Lean Manufacturing Director Job Description. There is such a profession: Lean-manager. Steps to help reinforce lean ideas

Basic principles of lean manufacturing

Traditionally, the main principles of lean manufacturing include:

Identification of value streams for a specific product;
Providing an uninterrupted flow of product value manufacturing;
Providing the consumer with access to products.
Striving for improvement.
In addition to these principles, the following are also distinguished:
Obtaining excellent quality;
Flexibility;
Establishing long-term relationships with consumers. This is achieved by sharing risks, costs, and information.

Remark 1

The core of lean manufacturing is the work of eliminating waste. Waste includes a specific action that is aimed at consuming resources. It is important to note that waste does not create any value for the consumer.

The main objectives of lean manufacturing are:

Reducing costs, which include labor;
Reducing the time of product creation;
Reducing production and storage space;
Ensuring the delivery of products to the customer;
The highest quality at a specific cost or the highest price at a specific quality.

Lean Manufacturing Instructions

The instruction manual for a lean manufacturing specialist includes the following main provisions:

Development and execution of plans for the introduction of a lean manufacturing system at the enterprise. It is important to note that you need to start from scratch. It is necessary to control the work at each stage of work. The main requirement for the performance of this work is the manifestation of leadership qualities. It is not enough to believe that the inclusion of lean production at a particular enterprise includes a huge potential for efficiency, you need to be able to convince each employee of this, convey your ideas to everyone, defend your point of view, motivate employees;
Introduction of lean manufacturing tools in the manufacturing area;
Organizing the inclusion and training of employees, finding training programs and conducting training for all employees on lean manufacturing tools. In addition, this includes teaching theory and practice, motivating the exchange of experience between each employee and various departments. All this gives rise to the need for certain knowledge in the field of industrial pedagogy;
Control over project working groups in projects to increase production efficiency. In this area, a specialist needs to have the knowledge that a project manager has. The project manager is responsible for ensuring that each member of the project team in their work works according to the developed scheme of actions;
Conducting consultations for heads of organizations, structural divisions, as well as among employees who are involved in the implementation of projects in their divisions or who use Lean tools. The knowledge that is needed in order to eliminate errors in this area is important for the effective solution of various problems, as well as negative consequences;
Building processes aimed at continuous improvement in the production organization, finding the best practices in the implementation of various projects. For this, communication is key, since whoever is responsible for enabling lean has to communicate quite often;
Knowledge and skills in finding and selecting new ideas. The basic requirements in this area are needed for discussions in which a specialist without the use of moderation methods will not be able to achieve certain tasks.

Last fall, after posting a self-titled note that generated a lot of interest in the lean community, I was approached by HeadHunter for comment on some "professional" issues.

I have long intended to collect something like a reference about the specialists in the field of lean manufacturing, and this offer to participate in the writing of the article turned out to be very useful.

So, now, we can say that officially there is such a profession - Lean-manager. Needless to say, it's pretty scarce.

Profession Profile: Lean Manufacturing (LEAN) Manager

Among the innovative models of organizing and doing business, a special place is occupied by LEAN technologies, which are an effective combination of European practicality and Eastern philosophy. Thanks to the experience of the Japanese corporation Toyota and the interpretation of its ideas, "lean manufacturing" is now considered as the most effective, reliable and low-cost way for companies to overcome the crisis, increase competitiveness and take a leading position.

general description

The concept of production management, which is based on the idea of the need to eliminate all types of losses (LEAN), has been considered by many world companies as the main principle of work for more than half a century. Specialists in the so-called "lean manufacturing" are considered extremely rare, despite the fact that their demand in the market is extremely high.

“In general, we see demand for professionals in the field of lean manufacturing from companies in the metallurgy sector, companies in the B2B sector offering solutions in the field of packaging, assembly plants in the automotive sector, heavy engineering, the tobacco industry, and companies in the oil and gas sector. Such a need for LEAN arises primarily for companies with large turnovers and production volumes, - says Evgenia Lanichkina, Head of Industrial Recruitment Antal Russia. “Over the past year, we have not had a single application for the selection of a plant manager, where there were no requirements for work experience in implementing LEAN.”

LEAN considers any production from the point of view of process optimization by all employees of the company. This global approach hides the main complexity of the "lean production" methodology, since a specialist in this field must combine the skills of a teacher and a leader, a forecaster and an analyst. By and large, "lean manufacturing" is a technological philosophy expressed in practice by people who are creative in their approach to eliminating waste. It is no coincidence that the concept originated in post-war Japan, whose ideology was based on the thought of combating the negative consequences of World War II.

LEAN considers any production from the point of view of process optimization by all employees of the company.

Pavel Rabunets, publishing development manager ICSI (Institute for Comprehensive Strategic Studies) and the editor-in-chief of the production management blog, believes that the "Lean manager", or, more correctly, the "manager of the production system" is, first of all, the person who starts the process of implementing lean manufacturing, developing PS, helping everyone employees in this process, coordinating the improvement work throughout the enterprise (or in any one department). This is the one who trains the staff in the basics and details of lean manufacturing, various tools, stimulates the exchange of experience between various specialists and entire departments, and conducts audits.”

According to Alexandra Rogozhina, a specialist in lean manufacturing technologies, “A LEAN manager is a person who has knowledge in the relevant area and experience in their practical application. I would even single out the second as a higher priority: you can know Shingeo Shingo’s book “Quick Changeover” by heart, but without the ability to competently “sell” this idea to line managers, this employee will be no more useful than a rug at the entrance to the reception. Moreover, such "specialists" can even do harm, discrediting all initiatives to improve efficiency and "killing" in all potential allies the desire to identify and eliminate losses in current activities with their amateurish approach.

But if, Alexander notes, a “manager” is understood as an ordinary specialist (not a leader responsible to top management for the implementation of the program), then the need to search for such employees in the foreign market raises very serious doubts. “In my opinion, internal candidates are more suitable for this position as they are more familiar with the specifics of the enterprise. As mentioned above, it’s not enough to know - you need to be able to convey, and with this, people from the outside who do not have sufficient weight may have problems (as I had: “well, I don’t know how it is with you in mechanical engineering, but we have in there is no conveyor in metallurgy, so there is nothing to talk about ...”).

At the same time, Russian companies prefer to buy out experienced professionals from Western manufacturing companies, which are a priori (but not always deservedly) considered businesses that preach LEAN. At the same time, they look rather narrowly and hire such people to solve specific problems, implement a specific project (modernize one production site, launch a new production line, etc.). Russian enterprises are not ready to consider LEAN as a long-term investment and expect quick returns.

“For our candidates, Russian companies can become a good platform for implementing their existing knowledge and skills. At the same time, Russian companies outbid such professionals as carriers of valuable experience, offering salaries on average 1.5 times higher than in Western businesses,” comments the situation. Ekaterina Tretyakova, consultant of the industrial recruitment department Antal Russia.

Pavel Rabunets adds that “the very wording “manager for lean production”, despite its apparent unambiguity, is rather vague. The ideas of lean manufacturing are used in many industries, and in almost every one of them or even different companies, completely different meanings can be put into this formulation.

In general, now, at a time of the most intense interest in lean technologies, operational efficiency and production systems, a lean manager (production system manager) is understood as a specialist with extensive knowledge and experience in the field of modern production systems and lean manufacturing. I deliberately do not talk about tools, because knowledge of them, like knowledge of the basic principles, is a matter of course.

Irada Marunenkova, recruiting specialist richatsmeyer adds: “You also need to understand that a lean manager is to some extent an “entrepreneur”. Among his other responsibilities, he must be able to sell the idea, calculate the risks and understand with whom it is necessary to start the implementation in the first place - with whom from the employees to communicate, with whom to meet.

Today, there is a shortage of professionals on the Russian market who have experience in optimizing production processes through the introduction of “lean manufacturing” technology.

Functional responsibilities

Russian enterprises are not ready to consider LEAN as a long-term investment and expect quick returns.

The specific functions of an internal communications specialist often depend on the company and the tasks that management attaches to this function. The fact is that LEAN technologies, due to their exoticism, are often “thought out” by the business owner, which can lead to misunderstanding.

We can distinguish a general list of responsibilities related to the position of "manager of lean manufacturing":

training in the methodology of lean production for employees of the enterprise;
involvement of staff in the process of continuous improvement;
organization of work on the implementation and development of a lean production system at the enterprise;
planning and reporting on the development of a lean manufacturing system;
forecasting and obtaining the effect from the implementation.

Pavel Rabunets draws attention to the following important point: “Look at the phrase “manager for ...” (a function is missing here). Unfortunately, in the minds of most people, including the minds of owners and managers of many enterprises who have paid attention to lean production, there is confidence that the person hired for this position will be responsible for this function, manage the element. Look: a personnel manager, a sales manager, an advertising manager, a purchasing manager, a supply manager, a customer service manager… It is incorrect to write down “lean production” or “production system” in this series.

Lean manufacturing and the development of an efficient manufacturing system is not the function of an individual or department. This is a process in which all employees of the enterprise from the worker to the general director participate. It may seem strange, but all company managers should become lean managers to one degree or another. And the most important specialist in lean manufacturing and production systems should be the top manager, the first person.

Education

The teaching of "lean manufacturing" technology in Russian universities has not yet become as widespread as in the West. “Experts admit that in Russia today there are no specialized educational institutions and programs on LEAN. The main reason is the "youth" of the region itself, - explains Ekaterina Tretyakova. – The active introduction of LEAN in production began about 10-15 years ago. Behind all the variety of courses and training programs that the education market offers, there are a few practitioners on the market who themselves are carriers of knowledge and technology, practical implementation experience.

With all this, there is a certain established requirement, which is often put into published vacancies by employers, namely, higher technical education. As a rule, the most preferred is the diploma of Moscow State Technical University. Bauman. As for additional education, the choice of courses is unusually wide, ranging from multimedia trainings to training conducted by LIN-Systems.

“According to the professionals in the field of LEAN management with whom we work, internal corporate education is currently the best opportunity to gain the necessary knowledge,” continues Ekaterina Tretyakova. – The largest transnational corporations strive to transfer this experience and knowledge to their employees. Training takes place in practice during joint projects for the implementation of LEAN technology with leading brand-name consulting companies. A specialist who has received the necessary education and experience becomes a mentor for his colleagues.”

Pavel Rabunets states: “To become a lean manager, you first need to become just a good manager. Moreover, you can be a specialist in any industry, be it engineering, metallurgy, food industry, book publishing, finance or medicine. Yes, lean manufacturing is not limited to industry. Many financial institutions, including the largest bank in the country, build their production systems on the basis of lean manufacturing. In the West, lean manufacturing in healthcare has brought amazing results. The main secret and the most important element of education is practice, practice and again practice. In lean manufacturing, there is such a thing as “gemba”, that is, a place where value is created (relatively speaking, for industry, this is a workshop). This is where managers should work and study, not in clean offices. Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System, came up with one of the most unusual and interesting ways of learning - "standing in a circle." The manager should stand in a circle drawn on the floor, watching what is happening in the gemba, and notice the losses.

The key success factor is the ability to convey the need to use new ways of working to performers.

But no practice is possible without theory, Pavel believes. A correct theory ends up being very practical. “And I recommend starting with self-education, with books on lean manufacturing. This is perhaps the most accessible and most effective way to get acquainted with the basics and some of the elements. But don't overdo it. It is necessary to go step by step from literature that is easy to perceive and understand to more complex. Books allow, so to speak, to properly format consciousness. Therefore, it is very important to use primary sources, that is, undistorted data. For lean manufacturing, this is the Toyota Production System. Many business novels related to the topic of LEAN and TPS have been translated into Russian, but it is better to pay attention to them first and only then to the classics of the genre.

Lean Internet resources are a very simple and even more accessible opportunity to get basic knowledge, discuss some features, and keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of LEAN and PS. Start with a blog about production management. As for educational institutions, the only specialized production systems program in Russia is the MBA-Production Systems at the Graduate School of Business of Moscow State University. But the selection for the program is very tough: since 2005, only a little more than 100 production managers have completed the program, and until 2010 it was held in a corporate format - for the Basic Element group of companies (Russian Aluminum, GAZ Group, EurosibEnergo, "Glavstroy"). And only since 2011, after the selection, anyone can enter the program.”

Alexander also agrees with Pavel's opinion: “The best place to gain knowledge on lean manufacturing is the workshop. It is impossible to become a production optimization specialist without holding a wrench in your hands. Returning to the first paragraph, the key to success is the ability to convey the need for new ways of working to performers. As my personal 5-year experience shows, they trust a smart Moscow boy much less than a guy who is ready to tell them in detail and show them how to rearrange the pins after the introduction of the new standard.

Related professions

Related professions that are closest to LEAN are change management specialist, production manager, performance manager, and departmental efficiency manager.

According to Pavel Rabunets, specialists responsible for the same process are called differently in different organizations. “These are just a few examples I have come across,” he says. - Lean production manager; production system manager; lean manager; project manager for lean manufacturing; production system engineer ... Plus various variations of these and other position designations with the words "development" and "implementation", as well as the replacement of "managers" with "specialists", "masters", "experts" and "directors". Often the “functions” of a lean manager are assigned to quality managers and engineers, managers and development directors.

Consulting companies can outsource lean professionals from manufacturing companies as project managers. However, in order to get to such a position, it is necessary to go through a tough selection, many stages of interviews and testing - both professional and psychological. A big plus is the presence of a Lean Six Sigma certificate (“green” or “black belt”), and people who have completed such a program are often considered for the role of coaches in the implementation of optimized business systems.

Skills, business qualities

The specifics of "lean production" determines a number of aspects, without which the employer is unlikely to be interested in the candidate's resume. A company that is going to introduce LEAN principles into production requires a manager with at least 3 years of experience in production work in this industry and experience in reorganizing business processes (not only based on LEAN). Secondary may be the requirements for knowledge of English at a free level and work with basic computer programs (including Power Point).

Consulting companies can outsource lean professionals from manufacturing companies as project managers.

From applicants for positions in the HR function, it is desirable to have an economic education or education in the field of management. “At the same time, companies often expect that such a person will act as a consultant and trainer for staff, and will also support projects for the implementation of LEAN principles. The main task of such a person is to convey the principles of this concept to the staff,” Evgenia Lanichkina comments.

As for personal qualities, activity and initiative, strong leadership qualities, the ability to organize and / or coordinate the work of other people, as well as the ability to learn to further develop oneself as a methodologist and LEAN practitioner are valued.

Alexander Rogozhin believes: “A manager for the implementation of lean production must clearly understand what he wants to get as a result, and be able to convey his understanding to the top management of the company. These should not be dreams like “we will make a Toyota out of our collective farm”, “we will increase the competitiveness of the domestic industry” (in how many centuries? in what way? and most importantly - why, if the current situation Let's get the staff involved! (into what? why?). As you know, "changes can take place if dissatisfaction with the current situation, multiplied by the attractiveness of the vision of the future and the certainty of the first step, is greater than the resistance to change." A necessary requirement for a manager to implement lean manufacturing is the ability to present to senior management:

problems of the existing system (“we lose 100 million rubles a year due to a longer (30%) than competitors’ cycle time for

loss of orders, because customers don't want to wait that long
interest on loans
wages that we pay to extra employees of the executive apparatus, with their approvals increasing the cycle time”);

target condition to be achieved by the expiration of the manager's contract (“the cycle time will be reduced by 45% due to

transferring the functions of technological, design, economic expertise for standard orders, constituting 80% of the total number, to the sales department,
moving the harvesting area to the forge shop,
reduction of stocks by 30%”);

the first steps to implement the change (“fire the chief technologist, perform an ABC-XYZ analysis of inventory in the warehouse and transfer economic expertise to the sales department”).”

Irada Marunenkova calls communicativeness the main quality for a lean manager, since “the person responsible for the implementation of lean production has to communicate a lot and often with the involved employees of the company at all levels, be able to find an approach to different types and characters. Non-conflict, readiness for the fact that at first the implementation may be accompanied by failures are also important; a sort of manifestation of fortitude in the fight against difficulties (considering that no one likes to live in the “era of change”, without which the implementation of lean cannot do, this quality becomes truly essential).

Leadership qualities are obligatory: it is not enough to believe that the implementation of lean production at a single enterprise will make the world a better place, you also need to be able to convince other employees of this, convey your idea, defend your idea, inspire and infect with enthusiasm. In other words, one of the key skills is the ability to prove to each employee that the imposed implementation of lean is not just another idea, but an improvement that really matters for the enterprise.

Well, in any case, you need to be an excellent entrepreneur, that is, treat the implementation as if it were your own project, assess the risks, feel the atmosphere in the company, and not lead to “popular unrest” with sharp and revolutionary actions.”

Salary

According to the press service of Antal Russia, the salary limits of a “lean manufacturing” technology manager are between 130,000 and 230,000 rubles per month (before taxes).

A plant manager with experience in implementing LEAN is rated on average 20-30% higher than a similar professional, but without such experience. On average, the salaries of LEAN consultants and project managers in leading international consulting companies are the same as those of professionals working in the state of companies: their initial bar is on average 200,000 rubles.

At the same time, real LEAN professionals can be safely classified as scarce. “Over the past 3 months, we have met only four really high-level professionals, with technical and specialized education in the field of LEAN management, who have good Western work experience and experience in implementing technologies in production,” says Evgenia Lanichkina.

The average figures announced in some sources are 100-250 thousand rubles per month, although the upper ceiling is not limited by anything.

According to Pavel, the average salary is like “the average temperature in a hospital.” The spread is very large. So, in a small provincial town, employers can offer a lean manager 20-30 thousand rubles, due to the fact that the standard of living is lower, but even more so due to a lack of understanding of the role of such a production manager and the potential effect. The average figures announced in some sources are 100-250 thousand rubles per month. Although the upper ceiling is not limited by anything. It all depends on the industry, company and region, and, of course, on the specialist himself and his experience. Sometimes the income level of the production system manager is tied to some indicators of the company's performance, such as EBITDA.

“The spread is really great,” agrees Irada, “and is calculated solely by the company's capabilities and desires to “get” a truly valuable specialist. So, for example, a number of companies are even ready to hire an expat and provide a really high level of compensation. In the case of finding the ideal specialist within the native country, the level of compensation is very flexible and depends primarily on the successful experience of the candidate, his projects and qualities.”

prospects

LEAN technology is a special form of reorganization of production, which does not provide for its place in the corporate structure of the company. As a rule, we are talking about project activities, often freelance. Ekaterina Tretyakova says this: “Employers prefer to lure managers with knowledge and experience in implementing LEAN technologies from competitors rather than train their own employees.” Therefore, the lean manufacturing manager works on his own image, increasing his fame as a successful professional in the market. We can talk about the expert branch of specialist development.

Pavel Rabunets has his own opinion on this matter: “Career prospects are difficult to evaluate in the abstract. In the case of a correct understanding of the essence of the transformations by the owners or initiators of these transformations, as well as an extremely clear understanding of the goals, the prospects for a lean manager are very bright. Again, all this bearing in mind that every employee in a lean enterprise must be a lean manager to some extent. Any operator, foreman, manager has a chance to become a production system director. Why not?"

Alexander Rogozhin believes that for a manager, the prospects are expressed in the following: either growth to the CEO (whose function, as you know, is still development, and not operational activities, as it is now in most enterprises), or the position of a consultant (in the top 4) / Head of Lean Production direction (in other consulting companies).

Irada Marunenkova specifies: “Just as an employee of a company with almost any background can become a lean manager, so there are many prospects for further development ahead. In large holdings, the lean direction is often placed in a separate structural unit, in which leadership positions occupy a high place in the hierarchy of the entire enterprise. In smaller companies, the experience of implementing lean manufacturing systems behind the back gives the employee a few points ahead if he wants to develop in the field of management. What remains, of course, is consulting. Objectively, in Russia, lean manufacturing is not widely represented as a separate area of consulting, but it is increasingly included in the area of “Improving Operational Efficiency / Performance Management / Organization Performance”. Accordingly, there is a wide range of potential positions of different grades, the number of which will only grow over time.”

Pros and cons of the profession

The advantage of the profession is the unconditional opportunity to realize your creative potential and introduce something new, interesting work with projects and communication with people. In addition, joint activities with different departments provide new knowledge about the business and help to establish new connections. About the disadvantages of the specialty is that a huge amount of work "gurus" LEAN still have to do alone. Often companies are not ready to go to the end and bring the entire process of reorganization of production into the “lean” mode.

Pavel Rabunets considers rather high salaries and the "exotic" profession to the pluses, which is of interest. “But there is one detail that can be considered both a plus and a minus at the same time. Once you are “infected” with the idea of lean manufacturing, understanding the basic principles, realizing the importance of value for the customer and learning to see waste, you will be a completely different person. You can easily identify losses and their source, find bottlenecks and ways to neutralize them. You will be very valuable as an employee, and this is a plus. But in ordinary life it will be quite difficult to look at reality - you will understand that a lot is arranged and goes wrong, that the processes are slow and consist of almost nothing but losses. Naturally, this will annoy you, and this is probably a minus in some way.

The advantage is the ability to "change the world", because any plant is a whole planet.

Alexander Rogozhin expresses the opinion that, first of all, the opportunity to “change the world” becomes an advantage, because any plant is a whole planet. Secondly, it is an opportunity to get contacts useful for a future career. Cons - inevitable difficulties, because. It is difficult to change the “world” (otherwise they would have done it before us), and often the need to sacrifice friendship/alliance for the sake of success. “However, what do these difficulties mean when there is an opportunity to change the world?” he asks.

Irada Marunenkova says that “there are several specific difficulties faced by managers in the implementation of lean manufacturing systems, but one of the most basic is the so-called “fight with users”. The implementation of lean is, in fact, a change management process, and when changes affect company employees, they go out of their “comfort zone”. In other words, a lean manager is bound to face resistance from employees because no one likes change. It is important that the need to use lean production is understood not only by management, but also by the team. This requires training and campaigning at all levels of government - the so-called "ideological component".

Another difficulty, directly related to the previous one, is the fight against the bureaucracy. This is more typical for large companies with a branched structure. It takes a lean manager a lot of time to go through all the bureaucratic stages, and therefore it is obvious that the bureaucracy should be one of the first to be the focus of lean changes.

We have long been accustomed to the idea that if you get sick somewhere, you will have to spend money on treatment. Therefore, it seems to us that business is structured the same way: since we invest money in infrastructure, new equipment, automation or digitalization, we will definitely achieve high efficiency and excellent results. This is not entirely true.

What is lean philosophy?

Lean production, or lean management, is a management tool, the essence of which is to notice hidden losses in time and eradicate them. This increases the efficiency of the team and significantly reduces costs. Therefore, it will be useful for any company to master the principles of traditional lean.

The ancestor of the lean principles that we know today, back in the 1950s, was Toyota. Its engineer, and later manager, Taiichi Ohno, identified seven types of waste in production. Namely:

excess transportation;
excess inventory;
unnecessary movements;
waiting and downtime;
overproduction;
extra processing steps;
marriage and change.

If you analyze all the processes of your business, you can identify these losses. The reason may be in employees, equipment, distribution of materials and use of space.

In the 2000s, the wave of lean manufacturing, which by that time had long covered Europe and the United States, finally reached Russia - it is believed that Oleg Deripaska brought the lean philosophy to us. Later, after seeing its success, Rosatom, Sberbank and the heads of other large companies also took a closer look at this concept. The wave has gone further, and now lean production is being implemented by everyone who understands its benefits and who can do it.

It is important to understand that lean is not at all the philosophy of large corporations and market giants. Any small company or startup can analyze and improve their performance.

How to implement lean in your company?

The main question that you should ask yourself every day when looking at this or that process in the company is: “Does this add value to my product?”. If an action is performed only because “we are so used to it,” think about how to exclude it. This tactic is a key tenet of lean management.

If you decide to reduce your costs and improve quality at the same time, that is, gradually implement the principles of lean, here is a guide to get started.

Explain to employees what the seven types of waste are: both managers and their subordinates. It doesn't matter what you do - create, build houses, make furniture, cook food or provide services. Everywhere there is something of value that buyers pay for. Everything else is a loss.
Give the team one day a week - "bath day" - to improve the work of a particular area. You will need four hours a week, that is, only 10% of the working time.
Select the department, area or process that you consider the most problematic.
Ask all leaders to observe this process and note the most noticeable losses. Spend the first two hours on this.
Take a break and discuss your observations. Put the brightest and most obvious at the top of the list.
In the remaining two hours, discuss the following questions: 1) what is the reason for the losses (nothing in this world happens just like that); 2) what could be the solution; 3) what will change after the implementation of this solution.
If there are no answers, leave these questions for the next "bath day": observe, look for answers, implement and test solutions; move on to the next work center.

Important: do not try to involve everyone in lean production and motivate people through their personal interest.

Steps to help reinforce lean ideas

If you change any work practice, standardize it and continue to train other employees.
Analyze how small changes can improve overall performance and keep the focus on the problem.
Find a smart coach to correct your actions if you feel that you can't cope on your own.

And most importantly: do not forget to devote four hours a week to the implementation of lean.

What does lean look like in practice?

To give a better idea of how lean management actually works, here are a few examples from practice.

Case one

We were approached by the management of a major airport. They purchased powerful new apron maintenance machines, but despite the benefits of the new technology, the overall speed and productivity was below expectations.

What did the observations show?

“Marriage” in the work of drivers: it turned out that one part of the automation capabilities of new cars was used incorrectly, while the other was not used at all.

Cause?

Drivers simply could not figure out how to work with the new automation.

Why?

Staff training and control of operational efficiency in the company were built poorly. After being instructed and passing the exam, drivers quickly forgot important controls. Performance was not monitored and therefore the problem was discovered late.

Solution

First, we “stopped” the problem: we retrained the staff to work with automation. Then we moved on to eliminating problems: we improved the monitoring of operational efficiency and redesigned standard training methods. As a result, the speed and quality of operations increased, and in some areas there was even a downtime, which meant an excess of equipment.

Case two

A large industrial holding purchased new production lines to increase efficiency in the packaging area. This was to improve order fulfillment and increase revenue. Experts predicted revenue growth by 110%, but in fact received only 50%.

What did the observations show?

It turned out that operators spend time looking for and waiting for auxiliary materials: they do not have enough containers, they do not keep up with the machine, they make mistakes and start to slow it down. It turns out that the machines are new, and the speeds are old.

Cause?

Despite the new equipment, the organization of workplaces and processes remains old - irrational.

Why?

Management didn't take care of it. It was assumed that the machines were new, which means that production capacities should definitely increase. The fact that there are people behind the machines, no one thought.

Solution

In the course of the work, we identified six types of losses out of seven.

First, we calculated the time for performing operations for each employee “without losses” and “with losses” (understood the cost of losses).
After that, the composition of operations between line workers was changed. They removed overproduction from some, idle time from others, and reduced the volume of work in progress.
We changed the layout of empty containers, pallets with finished products, the location of auxiliary materials on the site. We excluded all “cross” movements, building the flow in one direction.
Calculated and reduced the volume of auxiliary materials on the site. With the help of a technical service, we taught operators the elements of autonomous line maintenance, reducing downtime while waiting for a service technician for simple questions.
We freed up the time of the engineering and technical service for planned and preventive work. All modified operations were standardized.
We visualized the standards so that any new employee could easily and quickly figure out the “right” and “wrong” ways to perform an operation.

The result was excess capacity. The question arose: were investments of this size necessary?

What did we understand?

Inefficient operations neutralize the effect of investments, while efficient operations reduce the estimate of the necessary investments - for example, in new equipment.
First, look for reserves of internal growth and only then evaluate investments.
When you encounter a problem, go where it's fixed. Watch the workflow: collect facts, talk to people, look for losses and move logically along the “chain” of causes.

What conclusions can be drawn?

First- do not rush to invest until you are firmly convinced that you have reached the ceiling by increasing the efficiency of the organization of work and eliminating waste. At the very least, you will have the right starting point for investing.

Second- When you introduce a new process or optimize an existing one, pay attention to how the new rules are standardized to keep the positive effect sustainable over time.

The third- through the practice of lean, that is, rationalization and optimization, you will see the best among your colleagues: raise them in positions and do not be afraid to push the worst ones away.

Fourth- think about how partial effects can improve overall efficiency.

Fifth- Start small: With just four hours a week of lean practice and focusing on the seven types of losses, you will have a huge potential for internal efficiency gains without any capital investment.

Manager (specialist) for the organization of lean production. The concept of production management, which is based on Lean methods for eliminating all types of losses, organizing production processes with a high level of value creation, manufacturing products with “zero” defects, etc., for more than half a century this concept has been considered by many global companies as the main principle of work . Specialists in the so-called "lean manufacturing" are considered extremely rare and their demand in the market is extremely high. At the same time, Russian companies prefer to buy experienced Lean specialists from foreign (European, American) companies, which are not always deservedly considered good professionals in the field of lean production. At the same time, they are often involved in solving narrow tasks, carrying out a specific project (modernization of a production unit, introduction of a production line, etc.). Many Russian firms see Lean as a comprehensive tool for solving current problems, but not as a long-term project.

The concept of lean production considers any area of management in terms of process optimization by all employees of the company. This feature of the approach hides the complex requirements for the manager of "lean production"; a specialist in this field must combine the skills of a coach and a leader, a planner and an analyst, a tactician who can follow the path of implementing strategic goals and a strategist who has the skills of operational work. By and large, "lean manufacturing" is a technological philosophy expressed in practice by people who are creative in their approach to eliminating waste.

From the standpoint of the modern concept of qualification in general and the qualification of a manager (specialist) in lean production, qualification is understood as the knowledge, abilities and skills of an employee to perform the necessary production tasks related to a certain range of functions. Qualification is a prerequisite for establishing competence. Competence means responsibility for a specific job or task, it also expands the field of activity by adding the tasks of planning and leadership. There are different types of competence: professional competence, methodological competence, social competence, participation competence.

Professional Competence- implies the ability and readiness for independent, professional, methodically correct performance of tasks and problem solving, as well as evaluation of the result. It includes logical, analytical, capable of abstraction and integration thinking and the ability to determine system and process relationships. It is aimed at transferring broad professional knowledge to employees and its constant updating in order to increase the flexibility of the staff.

Methodical competence- involves a goal-oriented planned approach to solving production problems. It includes the ability to independently select, apply and develop methods and approaches to solving problems and performing production tasks. This competence should extend to several operational levels, namely, relations with management as well as with colleagues. It should provide the employee with the opportunity to theoretically comprehend the entire production task, meaningfully perceive the next intermediate stages of production processes and explain this to other members of the group.

social competence- consists in the possibility and readiness for communication, for business discussions and the search for mutual understanding, for criticism and expressing one's opinion, commensurating it with a sense of responsibility, as well as participation in management. Signs of social competence are communication skills, tolerance, understanding, ability to adapt, criticize, resolve conflicts.

Competence of participation- lies in the desire of employees to constructively contribute to the organization of their workplace and working environment, the ability to make decisions, the willingness to take responsibility.

Responsibilities Profile of a Lean Manufacturing Manager

1. Development and implementation of plans for the implementation of a lean production system at an enterprise from scratch, coordination of work at all stages of the Lean organization, leadership in the organization of lean production. An important requirement for the performance of this work is the manifestation of leadership. It is not enough to believe that the implementation of lean manufacturing at a single enterprise has a high potential for efficiency, you must be able to convince other employees of this, convey your idea, defend your idea, and stimulate employees. A key competency is the ability to prove to the project participants that the implementation of Lean is not just another "Western" idea, but a set of effective improvement methods that really matter to the enterprise.

2. Implementation of "lean" production tools in the manufacturing sector. This requires a strong professional knowledge of a variety of methods from the Lean toolbox: value stream mapping, kaizen, waste elimination (muda), 5S workplace organization, Ishikawa diagram, Six Sigma, Just-in-time, kanban, Poka-yoke, universal maintenance of equipment (TPM), etc. Expert assessment of the possibilities of application.

3. Organization of involvement and training of personnel, development of training programs and training of employees on the tools of "lean" production. Training personnel in theory and practice, stimulating the exchange of experience between different specialists and departments requires special knowledge in the field of industrial pedagogy.

4. Management of project working groups in projects to improve production efficiency. In this area, a Lean specialist must have knowledge of project management. The project manager ensures that all members of the project team adhere to the approved scheme of activities, established deadlines and fixed budget in their work. The tasks of the manager also include informing the management and staff of the unit about the progress of design work and compliance with the time and budget constraints set by the customer.

5. Consulting the heads of the enterprise, structural divisions, employees implementing projects in their divisions or using Lean-tools. Knowledge of troubleshooting in this area is required to effectively solve problem situations, as well as avoid negative consequences. To be able to eliminate errors one needs to know much more than just to complete a task or process.

6. Building processes for continuous improvement in a manufacturing company (NPM, kaizen), searching for best practices in the field of NPM and implementing NPM projects. For this, communication is an important need for a Lean specialist, since the “responsible” for the implementation of lean production has to communicate a lot and often with the involved employees of the company at all levels. Communication includes: establishing a positive social contact with an employee, creating conditions for cooperation in a group. Important is the application of conflict resolution techniques, the ability to assess, analyze and overcome temporary setbacks associated with the problems of the "transition period", without which the implementation of complex changes is indispensable.

7. Knowledge and skills of methods for searching and selecting new ideas (brainstorming, method 635, discussion 66, morphological analysis). Qualifications in this area are necessary for conducting discussions in which a Lean specialist without the use of moderation techniques will not be able to achieve the goals, i.e. involve employees in finding bottlenecks and getting suggestions for solving problems.

Related specialties that are closest to Lean management are change management specialist, production manager, unit efficiency manager, industrial engineering specialist, optimization specialist, etc.

In the conditions of a particular enterprise or project, the list and scope of duties may be specified.

I hope my personal experience will be useful to you.

The story happened about a year ago. Due to structural changes in the corporation and the ever-increasing entropy in all areas and processes, I decided to change jobs. He has some experience in the field of quality assurance, production department and process improvement department (Lean Six Sigma and everything connected with it). In principle, it is enough to find the desired position in any of these areas.

I immediately liked the vacancy for a lin-manager at a plant that produces components for cars. The sector is promising, career growth opportunities are visible, the plant is increasing its production capacity… Not work, but pleasure.

The interview with the director left a good impression, after which I really decided to accept the offer of this company. There was one formal detail - one more interview. In the matrix structure, each employee has 2 bosses: the immediate supervisor (plant director) and the functional one - the line manager from the headquarters. It was with him that he had to pass the second interview.

At the second interview, I was asked what is the main role of a lean manager?

When you are asked such controversial questions when applying for a job that you are ready to take, that you already want, it is scary to answer. And what if our opinions or views do not coincide? What if I answer incorrectly? I want a job, but there is no right answer.

There are tricks and tricks to help “smooth out the roughness” when answering such questions. I do not like it when they are used in a conversation with me. And I do not like to evade the answer myself, and therefore at first I said that the answer depends on the current and long-term goals of the organization. After such an opening speech, I openly shared my vision of the tasks that a lean manufacturing manager solves.

If you give a man a fish, he will eat for one day. And if a person is taught to fish, he will be full all his life. You can solve a problem or implement a project in a particular area, and the workers in that area will work with increased efficiency for a while. You can teach workers how to solve problems or implement projects, and they will improve performance all their lives.

A lin manager can put up floor markings, clean up the mess, reduce changeover times, and understand the causes of poor product quality. These tasks are enough to employ one person. A lean manager can get everyone in the organization to implement 5S in their area, reduce changeover times in their process, and understand the causes of poor product quality. And this is enough to continue to employ and hire new employees of the organization.

After the interview, I found out that my opponent was of a different opinion. The rejection letter suggested that the Lean Manager should only focus on processes and implementation of change. Deadlines, numbers, routine, execution...

I really think that we should focus on people, and I am ready to defend my point of view, but, believe me, it was a shame to receive a refusal with such an explanation. Wishlist was taken away, called an ignoramus… the sediment remained for a long time, but now I understand that it was probably the best lesson in my life.

How did I answer this question at the next interview? Oh no. I no longer waited for this question - I asked it myself. This allows me to understand if the proposed job is right for me? Does it meet my expectations?

My advice to lean managers: do not be afraid of controversial and ambiguous questions in interviews. Your answers will better interview a potential employer than you. You may not get the job you want, but you can avoid the job that you don't want, the job that won't let you fulfill yourself.

PS: do not agree that the main role of the lean manager is in the development of people? Well, it's up to you. I'm not saying that I'm 100% right, but I don't see anything more effective.

PPS: what interesting interviews did you have?

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