Work Smarter with Lean Tools and Resources

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To unlock greater profits in your business, should you work ‘harder’ or ‘smarter’?

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It can be frustrating as a business owner, leader or manager when your time in the business is fully taken up by the daily work. This all-consuming workload can stop you from taking a moment to look at how you might make changes, which can feel frustrating.

Has anyone ever told you should be working ‘smarter, not harder’? If they have, you may have reacted to that statement with scorn, especially if stress levels were high.

‘Working smarter’ is the way forward for you and your business. But what does this mean and how do you do it?  Essentially, it’s about maximising productivity and achieving goals efficiently, without unnecessary stress or effort – sounds easy when you say it like that.

Instead of simply putting in more hours or pushing harder, working smarter involves prioritising tasks and improving processes, tools and strategies that make work more effective. It means identifying what truly matters, what is of true value, and eliminating any waste in your business. Working smarter will help you and your team accomplish more while maintaining balance, clarity and motivation. When you work smarter, you boost productivity, enhance creativity and reach your goals without burning out. So think about your business and ask yourself this question:

BREAKTHROUGH QUESTION

How do I work smarter in my business – managing out the waste and building a Lean working culture – and increase my profits as a result?

STOP thinking and focusing on productivity all day every day.

START thinking and focusing on improvement for 20 or 30 minutes every day.

The one ‘BREAKTHROUGH QUESTION’ you must ask to help yourself…

BREAKTHROUGH QUESTION

How do I work smarter in my business – managing out the waste and building a Lean working culture – and increase my profits as a result?

Working smarter, not harder, is essential in your business, and adopting a Lean working culture amplifies this philosophy.

Lean principles focus on streamlining processes, eliminating waste and maximising value, which includes identifying and removing non-essential tasks that don’t directly contribute to your customers’ needs or goals or to the goals of your business. Rather than pushing yourself or your team to simply ‘work harder’, Lean encourages you to ‘work smarter’ by continuously improving workflows, using resources more effectively and upgrading and enhancing operations to get better results with less effort.

By focusing on what truly adds value to your customers, you are able to free up time and energy, empowering you to make faster, more strategic decisions. Ultimately, working smarter through Lean practices will enable you to create a more efficient, agile and profitable business that can respond quickly to market changes and customer needs – without overloading your team.

Think about these 3 additional questions as we move through the tools:

1. Which parts of your business do you think are guilty of costing you excess time and money?

2. Where do you see excess stock or people waiting around or people moving around unnecessarily?

3. How do you systematically (every week or month) drive waste out and profits up?

8 wastes to see...

“Waste lurks beneath the surface of every process. You’ve just got to help everyone see that. That’s how you generate ideas for waste reduction.” Ryan Tierney, Seating Matters, Northern Ireland

Before we get into how you reduce the waste in your business and how you implement a Lean working culture, you need to be aware of the 8 wastes that could be holding your business back. Depending on the business, some will have a greater impact than others. But one thing is sure – with the right focus and the implementation of some of the suggestions in these tools, you will be able to find the waste and quickly eliminate it.

Once you and your team are looking to continuously improve and remove waste, it will become the natural way to run your business, just as has happened at Toyota.

Here are the 8 wastes from Ryan Tierney’s book, Lean Made Simple – he focuses on the key areas of inefficiency that businesses should identify and eliminate to streamline processes and add value.

  1. Overproduction: Producing more than what is needed or before it’s needed, leading to excess inventory.
  2. Transportation: Unnecessary movement of products or materials that don’t add value, increasing time and costs.
  3. Inventory: Excess materials, parts or finished products that aren’t immediately needed, tying up resources.
  4. Defect: Errors or mistakes that lead to rework, scrap or customer dissatisfaction.
  5. Motion: Unnecessary movement by people (such as reaching or walking) that doesn’t add value to the process.
  6. Over-processing: Doing more work than necessary, such as over-polishing or adding features not required by the customer.
  7. Unnecessary waiting: Idle time where employees, machines or materials are waiting for the next step, causing delays.
  8. Skills: Underusing employees’ skills, knowledge or capabilities, leading to missed opportunities.

Tierney explains that, when you identify and minimise these 8 wastes, you and your team can enhance efficiency, reduce costs and focus on activities that genuinely add value for the customer.

When you focus on the value you provide to your customers and then work out where you can reduce waste, you become Leaner. Reduce waste, and you drive up profits and passion for your business.

Quick and profitable wins from managing waste

“To be successful you don’t have to do extraordinary things, you just have to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.” Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker

With the right approach, you’ll quickly prove to yourself that managing waste pays off. To begin with, you’re looking for STLC (short-term low-cost) ways to reduce waste.

STLC waste reduction means it will pay off for you and your team fast and cost very little – just a bit of time. Seek other wins after you’ve achieved some quick STLC wins:

Waste-reduction strategies come in 4 categories

  • Short-term low-cost (STLC)
  • Long-term low-cost (LTLC)
  • Short-term high-cost (STHC)
  • Long-term high-cost (LTHC)

Here it is illustrated in a Time-Cost Grid:

The Time-Cost Grid is a tool used in Lean management to prioritise tasks and activities based on two main factors: the time required to implement them and their cost. The grid will help you decide where to focus your efforts for the most effective use of resources, balancing quick wins and long-term projects. Here’s how it works:

1. Short-Term, Low-Cost: These are tasks that don’t require much time or money but which yield immediate benefits (quick wins). They’re ideal starting points for quick, visible improvements, such as small process adjustments or minor fixes that enhance efficiency. They are good motivators for your team – if they can start to see the benefit of Lean and the changes you are making, they will be on board with any further improvements that are needed.

2. Short-Term, High-Cost: These tasks can be implemented relatively quickly but require a significant financial investment. These projects often involve equipment upgrades or technology investments that yield high returns but which need budget approval and careful consideration.

3. Long-Term, High-Cost: These tasks require both a large time commitment and a significant financial investment. They’re often long-term projects with the potential to transform the business, such as major process redesigns or infrastructure overhauls. They must be carefully planned, as they have high stakes and long timelines.

4. Long-Term, Low-Cost: These activities take more time but don’t require much budget, making them good to tackle during slower periods. Examples might include in-depth process analysis or employee training. While they don’t yield immediate results, they add steady value over time.

Using the Time-Cost Grid helps your businesses identify where to focus for immediate wins and when to plan for longer, resource-intensive projects.

In Lean Made Simple, Ryan Tierney introduces the ‘Improvement Equation’ as a straightforward formula to drive continuous improvement in any business. The equation has 3 levels:

Level One – Level One represents approximately 75% of potential improvements – these don’t need approval and are carried out by the people doing the work.  Ryan calls these people a ‘Gemba Team’.

In his book, ‘Gemba’ is described as a fundamental Lean concept that translates from Japanese as ‘the real place’ or ‘where the work happens’. It refers to the actual location where value is created, such as the factory floor in manufacturing or a worksite in service industries.

 A Gemba Team is a dedicated group of employees and leaders who are situated in the actual place where work is done, so that they can understand, observe and improve processes directly at their source. The Gemba Team's role is to identify inefficiencies, waste and opportunities for improvement by witnessing the work environment firsthand, interacting with frontline employees and gathering insights that might not be evident from a distance.

Level One involves the team making small incremental improvements, as many as they see fit. These small wins will engage your team with Lean and help them attain a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that they are contributing to your business. These changes are viewed as ‘win or learn’ – if they don’t work, you try something else. This fosters the Lean ‘continuous improvement’ culture.

Level Two – This level represents approximately 20% of the improvements. They are normally carried out by middle management and will need approval. Depending on the size of your business, these changes can have a bigger impact and might affect more than one department – for example, rearrangement of production or office layouts. Everyone needs to be on board before the improvements can be made.

Level Three – This level comprises approximately 5% of the improvements to be implemented. They are normally made by Directors or at senior management level. They are likely to have a big impact but involve significant capital expenditure – for example, buying a new machine or building or implementing new software. It will likely need top management or board authorisation.

Image taken from Ryan Tierney’s book, Lean Made Simple

In your business, the quick wins come in Level One. If you can make 75% of improvements with a small impact and low cost, it is worth investigating these areas of waste in your business.

The Seating Matters story – Ryan Tierney (adapted from his book Lean made Simple)

“How do you get the most from your team? Get rid of the stuff that sucks their energy.” Ryan Tierney

Ryan Tierney implemented a Lean working culture at Seating Matters, a healthcare seating manufacturer, to improve efficiency, reduce waste and enhance product quality. Here’s a breakdown of the key steps he implemented:

1. Process Observation: Tierney began by conducting regular walks using his ‘Gemba Team’, visiting the factory floor to observe production processes directly. By seeing how work was actually being performed, he identified bottlenecks, unnecessary steps and inefficiencies in real time. This hands-on approach allowed him to understand the root causes of problems and waste issues and to gather valuable insights from the team working on the production line.

2. Employee Involvement and Team Collaboration: Tierney involved the entire team in the Lean transformation process. The team were encouraged to share their insights and ideas for improvement, fostering a culture where everyone could contribute to problem-solving. This inclusive approach boosted morale and ensured that the implemented changes addressed the real issues faced by employees.

3. Waste Reduction Using the 8 Wastes: Tierney systematically applied the concept of the 8 wastes (overproduction, transportation, inventory, defects, motion, over-processing, waiting, skills). By focusing on each area of waste, he identified ways of streamlining workflows, reducing unnecessary movements and minimising delays, thus allowing the business to use resources more efficiently.

4. Standardised Work and Visual Management: To improve consistency and reduce errors, Seating Matters introduced standardised work procedures. This meant documenting best practices, creating repeatable processes and using visual management tools such as charts and labels to keep everyone aligned and to maintain a clear view of production status.

5. Continuous Improvement Mindset: Tierney implemented a culture of continuous improvement (adopted from the Toyota way of working), encouraging employees to continually seek out ways to enhance processes. Small, incremental changes were embraced, leading to significant cumulative improvements over time. This mindset helped the business to stay agile, to adapt to change and to keep progressing and improving.

6. Customer-Focused Value Creation: Lean principles helped Seating Matters put customer needs at the centre of their operations. By eliminating non-value-adding activities, they were able to focus on improving product quality, speed of delivery and customisation options, all of which directly benefited the customer.

Tierney transformed Seating Matters into a Lean business. The Lean working culture became the normal way of working for the team – they were continuously focused on enhancing productivity and reducing waste. This approach not only improved operational efficiency, but also helped the business deliver greater value to its customers.

The power of '3S'

“Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible.”   James Clear, author of Atomic Habits

Ryan Tierney’s experience at Seating Matters proves that not only is ‘cleanliness next to godliness’ but that it improves the physical workplace and people’s mindsets as well. You too can put the 3S process to work every day:

1. Sort: This step is about removing all unnecessary items from the workspace. Tierney emphasises identifying and keeping only what is essential for daily operations, while anything not used regularly is discarded, stored elsewhere or repurposed. The goal of sorting is to reduce clutter and ensure that only useful tools, equipment and materials are in the work area. This not only improves organization but also allows employees to improve their focus and to work more efficiently.

2. Sweep: Sweeping means cleaning and visually inspecting the workspace. It involves keeping everything in its designated place, tidying up after each shift and ensuring that the workspace is always ready for the next task. Sweeping goes beyond simple cleaning – it’s about creating a habit of looking after the work area. This step can also reveal potential issues with equipment or processes, allowing employees to address them before they become larger problems.

3. Standardise: The final step focuses on creating consistency in the workspace through standardised procedures. This means establishing clear, repeatable processes for sorting and sweeping, so that everyone on the team knows exactly how to maintain the workspace. Visual cues such as labels, colour codes and checklists can support this, making it easy for anyone to follow the process. Standardising ensures that the benefits of the first two steps are maintained over time and that everyone adheres to the same high standards for orderliness and cleanliness.

Tierney’s 3S process – Sort, Sweep, and Standardise is taken from his book Lean made Simple. It simplifies the traditional Lean approach to the organisation of your workplace. This streamlined system is easy to adopt and maintain, helping your teams create a more efficient, safe and productive work environment that will support ongoing improvements.

The post-it note ‘avoid waste’ exercise

Here is a great exercise to do with your team. All you need are some post-it notes and a blank flip chart or wall.

As described in the Business Breakthrough report:

  • Help your people SEE the waste – see the customer value and the 8 wastes listed above.
  • Compel your people to ELIMINATE the waste – because you’re committed and passionate.
  • SHOW the improvement – video the working process before and after to demonstrate the improvement achieved. Make the improvement tangible and visible.

To see the waste:

  • STOP your people ‘doing’ for 30 minutes
  • ASK them: “What one thing is making your job harder than it should be?”
  • LISTEN to their comments – actively encourage everyone to write something down on a post-it note and place it on the flip chart sheet or empty wall
  • CATEGORISE each post-it note in turn
  1. Use the Time-Cost Grid to identify STLC waste reduction actions for the note – bear in mind that 75% of your waste can be identified here.
  2. Choose one STLC waste reduction action for one of the post-it notes and implement it immediately – ACT FAST.
  3. Consider which of the 8 wastes their suggestions fall into (it could be more than one).
  • ADD to the post-it note pile. Ask your people to add more ideas to the pile whenever they think of them through their working week.

The book and other resources

Adventures in LeanLand

Russell Watkins


Managing waste is only one way to achieve a ‘Lean’ business. Lean thinking has profoundly changed thousands of businesses, thanks to Toyota sharing their Lean insights. Russell Watkins has worked with Toyota, JCB and many other UK businesses. His book, Adventures in Leanland, provides some brilliant examples and insights into making your business a Lean and profitable one.

Buy the book here.

What people are saying about this book:

"Reading this book is like a series of conversations with a Lean Sensei with strong experience of Toyota thinking, it will make you think differently about the challenges you face!" – Daniel T Jones, Chairman, Lean Enterprise Academy, UK

"A very good read...it certainly fills a gap in the market. Many little gems."
– John Bicheno, Director of Lean Ops Program at Cardiff Business School

"
Adventures in Leanland is a wonderful addition to the body of knowledge of Lean in practice. Part storytelling, part philosophical treatise, never dull...Many of the insights come from his experiences transforming factories and learning from his Toyota mentors, but he also pulls in examples from other arenas such as sports, politics, and daily life which make this book like no other. Readers engaged in their personal Lean journeys will benefit from mining this insightful resource for gems they can put to work today." – Durward Sobek, Associate Professor at Montana State University

Lean made Simple

Ryan Tierney


Discover how a small, family-run business in rural Northern Ireland is capturing global attention. In this engaging and practical book, Ryan Tierney documents the steps he took to create a vibrant, world-class Lean culture that has attracted the attention of industry leaders from around the world, including Toyota, Lexus, Coca Cola, Caterpillar and even Royalty!

From chaos to order, from complexity to simplicity, Ryan's teachings are sparking a movement in the business world, promoting better business practices globally. This is a must-read for anyone wanting to transform their organisational culture.

Buy the book here.

What people are saying about this book:

“I discovered Ryan on YouTube. I own a business and having been banging my head on the wall for years! Stressed out with employees not doing things correctly, inventory always being a mess and constantly reacting. I want to be in control of my business and life. Ryan’s videos lead me to buying this book and now I’m hooked on Lean! Thank you!” – Alex Copeland, CEO of Julianna’s Perfume

“Ryan’s expertise and practical insights make Lean Made Simple not just a set of tools, but a benchmark for excellence in Lean culture. Ryan’s impact on the business world is undeniable, solidifying his reputation as a global leader in Lean culture. For any company serious about achieving operational excellence and adopting a Lean culture, this book is a must-read.” – James Corbett BSc (Hons) Lecturer in Project and Operations Management, Atlantic Technological University

“This book is a gift to everyone in business who is focused on continuous improvement.” – Brendan McGurgan, Podcast Host and Investor

Ryan Tierney’s Podcast – Lean Made Simple

Ryan Tierney hosts the Lean Made Simple podcast, where he discusses strategies for implementing Lean practices and improving efficiency, drawing directly from his experiences at Seating Matters. This podcast covers a wide range of topics related to Lean management, offering advice for small- to medium-sized businesses on topics such as eliminating waste, improving workplace culture, and optimizing workflows. Tierney frequently features expert guests, shares personal insights, and explores practical ways to integrate Lean principles into daily operations and management strategies.

Through various episodes, Tierney aims to demystify Lean concepts, making them accessible and actionable for business leaders at any level.

The podcast aligns closely with his book, Lean Made Simple. To access the podcast episodes, please click the link here.

If you want to listen the specific episode on the 3S’s – Sort, Sweep, Standardise – click the link here.

Ryan Tierney also regularly produces videos on the theme of Lean principles and how he has made them work in his business. You can access his YouTube channel by clicking here.

Here is a great one on the power of continuous improvement:

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