How can Lean Manufacturing professionals work effectively with IT teams?

Lean manufacturing is a philosophy and a set of practices that aim to eliminate waste, improve quality, and increase efficiency in production processes. IT teams are essential partners in supporting lean initiatives, providing tools, data, and solutions that enable continuous improvement. However, working effectively with IT teams can be challenging for lean manufacturing professionals, as they may have different goals, perspectives, and communication styles. In this article, we will explore some tips and strategies to overcome these challenges and foster a productive collaboration between lean and IT.

Key takeaways from this article

Understand IT's strategic role:

Recognize that IT teams are not just service providers but key partners in lean initiatives. This understanding helps in leveraging their insights and innovative solutions for continuous improvement.### *Align goals and expectations:Ensure both lean professionals and IT teams share a clear vision of project outcomes, scope, and roles. This alignment prevents misunderstandings and ensures cohesive efforts towards common business objectives.

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1 Understand IT's role and value

One of the first steps to work effectively with IT teams is to understand their role and value in the lean journey. IT teams are not just service providers or problem solvers, but strategic partners who can help identify and implement opportunities for improvement. IT teams can provide valuable insights, data, and feedback on the current state of the processes, the root causes of the issues, and the potential impact of the changes. They can also offer innovative solutions, such as automation, digitalization, and integration, that can enhance the performance, quality, and flexibility of the production systems.

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Pankoj Kumar Bhattacharyya

Engineering & Maintenance Leader | Driving Manufacturing Excellence with TPM, TQM & Six Sigma | Championing Digital Transformation through Industry 4.0
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In the era of Industry 4.0, AI and ML play a significant role and this is the need of the day. Here is the need of IT comes into picture. Already manufacturing execution system or MES is in place and running hand in hand with lean manufacturing. My strong believe is that the organizations which are not into or not have planned into AI and ML for proper predictive operation, likely not to achieve desired productivity to be into competition. So, there is need lean manufacturing to work hand in hand with IT systems.

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2 Align on the goals and expectations

Another key step to work effectively with IT teams is to align on the goals and expectations of the lean projects. Lean manufacturing professionals and IT teams should have a clear and shared vision of the desired outcomes, the scope, the timeline, and the resources of the projects. They should also agree on the roles and responsibilities, the communication channels, the decision-making process, and the performance indicators of the projects. By aligning on the goals and expectations, lean and IT can avoid confusion, conflicts, and delays, and ensure that their efforts are aligned with the business strategy and customer needs.

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3 Communicate effectively and frequently

A third essential step to work effectively with IT teams is to communicate effectively and frequently. Lean manufacturing professionals and IT teams should establish regular and open communication channels, such as meetings, emails, reports, and feedback sessions, to share information, updates, issues, and suggestions. They should also use clear and simple language, avoid jargon and acronyms, and explain the context and the rationale of their requests and actions. Effective communication can help build trust, respect, and understanding between lean and IT, and foster a culture of collaboration and learning.

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4 Involve IT in the improvement cycles

A fourth important step to work effectively with IT teams is to involve them in the improvement cycles. Lean manufacturing professionals and IT teams should not work in isolation, but rather in a cross-functional and iterative way, following the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle. This means that lean and IT should jointly plan the improvement actions, test them in small-scale experiments, check the results and feedback, and act on the findings and adjustments. By involving IT in the improvement cycles, lean and IT can leverage their respective skills and knowledge, validate their assumptions and hypotheses, and generate more value for the customers and the business.

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5 Appreciate and celebrate the achievements

A fifth and final step to work effectively with IT teams is to appreciate and celebrate the achievements. Lean manufacturing professionals and IT teams should recognize and acknowledge each other's contributions, efforts, and successes, and express gratitude and appreciation for their support and cooperation. They should also celebrate the milestones and the results of the lean projects, and share the lessons learned and the best practices. By appreciating and celebrating the achievements, lean and IT can strengthen their relationship, motivate their teams, and sustain their commitment to continuous improvement.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Praveenkumar Shanmugam

Process Excellence | Operations Management | Total Quality Management
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Where there is a process there is a scope for improvement. Integration of lean manufacturing in any manufacturing industry through IT is a big deal in any organisation. It's not an easy task as well. The IT team needs to understand the lean principal and methodologies for implementation. Lean knowledge will help IT professionals to create and customize the manufacturing requirements through their output and coding development. Few Examples: MES - Manufacturing Execution Systems, Online PokaYoke systems, Industry 4.0, Quality 4.0, Dashboards, Web lean tools, Online Study materials, Kaizen workshop portals.

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Waman Mhadeshwar

LinkedIn Top Voice | COO & Operational Excellence Executive | Supply Chain Innovator | Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt | Former WD & Flex Leader
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- starting with understanding IT process . - Good relationships with IT team - understand issues of IT team - apply lean principles to It systems/ process -

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Mantosh Narayan Gupta

LinkedIn Top Lean Manufacturing Voice| Lean Guide | Program management | Quality | Operational Excellence | Training & Development| Mahindra Institute of Quality(MIQ) |
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To foster effective collaboration between lean manufacturing professionals and IT teams, clear communication and shared objectives are essential. Lean manufacturing professionals can articulate their process improvement goals and challenges to IT teams, emphasizing the need for technology to enhance efficiency and streamline operations. Collaboratively identifying areas where technology can complement Lean methodologies, such as implementing automation, IoT solutions, or data analytics tools, allows both teams to align their efforts towards common objectives. Establishing cross-functional teams that include members from both domains encourages knowledge sharing and ensures that IT solutions meet the specific needs and constraints of lean

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Connor Rowlings

Process Engineer at Thermo Fisher Scientific
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Cross-Functional Collaboration: Foster communication between lean and IT teams for shared understanding. IT Systems Alignment: Ensure IT systems support lean principles, optimizing processes. Continuous Improvement: Apply lean methodologies to IT processes, promoting efficiency and problem-solving.

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How can Lean Manufacturing professionals work effectively with IT teams?

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6

1 Understand IT's role and value

2 Align on the goals and expectations

3 Communicate effectively and frequently

4 Involve IT in the improvement cycles

5 Appreciate and celebrate the achievements

6 Here’s what else to consider

Lean Manufacturing

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How can Lean Manufacturing professionals work effectively with IT teams?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Understand IT's role and value

2 Align on the goals and expectations

3 Communicate effectively and frequently

4 Involve IT in the improvement cycles

5 Appreciate and celebrate the achievements

6 Here’s what else to consider

Lean Manufacturing

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