ABSTRACT
Overview Today’s.office.environments.are.a.complex.mixture.of.employees,.consultants,.and. technologies. that. are. integral. parts. of. global. supply. chains.. As. an. example,. an. accounts.receivable.department.may.reside.in.one.country,.but.several.of.its.core.functions.are.performed.across.the.world..In.this.context,.sales.and.marketing.functions. may.be.geographically.dispersed,.with.customers.located.in.different.countries..The. invoicing.process.itself.may.be.modularly.designed.to.service.customers.based.on. their.cultural,.language,.or.other.demographical.considerations..Also,.an.invoicing. process’s.employees.and.suppliers.may.be.geographically.dispersed.across.the.world.. In.global.supply.chains,.simple.and.standardized.operational.systems.will.tend.to. have.lower.cycle.times.and.cost.as.well.as.higher.quality.levels.than.more.complex. systems..Simplifying.and.standardizing.processes.is.a.major.focus.of.the.Lean.tools. and.methods.that.are.the.subject.of.this.book..These.tools.and.methods.have.been. shown.to.be.the.most.direct.way.to.simplify,.standardize,.and.mistake.proof.process. workflows. to. translate. the.needs. and. requirements.of. customers. through.operational.systems..This.is.called.translating.the.voice.of.the.customer.(VOC)..It.will.be. shown.that.the.application.of.Lean.tools.and.methods.is.straightforward,.but.the. process.of.deploying.Lean.across.an.organization.is.difficult..Organizations.always. find.that.Lean.deployments.require.hard.work,.patience,.effective.resource.allocation,.and.significant.personal.involvement.of.their.employees.and.management.
