The above circles and associated routines have an important relationship with each other. We call this Lean Agile working. Below we explain what happens in each circle and how they affect each other.
What is Lean Agile: Execute the process
Everything starts with “execute the process”, ie the shop floor. From here the services or products are delivered to the customer. Certain processes have been set up for this. The processes can be repetitive processes (Lean). The daily work can also be a development process (Agile). These processes provide the added value of the product or service that the customer ultimately pays for. Each process has its own objectives or requirements that it must meet. For example: If someone orders a product, the package must be shipped within 24 hours.
Improvement process
When objectives of a process objective are too often not achieved, the process enters the “improvement process”. Here a small part of the process is taken, where the biggest cause of failure to achieve the target lies. The main causes are addressed, for example with Lean Agile principles such as DMAIC, PDCA, A3 or Scrum. The questions that are central to the “improvement process” are:
- What does the client want?
- What does the process look like?
- When do you add value for the customer?
- What are the main causes of the problem?
- How do you take this away?
- What is the solution to the problem?
- How do you implement it?
- How do you secure it?
The part of the improved process is returned to the daily process (execute process). Here it must be secured and carried out. For example, the bottom two circles make a loop. If a process in “execute process” frequently fails to achieve its objectives, it is improved in an improvement process and then returned to “execute process”. Now the target is met. If there is another moment when the process frequently fails to achieve its objectives, it will return to the improvement process.
What is Lean Agile: Determine the direction
The two circles discussed are influenced by “determine the direction” in Lean Agile works. The management directs the organization to what needs to be done daily (“execute process”) and improved (“improvement process”). The strategy for the coming years is also drawn up here. Then the strategy will have to be translated into (from global to specific):
- Long-term objective
- Short-term objective
- Objective per process (process goals)
- What does the strategy mean for the improvement process (improvement goals)
When management makes a strategic change, they anticipate that processes must be improved, for example, the quality must be given a higher standard. The process must be improved for this (“improvement process”). If improving the quality demands such a change in the process that it cannot remain as it is, a development process in “execute process” will have to be started. This can, for example, be designed with Lean Agile principles such as Scrum.
What is Lean Agile: Connected Processes
All circles of the process influence each other. If something changes in one, this affects at least one of the other circles. By organizing them effectively, the organization can work in an agile manner. In combination, one can work with this Lean Agile (Leagile).
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