A variety of methodologies are available for process improvement. These include Six Sigma, Lean Management, Lean Six Sigma, Agile Management, Re-engineering, Total Quality Management, Just-In-Time, Kaizen, Hoshin Planning, Poka-Yoka, Design of Experiments, and Process Excellence. Consulting firms all seem to have one of these that they claim is the best. The large number of competing approaches...

In an effort to improve operational efficiency, healthcare services around the world have adopted process improvement methodologies from the manufacturing sector, such as Lean Production. In this paper we report on four multi-level case studies of the implementation of Lean in the English NHS. Our results show that this generally involves the application of specific Lean 'tools', such as 'kaize...

In an effort to improve operational efficiency, healthcare services around the world have adopted process improvement methodologies from the manufacturing sector, such as Lean Production. In this paper we report on four multi-level case studies of the implementation of Lean in the English NHS. Our results show that this generally involves the application of specific Lean ‘tools’, such as ‘kaize...

Purpose – During the last decades, different quality management concepts, including total quality management (TQM), six sigma and lean, have been applied by many different organisations. Although much important work has been documented regarding TQM, six sigma and lean, a number of questions remain concerning the applicability of these concepts in various organisations and contexts. Hence, the ...

In an effort to improve operational efficiency, healthcare services around the world have adopted process improvement methodologies from the manufacturing sector, such as Lean Production. In this paper we report on four multi-level case studies of the implementation of Lean in the English NHS. Our results show that this generally involves the application of specific Lean ‘tools’, such as ‘kaize...

This paper presents an ethnographic account of the implementation of Lean service redesign methodologies in one UK NHS hospital operating department. It is suggested that this popular management 'technology', with its emphasis on creating value streams and reducing waste, has the potential to transform the social organisation of healthcare work. The paper locates Lean healthcare within wider de...

High profitability and customer satisfaction are of supreme importance for any business. To achieve both objectives, an organisation must design a structured approach. To achieve profitability, organisations look to principles of lean manufacturing and techniques such as EFQM, business excellence. This paper reviews such methodologies across different industries, comparing techniques and elemen...

Lean management principles were first developed in the 1950s in the industrial setting of car manufacturing, and the first laboratory was the Toyota manufacturing plant. Further, Womack and Jones are credited in developing the field [1]. Over the past half a century, lean thinking has become more widely embraced, particularly in manufacturing and industrial settings. More recently, it has been ...

the aim of this paper is to determine the use of lean management components in the libraries of medical sciences universities in the north provinces of iran. the methodology is a cross-sectional survey in which the viewpoints of 105 managers and employees in different units of libraries of medical sciences universities are evaluated in mazandaran, golestan, and gilan to determine the applicatio...

The mass production paradigm on which much of the industry was based has changed. market is increasingly demanding, requesting diversity and products that are more adapted to personal wishes requirements. This implies producing a greater in smaller quantities. Competitiveness enormous, forces most companies be truly effective efficient, taking care product quality, delivery time, final cost. Le...