How to Implement Lean Improvements

With our Lean Game, you can show in practice how Lean tools can be used to improve operations.

In this article, we list all the improvements available, and present the 2 options you can use to implement improvements in the games.

We have also prepared a powerpoint file including a summary of all improvements/tools available, that you can use as inspiration, or simply integrate in your own training content.

List of Lean Tools / Improvements

You can click on each link to learn more about each improvement.

• Workshop layout / Move stations
• Reduce batch size (One-piece-flow)
• Auto-inspect work (Jidoka)
• Balance workload
• Level production plan (Heijunka)
• Add click guides (Poka Yoke)
• Kanban
• Reduce changeover times (SMED)

Option 1 (default): Improvements are pre-implemented

This option is a bit easier to get started, and sessions are quicker.

To get started with this mode, you can use one of our default templates, such as Cars and Trucks or Noddy and Dog, where improvements are already pre-implemented in the scenario.

Here is how it looks in the session settings:

As an instructor, when starting each round, you can introduce the various Lean Tools used, and discuss with the participants what improvements they can expect from each. Then the players can experience how the tools materialize in the game, and see their performance significantly improving through the rounds.

Round 1: No improvement is integrated, it is the standard scenario ("current state").

Round 2: 4 first improvements are pre-implemented:

• Move stations (improved layout)
• Reduce batch size (one piece flow)
• Auto-inspect work (Jidoka)
• Balance workload

Round 3: the last 4 improvements are pre-implemented:

• Level production plan
• Poka-yoke (click helpers)
• Kanban (maximum WIP)
• SMED (reduced changeover times)

Option 2: Players choose improvements

With this option, players in each team need to decide which improvement they want to implement at each round. It requires them to reflect a bit more on the impact of changes, and which tools should go first, and which tools go well together.

You should count around 15min in extra before each round, to let players discuss and implement the tools.

To start with this mode, select one of the templates called "Players Improvements":

Then, players can unlock improvements from the round 2 and up, with each time a limited a number of credits. It means they need to carefully decide which tool to implement first.

• In the template Cars and Trucks - Players improvements, the participants can choose 4 tools to implement in round 2 and the last 4 tools in round 3.
• In the template Noddy and his dog - Players improvements (a bit more complex), the participants can choose 2 tools progressively in round 2, round 3, round 4 and round 5.

See how it works in the screenshot below:

We advise one player in each team to implement improvements, as otherwise they may overwrite each other's changes.

When implementing improvements for round 3 and more, players are first able to import the changes they made in the past rounds:

They can also access a detailed description of each improvement by clicking on the "Read More" button of each improvement.