that problem which must be resolved in order to lay the foundation for longer-term systemic improvement.

4. Kaizen Events
Formal kaizen events are effective in applying tactical Lean tools and beginning to get traction for on-going improvement. Back2Basics guides you in selecting and conducting kaizen events to attack specific operations or business problems. This is a great way to introduce basics of Lean, begin to build internal capability in the front-line workforce, and achieve quick results. The kaizen events create momentum for bigger and better improvements through Lean strategy development and implementation. Formal kaizen events can range from 2-day quick projects to full 5-day bursts. Of course, the objective is to get to the point that everyday kaizen is happening everyday in many places…as a way of industrial life!

5. Lean Transformation
The Lean transformation services are for the client that is very serious about Lean, willing to open all avenues for investigation and evaluation, and has a long-term view of the enterprise. This can happen at the plant level, multi-plant level, and corporate level. The objective is to design and implement Lean and process improvement to achieve breakthrough results by managing and improving whole value streams, building leaders’ and workforce’s capability through investment in training and hands-on application, and fundamentally redesigning the flow to achieve velocity and delivery performance. All stones are turned over to find improvement opportunities. Performance metrics will reflect the dramatic change and improvement the leadership should expect as result of Lean transformation.

BPM methods and techniques become an essential part of the change management in the "transformation". The transformed company attacks all aspects of the business – front-line operations, backroom transactional, and the extended supply chain!