Five lean techniques to optimise your project or programme

Based on the key principle that eliminating waste improves efficiency, lean techniques can add real value to business programmes. In this article, change and transformation specialist Mike Horton shares five lean tools that should be in every programme manager’s toolkit.

The benefits of lean management techniques are indisputable. But while many programme managers are aware of lean as a concept, there is often a lesser understanding of how to apply lean techniques in practice.

Lean tools need not be complicated. Here are five easy lean techniques that can help when internal processes appear unwieldy or slow.

1/ Root cause analysis using the ‘5 Whys’ technique

When difficulties occur, most managers will instinctively seek a solution to make them disappear. But this approach assumes you know why the issues occurred in the first place – which will not always be the case.

The 5 Whys is a lean tool that harnesses the power of interrogation to drill down and identify the underlying cause of an issue. Essentially you ask yourself why you have the problem, then write your answers. Then ask why again.

The resulting list of potential root causes helps inform actions to reduce or eliminate the problem, instead of purely treating the symptoms.

2/ The 3Cs

The 3Cs is a longstanding lean tool that stands for ‘concern, cause and countermeasure’. It helps team members identify, understand and solve problems collectively using boards.

These boards – which can be physical or digital – allow anyone to log a concern and demonstrate progress towards resolving it.

If the reason behind the problem is unknown, you can use the 5 Whys technique mentioned above to better understand the ‘cause’. The ‘countermeasure’ then becomes the solution.

3/ Choosing by Advantages (CBA)

In every project there are times when a major decision needs to be made.

One lean tool that is particularly effective for decision-making is Choosing by Advantages (CBA). This collaborative method encourages team members to consider the potential advantages of each alternative, leading to more informed decisions.

With clear documentation on these group decisions, the CBA technique brings a transparency that helps ensure unanimous confidence in the final decision.

4/ Process mapping

One of the key advantages of process mapping is that it presents a broad overview of any given project. This allows teams a deeper understanding of the entire process and their role in it by taking an ‘as-is’ look at what is happening at that moment.

The next step is to review the entire process through the classic lean lens by asking which steps add value, which do not, and which can be removed. This will help to streamline processes and improve efficiency.

‘Future state’ process maps — which outline the ideal way a project should operate in the future — can also help measure progress and provide direction. The real benefit, however, comes from the actions generated throughout the process.

Finally, from a programme perspective, process mapping gives people confidence that things are moving towards the desired outcomes.

5/ Kanban boards

Our final lean tool is Kanban boards. Employing the power of visualisation, Kanban boards are an efficient method of visually managing team workflows.

Sticky notes are used to represent work, while categories like ‘To Do’, ‘In Progress’, ‘Peer Review’ and ‘Done’ enable teams to monitor real-time progress and track actions.

Unlike dashboards, Kanban boards do not require data collection, nor do they quantify overall performance. Instead, they provide a visual snapshot of the workflow – and a place for people to come together to update their progress.