What is the best way to ask for a promotion in Lean Manufacturing?

As a lean manager you may get two types of goals 1. Compnay behavior transformation goals ( example: lean related training, specific lean applications like kanban systems and problem solving techniques etc.) 2. Operational KPI improvements: with the lean implementation actions what business impact you’ve created. Many lean practitioners focus on the point 1 and put more leg and mind time for that. Yes. Cultural and behavioral transformation is a difficult task in an organization. However for a promotional decision, the operational impact you’ve created to the company will also be considered.

The goal of an employee is to acquire professional skills in lean manufacturing, Kaizen events, process improvement, six sigma, Kanban, PDCA, lean principles, Takt, FMEA, defining value, mapping the value stream, creating flow, using a pull system, pursuing perfection. Continuous improvement by eliminating eight types of waste to continually improve a process, using of lean tools to give best quality product to customer at most competitive price. The goal for any Lean system is to maximize customer value. While Lean thinking can greatly improve the productivity and function of a team or department, Lean implementations that spread across the entire organization have the greatest impact on the customer.

every team members are eligible for promotion in lean organisation , but the question is how can they acquired knowledge and increase the ability to next level of role . member , group leader , team leader , functional leader etc ... , every individual should acquire functional and leadership ability ( ability = Knowledge + Practical experience ) based on targeted level requirement . if acquired the desired level , i recommend to run pilot project to demonstrated reached the desired level . based on successful demonstration you can ask for promotions in next level

Best way to ask for promotion, one has to highlight his technical qualification, knowledge, skill, and expertise, and various achievements accomplished like trained lean manufacturing implementation, thrives in a dynamic challenging and fast paced work environment, extensive working on lean tools and continuous improvement principles with following background. Certified lean trainer, continuous improvement specialist, shop management expert, 5S specialist, experienced in six sigma, value stream analysis, root cause problem solver and project management. Give few examples of achievements and contributions made in the past one year, and then ask for promotion.

In my opinion consider these points, 1. Quantify Results: Use measurable metrics to demonstrate the success of your initiatives. Showcase improvements in productivity, waste reduction, or other key performance indicators. 2. Align with Company Goals: Illustrate how your promotion would align with the organization's overall goals and contribute to its lean manufacturing objectives.

When developing your case - Establish a quantifiable baseline before the start of the project - Establish smart targets for each KPIs with the agreement of the project owners. - Create the business case; ie identity the financial impact of you achieve the above operational target and validate it with the finance team - Assign cross functional team to drive the project. Make sure that you have included the head of the business as the project sponsor. - Train the project team with applicable lean concepts before and while the project is being implemented. - Make sure that you collect tangible evidences ( before and after photos, standards, problem solving docs etc) - Conduct an official project finalization presentation

Best way to ask for promotion is to clearly articulate the value delivered to the organization in terms of cost savings, productivity improvement and using every forum/interaction to promote your value with enthusiasm. One thing that would be helpful is to create one pager of all projects lead/mentored so that a crisp summary is available to all concerned to reinforce your contribution and deservingly ask for promotion.