What is Lean Daily Management System (LDMS)?
Lean Daily Management, as defined, is a system that allows us to determine on a daily base whether we are meeting our goals or not, take corrective actions, and check that previous actions and improvements have been sustained.
Lean Daily Management allows us to check both our results as well as our processes.
The system is designed to help us provide the best service possible by ensuring that we do our best every day. It must, like any management system help us reach our goals. Answering questions like:
- Were we successful or unsuccessful?
- What are the next steps?
- Do we continue to benefit from our past achievements?
How does the Daily Management System build lean habits?
Lean Daily Management System is more important in the long term because it helps us develop a set of habits that will make lean thinking and practices second nature. These habits include:
- Setting standards and planning
- Making the current status visible
- Going to see
- checking plan versus actual
- Communication
- Creating alignment throughout the organization
- Solving problems
- Coaching and developing people
Many organizations struggle to maintain the improvements they have made without these habits. These habits will help us sustainably deliver the results we want using tools and methods for continuous improvement. The Lean Daily Management System provides us with the structure and routine we need to improve each day.
What are the essential components of a Lean daily management system?
Four essential routines are part of a Lean Daily Management System. These four routines include:
These activities are all time-based, and they involve everyone within the organization. These activities help us to ask ” What are we doing? What can I do to assist? “. The timing, content, and sequence of the activities vary.
The Daily Accountability Process was designed to encourage people of all levels to ensure they have everything they need for their daily work and to seek help if they don’t. The Daily Accountability process may include the following activities:
- Cleaning and checking equipment daily
- Daily safety reminders
- shift start meetings
- Morning all-hands Meetings
- Daily team meetings
- Accountability meetings with tiers
Leader Standard Work is a routine that leaders of all levels follow to ensure they are checking on their teams and ensuring process standards are being adhered to, as well as finding opportunities to coach and develop employees.
Gemba Walks are a flexible and structured way to identify opportunities, develop people, and learn about your day-to-day operations.
Process Confirmation refers to a series of audits that incorporate process standards into routine and random checks.
