Key takeaways
Lean improves outcomes by defining value, removing waste, and building a culture of continual improvement.
- Start by clarifying what customers value, using research when needs are unclear.[email protected]
- Map the end-to-end value stream to expose wasteful steps and simplify delivery.
- Create smooth flow by reducing bottlenecks and building cross-functional capability. +44 (0)207 148 5985
- Use pull systems and WIP limits, such as Kanban, to match work to real demand.Courses
- Seek perfection through learning, feedback loops, and automation that builds quality in.PROJECT MANAGEMENT
- Implement Lean deliberately, with training and change management to reduce risk and resistance.PRINCE2

IntroductionFoundation
Lean can be as diverse and complex as those who make up the teams that use it. To learn more about Lean and Lean certifications, make sure to see our Learn the key principles of Agile Project Management.Lean Six Sigma online coursesPractitioner .Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.
The 5 Lean management principlesPRINCE2
It is worth noting that Lean has been adapted to fit very niche contexts in many varied industries. ®Lean management principles Agile detailed below may vary in number and thought depending on which industry you work in and which projects Lean is applied to.Foundation
Some versions of Lean may detail up to as many as 9 Lean principles, but for this example, we’ll stick with the most basic five Lean principles:Learn the fundamentals of the PRINCE2 Agile method.
1. Identify valuePractitioner
This first principle requires Lean practitioners to deduce what a customer wants from a product. Often customers won’t have a solid idea or may be unable to articulate what they want. This may be due to a lack of industry knowledge, a lack of technical knowledge, or a desire to use new, untested technology.Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.
There are several methods that can be used to discover value. We can use our industry knowledge of consumers, software, and technology to create better solutions. Or we can gather relevant information through surveys and interviews.AI Project Governance Framework (AIPGF)
2. Map the value streamFoundation
Next, Lean practitioners must map each of the steps it will take to deliver the product. This helps teams understand which processes may produce waste. Once found, the team finds ways to eliminate those steps or reduce them as much as possible.Learn the fundamentals of the governance framework.
Value streams are often displayed visually and without a lot of technical jargon so that all involved can get a clear and concise idea of what is required to create the finished product.Practitioner
3. Create flowIncludes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.
Once the most obvious sources of waste are eliminated, the next step is ensuring the processes that create value can proceed without delays or disruptions.Better Business Cases
This requires that staff be trained in multiple skills, creating cross-functional teams, which can help balance the workload among all staff.™
Creating adequate workflow prevents bottlenecks and delays in development. It can also improve office morale by keeping everyone working at a steady pace without harsh deadlines and sudden changes to development.Foundation
4. Establish pullLearn the fundamentals of Better Business cases.
A pull system limits inventory and work in progress (WIP) items by only producing enough to meet customer demand. This prevents tasks, staff or components from sitting idle, waiting for someone to come around and begin the next phase of development.Practitioner
Pull systems have been proven to be effective and are used in many modern Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.project management methodologiesP3O.®
The most well-known is the Kanban system – In a pull system, completed tasks are placed in a pool of resources. When a developer finishes a task, they then look at the pool and pull out the next highest priority task they can complete.Foundation
5. Seek perfectionLearn the fundamentals of the P3O project management office.
Lean teaches that there is always a process to be improved or a wasteful to be eliminated. Organisations that implement Lean can only do so successfully by creating an environment of learning and experimentation that promotes personal and professional improvement.Practitioner
Lean and AgileAI in Project Management
It is common for Lean and its variants to be referred to by the umbrella term Learn how to use AI tools in everyday project work.Lean AgileARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI).BCS AI
AgileFoundation refers to any management method that aligns with the ideas first outlined in the Learn the fundamentals of artificial intellegence.Agile ManifestoAI Project Governance Framework (AIPGF), written to improve those processes and existing methods deemed inadequate for use in software development.Foundation
Agile describes three primary concepts common to all contemporary Learn the fundamentals of the governance framework.Agile methodsPractitioner : an iterative approach to development, short feedback loops, and a disciplined Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.project management processWorkshops.AI in Project Management
While you may think that Lean is derived from Agile, it is, in fact, the opposite – Learn how to use AI tools in everyday project work.Agile is rooted in LeanAGILE.AgilePM
Practitioner them onto the market rather than target-driven Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.pushPRINCE2 manufacturing.®
The term Lean Manufacturing was first coined in 1988 by engineer John Krafcik in his article AgileTriumph of the Lean Production SystemFoundation . It was later elaborated upon by James Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos in the early ‘90s.Learn the fundamentals of the PRINCE2 Agile method.
The basic Practitioner Lean Manufacturing principlesIncludes Foundation & Practitioner combined option. do not differ very much from the principles used in ScrumLean managementScrum Essentials today:Self-paced training course to learn the essentials of Scrum.
- Choose Scrum Alliance or Scrum.org Scrum Master training courses.
- Map the value streamScrum Product Owner
- Establish a workflowChoose Scrum Alliance or Scrum.org Product Owner training courses.
- Establish a AgileBApull® system – Agile Business Analysis
- Focus on perfection.Foundation
What is different are the finer details such as “What is value?” or “What creates waste?” In manufacturing, waste is created by worn-out machinery, transportation costs, poorly engineered components, or excess inventories.Learn the fundamentals of Agile Business Analysis.
In modern industries, waste may refer to bloated software with additional features that do not provide value to users or an online registration procedure that is convoluted and time-consuming.Practitioner
BUSINESS ANALYSISAdopting Lean into your development model isn’t as simple as learning the Lean principlesBCS Business Analysis. It’s a lengthy process that might fail without adequate guidance and preparation. You may want to consider soliciting the help of professional Business Analysis Foundation change managersLearn the fundamentals of business analysis. to help ease the transition to Lean.Modelling Business Processes
But in a more general case, if we do not consider change management issues, there is still the difficulty of deciding which of the many lean tools to use and adopt. Lean includes dozens of tools, methods, and techniques, the relevance of which are very situational. Implementing lean requires that organisations make some very important decisions (hopefully based on a lot of research!).Gain practitioner certificate in modelling business processes.
Implementing Lean always has an associated risk. Unfortunately, there are no specific tools for the selection and prioritisation of methods during implementation. To mitigate the risk of implementing Lean in your business or organization, it’s important that all key staff are adequately trained to the level of Lean suitable to their position within the organizational hierarchy. Each level of Business Analysis Practices Lean Six Sigma certificationGain practitioner certificate in business analysis practices., for example, corresponds to staff duties within project development. To learn more, make sure to see our selection of Requirements Engineering Lean Six Sigma online courses and in-house trainingGain practitioner certificate in requirements engineering.All 4 courses bundled into this Diploma certification package.
It may benefit organisations to assess the value of Lean from a cost/benefit/risk perspective and ask the following questions:AgileBA
- What is the benefit of this lean technique and how difficult is it to achieve? (Is it worth doing this? Is it worth risking failure?)®
- Does this lean technique benefit the sustainability of the change intervention? (Would it have long-term benefits?) – Agile Business Analysis
While the decision to adopt lean is usually a top-down decision, always bear in mind that sudden change is likely to meet resistance. Lean is, fundamentally, an organisational culture. Adopting Lean requires a change management process that fosters positive outcomes through coaching and mentoring as opposed to merely directive top-down change.Foundation training
