ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the implementation of lean at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the University of Queensland. Implementation included embedding lean in the hospital strategic plan, running a rapid improvement event on ‘scheduling elective procedures/surgery for small animals’, implementing changes and addressing cultural and behavioural change within the hospital. The surgery scheduling process included two common service providers who service multiple teams without effective communication or information sharing between the teams. These service providers are: diagnostic imaging and anaesthesiology. The implementation of lean at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital commenced in the context of a broader unsuccessful attempt to implement lean at University of Queensland. False starts and failed first attempts are common when trying to implement lean in large, complex and mature organisations. The role of the lean leader is to inspire the organisation to build a culture of continuous improvement, and to develop the organisation’s ability to identify and eliminate problems.
