ABSTRACT

Struggling to apply Lean effectively in your office environment? Office Lean is a book for anyone who wants to apply Lean better in contexts where the work is both intangible and complex. it explains in simple terms, what Lean is -- and what Lean isn’t -- enabling office professionals to understand how it can be successfully applied to their complex office-based work environments.

Contrary to popular opinion, Lean is not only for mass manufacturing or healthcare. It applies just as much to the digital world of "knowledge work" industries such as banking and financial services, software development, and government. But the fundamental concepts, straight from the factory floor, need a fair amount of translation to be effectively applied in cube farms.

Overturning the common perception that Lean is about imposing rigid rules, or simply eliminating waste in the name of "efficiency", Eakin presents Lean as a dynamic, flexible, people-centric philosophy that delivers outstanding business results by improving employee engagement and customer experience.

Office Lean helps Lean practitioners (leaders/managers and coaches/consultants) working in professional office environments access the amazing, transformative results Lean can bring to their specific domains. It combines clear explanations of the core concepts of the Lean philosophy with relevant, practical examples from the fields of accounting, finance, insurance, IT and government.

part I|1 pages

Grasping the Situation

chapter Chapter 1|8 pages

The Legacy of Industrial Management

chapter Chapter 2|17 pages

Two Types of Efficiency

chapter Chapter 3|15 pages

Changing the System

part II|1 pages

Designing For Flow

chapter Chapter 4|16 pages

Understanding Flow

chapter Chapter 5|12 pages

Busy Does Not Mean Productive

chapter Chapter 6|17 pages

Design Principle I: Continuity

chapter Chapter 7|10 pages

An Accounting Story

chapter Chapter 8|13 pages

Design Principle II: Balance

chapter Chapter 9|15 pages

Creating Balance

chapter Chapter 10|7 pages

The CapCell Experiment

chapter Chapter 11|13 pages

The Seven Gates of Hell

part III|1 pages

Thinking Beyond Flow

chapter Chapter 12|16 pages

Prerequisites to Problem Solving

chapter Chapter 13|19 pages

Start with Standards

chapter Chapter 14|6 pages

Using Standards to Create Flow

chapter Chapter 15|11 pages

Lean Thinking and the Digital Age

chapter Chapter 16|9 pages

Automation and Imbalance

chapter Chapter 17|10 pages

Lean Leadership and Strategy

chapter |4 pages

Conclusion: Work Is a Human System