It's one of those questions in life where you can ponder for hours and hours and still not get any closer to the answer. In a way I liken it to a similar question that has puzzled scholars over the millennia ‘what's the meaning of life?' or from my perspective ‘what is Lean?'

My colleagues and I at the LHA have been pondering this question for quite a while now. Whilst an answer is relatively easy to define dependent upon the issue at hand, we cannot all agree upon a one size fits all statement. Therefore, dear reader, join me for the next few minutes (or paragraphs) whilst we explore this question together.

Let us start with some basic information. Lean or Kaizen or even Toyota Production System (TPS) was heralded by Mr. Toyoda, Taichi Ohno and the rest of the team at Toyota just after WW2. Finances were tight so being cost effective was a prime motivator. However, this didn't mean being ‘cheap'. What the guys did was decide that by getting the product / service quality right and focussing on what the customer wanted ‘the costs would look after themselves'. They did this by ensuring that the processes that they used were fit for purpose i.e. they didn't do more than what was needed (as this would be wasteful i.e. over processing) and they had to do what they needed to otherwise they would have defect waste or in other words not right first time. They made sure that they ruled the systems / processes and didn't let the systems / processes to evolve where they controlled the people using them.

The other vital ingredient that Toyota and other Lean organisations recognise is that the prime element of being Lean is not to have a sign above the Chief Executive's  door that states ‘we are Lean'. It is rather that the people working in the organisation understand what it is, what it means to them and the respective role that they individually need to play to remain Lean. This might be very surprising to some as it's not very technical, doesn't sound like management gobble-de-gook and you cant really claim IPR on it.

I think that I need to add a couple of other considerations for my ‘definition'. The most predictable situation that I find when engaging with a ‘we don't need Lean' organisation, is that moment when you tell the senior management team, that it is NOT compulsory to have the word MANAGER in your job title to make process based improvement decisions. Lean prescribes that you train and empower YOUR employees to make process improvement decisions, on the processes / systems, that they use day in and day out. The logic is simple - if they do the job surely they are best placed to understand how to improve it.

My final contribution to the definition of Lean must include the strategic aspect. Ask yourself if your organisation is on the Lean journey? Now ask yourself the question about whether your organisation has a Lean strategy that satisfies three basic questions that your employees are guaranteed to ask?

1. Where are we today? i.e. what is the current state of the organisation
2. Where do we need to be? i.e. what are our customers' expectations
3. How are we going to get there? i.e. what are the activities involved and what is MY role in all of this

In an attempt to capture a definition on what Lean is I suppose that I would have to go with the following;

‘Lean is about having the right processes / systems at your disposal to enable your employees / organisation to deliver a service / product that meets the needs of the Customer / Patient first time, every time in the most cost effective way!'

What do you think? Well maybe we can get one other possible answer to what is Lean?  by considering the following advice given to Neo in the blockbuster movie the Matrix when the Oracle asks him about a banner scribed in Latin ...

Oracle: "It means know thy self. I wanna tell you a little secret, being the one is just like being in love. No one needs to tell you you are in love, you just know it, through and through."

Perhaps my question what is Lean? is like when you know about Lean, you understand and practice Lean and you feel it in your bones but you just can't seem to describe that inexplicable feeling of what it actually means to you and your employees....