The principles of Lean ensure better flow, more efficient processes, and increased value in companies all over the world. The online management tool Inosa guides you on your way to Lean.
Originally derived by Toyota and the Japanese automotive industry, the Lean principles were developed to make workflows run more smoothly and to create a mindset of constant learning and evolving within organizations. Using Inosa as a management tool, your business is well on its way to achieve smooth running Lean processes. – Inosa builds on important basic principles from Lean: Standardization through fixed routines to ensure uniform results. Visualization of procedures using symbols, color codes, images and process models that are easy to understand, and involvement through an inclusive leadership style, says general manager of Inosa, Bente Baugstø.
– We created Inosa with a background from the process industry. Our experience was that many employees didn’t read their procedures, and often had difficulties relating to too much text. According to FHI, 10-17% of the Norwegian population have some form of reading difficulty, and in addition there are challenges with different languages, she says.
Standardization, visualization, and involvement
Inosa’s management tools are based on the most important principles from the Lean mindset. – It’s all about standardization of procedures and tasks. When you have come up with a good way to solve a task, it is important that it is standardized – and shared, so that the same procedure is followed in the future, regardless of who is performing it. This creates organizational competence, and makes the business less dependent on individuals, Baugstø explains. Many industrial companies rely on shift work, and it is not uncommon for different cultures and routines to arise on different shifts. To be able to improve routines, there must be an agreed standard that everyone follows. – It will be like in a restaurant, whit a set of dishes on the menu. Everyone in the kitchen must follow the same recipe, so that the result doesn’t depend on which chef is working, Baugstø explains.
Updated by users
Inosa makes it easy to follow the Lean principles of standardization, visualization, and involvement. – Inosa is a simple web-based software that allow the workers who normally perform the tasks to make the procedure documents, creating vivid visual documents that can be constantly improved. It is possible to enter clickable one-point lessons within a standard operating procedure, showing specific tasks such as “How to start this pump” or “How to register a travel bill or sick leave”, says the Inosa manager.
Equally important for smaller businesses
The Lean principles are just as useful for small organizations. – In smaller companies, it is common that knowledge sits with individual employees. Through standardization and competence sharing, Inosa makes the organization less vulnerable.Also, new employees need easy access to procedures, and Inosa works excellently as atraining tool. – With Inosa, employees are automatically notified when relevant procedures are updated, based on their role in the organization. The management sees which employees have read the new procedures and through quizzes, Inosa tells you who understood the procedures, she says. By following the core Lean principles, Inosa contributes to a more efficient workday for the entire organization.