BLUF
This article is about the application of the Lean production model to government services, in terms of delivering value, eliminating waste, and seeking continuous improvement.Summary
This 2014 article still provides a relevant overview of the Lean concept and how that process can be applied to a government organisation. The aim of a 'Lean organisation' is to do the following: deliver value from your customer's perspective; eliminate waste (things that don't bring value to the end product); and continuous improvement. The aim is to improve on costs, quality and customer service by creating value and eliminating waste. The difficulty for some organisations such as the military is that they do not have customers in the business sense. However, government—in effect, the people of Australia— can be regarded as a customer. Through the implementation of Lean processes, the ADF can ensure it meets government's One Defence goals and gets value for money. How would you apply Lean principles in your workplace to become more effective and efficient in generating capability?