Workbook 2

Business Improvement Tools and

Techniques

KAIZEN PRINCIPLES

STANDARD WORKING METHODS

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES

IMPROVEMENTS

ELIMINATE VARIANCE

NCFE Level 2
Certificate in Lean Organisation Management Techniques
 How to use your learning materials

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2 © LCG 2016
 NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Lean Organisation
Management Techniques

Workbook 2
Business Improvement Tools and Techniques

Workbook Contents

In this workbook, you will learn about the main Kaizen principles and their application in
business organisations. You will look at areas of weakness and possible improvements
within organisations. You will learn about visual management, standard working methods
and how variance to process can be eliminated.

Contents
This workbook contains four sections: Page
Section 1: Know about continuous improvement techniques (Kaizen) 4
Section 2: Understand the principles and techniques of workplace
organisation 6
Section 3: Be able to use visual indicators to improve the
work environment 12
Section 4: Know ways to eliminate variance from processes
in the workplace 21

Each section has corresponding assessment questions NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Lean Organisation
Management Techniques
that must be completed in order to achieve this part of Assessment 2

the programme. Business Improvement Tools and Techniques

Learner contact details:

The assessments for this workbook can be found in: Name:

Contact address:

Assessment 2: Business Improvement Tools and Postcode: Contact number:

Techniques
Email:

Learner declaration
I confirm that the answers in this Assessment were completed by me, represent my
own ideas and are my own work.
Learner signature: Assessment date:

If you need any help in completing these assessments, refer to the

When you have completed this workbook you should

relevant section within your Workbook, or contact your Assessor/Tutor.

Please tick one of the boxes below to show what your status will be when you complete this course.
 EMP 1 In paid employment for 16 hours or more  GAP 1 Gap year before

attempt the assessment. Your Assessor/Tutor will then

per week starting HE
 EMP 2 In paid employment for less than 16 hours  EDU 1 Traineeship
per week  EDU 2 Apprenticeship
 EMP 4 Self-employed for 16 hours or more per week  EDU 3 Supported Internship
 EMP 5 Self-employed for less than 16 hours per week  EDU 4 Other FE* (Full-time)

give you detailed written feedback on your progress.

 NPE 1 Not in paid employment, looking for work and
 EDU 5 Other FE* (Part-time)
available to start work
 NPE 2 Not in paid employment, not looking for work  EDU 6 HE
and/or not available to start work (including retired)  OTH # (please state)
 VOL 1 Voluntary work ………………………………

Assessment 1

Workbook 3
 Section 1: Know about continuous improvement
techniques (Kaizen)

The main Kaizen principles and their application

Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 1.

Kaizen (or ‘continuous improvement’) is a Japanese business philosophy of

continuous improvement of working practices and personal efficiency. It involves a
system of constantly introducing small incremental changes in an organisation to
improve quality and/or efficiency, rather than major or radical changes.
The Kaizen approach assumes that the employees are the best people to identify
room for improvement, as they are the people who see the processes in action all
the time. An organisation that uses this approach therefore has to have a culture that
encourages and rewards employees for their contribution to the process. The word
Kaizen comes from the Japanese, ‘kai’ meaning continuous and ‘zen’ meaning good.

There are four principles of Kaizen:

People The people in an organisation must be given a voice
and have decision-making powers; this shouldn’t just
be limited to members of the management team
Change Change is seen as good and necessary for making
improvements but needs to be gradual
Continuous improvement The organisation must seek to continually improve their
processes
Eliminate waste Resources need to be used carefully and waste reduced
to a minimum; when waste is reduced, value is added

The key features of Kaizen include:

improvements are based on many, small changes instead of radical changes
 ideas come from the workers themselves so they are less likely to be radical
the
and therefore easier to implement

small improvements are less likely than major changes to require major capital
investment
 ideas come from the talents of the existing workforce rather than undertaking
the
research and development or using equipment, which could be very expensive
all employees should continually look for ways to improve their own performance

workers are encouraged to take ownership for their work which can help in
improving workforce motivation

4 © LCG 2016
 Section 1: Know about continuous improvement
techniques (Kaizen)

Kaizen is characterised by many, small improvements over time which is a contrast

with some of the major leaps seen in industry when radical new technology or
production methods have been introduced.
Over a number of years Kaizen improvements can lead to major advances for an
organisation, but from time to time radical change may be needed and this is unlikely
to result from Kaizen. For example, many UK manufacturers and service companies
have found it necessary to reduce their running costs by outsourcing processes
to cheaper centres such as India. Such a dramatic change is not a part of Kaizen
principles.
If Kaizen is to be effective in any organisation there has to be a culture of trust
between staff and managers which requires good communication. Staff suggestion
schemes can result in improved staff morale but some organisations set targets for
individuals or teams to produce a certain number of ideas in a set period of time. If
operated in this way, Kaizen can be seen by employees as a negative process as the
pressure to come up with ideas can be unwelcome and unless there are rewards for
suggestions they can become resentful.

Did you know?

According to HR Magazine, 6 out of 10 employees stated that they would come up
with more creative suggestions if they were rewarded for them. Financial rewards
were found to be the most important with 45% of employees valuing this type of
reward and 39% saying that recognition for their ideas was a suitable reward.

Workbook 5
 Section 2: Understand the principles and techniques
of workplace organisation

Areas of weakness and possible improvements in an

organisation
Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 2.

Team leaders and managers can use various techniques to identify and solve problems
within their teams. Weaknesses can arise for a variety of reasons and it is important to
identify them as quickly as possible so that remedies can be put in place. Sometimes
a team is affected by forces outside the team, such as late deliveries, poor-quality
materials or machinery breakdowns, and some problems occur within the team.

Weaknesses that occur within a team can be caused by, for example:
Weaknesses Reasons
Loss of team members Staff with valuable skills and good working relationships
with others leave the organisation leaving gaps in the
skill set
The balance is upset New team members join and upset the balance, this can
be due to inexperience or imbalance within the Belbin
team roles
Leadership style Weak or authoritarian leadership styles may not bring
about the required teamwork or results
Poor planning Resources may not be available when needed
Targets set Targets may be unrealistic leaving a team with
something they cannot achieve
Reduced productivity This can be due to low staff morale or poor working
practices
Stress Stress amongst employees may cause absenteeism or
reduced performance
Conflict There may be conflicts between team members, such as
about standards of work or expected output
Missed deadlines Deadlines can be missed due to technical problems like
IT or equipment breakdowns, or poor team working skills
Lack of motivation This can be due to poor team spirit, lack of direction and
not engaging with the shared objectives

6 © LCG 2016
 Section 2: Understand the principles and techniques
of workplace organisation

Did you know?

The Boots chain has a suggestions scheme manager, who looks at around 60
ideas a week, and 14% of these have been selected for investigation. One
suggestion that was taken up was providing temporary Christmas staff with long-
sleeved t-shirts rather than the short-sleeved uniform, which was not as suitable
for staff in colder weather. The scheme has brought about savings, whilst also
being recognised as a major factor in employee satisfaction.

Identifying weaknesses

Weaknesses within a team can be identified in several ways, including, for example:
formal and informal observation during normal shifts or working hours
appraisals – during career development discussions with team members
against key performance indicators (KPIs) for the quality and quantity of output
checking staff attendance records

discussions during team meetings and briefings to evaluate how a project is going
or to introduce new targets if necessary

during one-to-one discussions, for example if clues indicate that team members
may have underlying problems

Techniques used to solve problems and improve weaknesses

When problems arise within a team, it is very important to discuss the issues. People
need to be able to air their views and concerns, sometimes in public and sometimes
in private. Team leaders may need to facilitate:
one-to-one discussions – so that team review meetings and briefings
members can be open and honest about – for open discussions and exchanges of
confidential information and opinions views
different opportunities for team meetings with managers and other
members to pass on their views, for team leaders in order to discuss
example through email, anonymous problems
online surveys or suggestion boxes

Workbook 7
 Section 2: Understand the principles and techniques
of workplace organisation

Once a suitable environment for discussion has been selected, team leaders need to
think about what needs to be discussed to solve the problems.

Did you know?

Google, John Lewis and Virgin are amongst companies highly rated for employee
engagement and listening to their staff.
Some staff suggestions at Virgin, for example, have led to:
• collaborating with a renowned chef to ‘liven up’ menu options
• rearranging the booking office layout to make it easier for customers to talk to
staff
• the process of boarding vulnerable passengers first
• reworking the seat reservation download system, improving download rates from
72% to 90%

Techniques that can be used include, for example:

Technique
Negotiation
Improve resource management
Reviewing, agreeing and setting targets
Succession planning
Rotate team members between
different tasks
Coaching and training sessions
Mind-mapping or brainstorming
Reason
To solve disputes between team members
about workload or working practices
To order extra physical or human
resources to support the team
To change deadlines or output levels
to help the team cope with external
changes
Working out how to replace team
members and develop the skills and
team roles to rebalance the team
To be as fair as possible and develop
skills and experience
To develop individuals, maybe with close
monitoring, shadowing or one-to-one
mentoring sessions
To involve team members in thinking
about how to solve problems

8 © LCG 2016
 Section 2: Understand the principles and techniques
of workplace organisation

The following table gives some examples of problems that can arise, plus some
suggestions on how the problems can be dealt with:
Weaknesses Suggested ways of making improvements
within the team
Staff sickness and Make sure all team members are engaged, motivated and
absenteeism committed to shared aims
Listen to staff members’ comments and feedback about their
workload, views on operational problems, suggestions and
ideas
Make sure that the workload is fair and manageable – rotate
tasks to spread the load between different team members
Support staff who are off work for genuine reasons and help
them to return when appropriate
Consider changing people’s tasks or workloads, retraining
them or giving extra advice and guidance
Team members Review the agreed policies and procedures – to see if they
are unable to are being followed correctly
maintain quality Check that specifications and working practices are realistic
and output in the and workable – consult all concerned and amend as
agreed standards necessary
Work alongside team members to identify the problems in
detail – e.g. lack of time-management skills, lack of
motivation, team friction, low aptitude, lack of role clarity
Listen to their feedback and suggestions and ideas about
how to improve working methods
Make sure that team members understand the objectives and
have the right skills, knowledge, aptitude and capacity to do
the tasks correctly
Consider retraining some or all team members
Consider rotating staff and having more experienced workers
in key positions
Increase close monitoring and support until problems are
resolved or production quantity and quality improve to
satisfactory levels

Workbook 9
 Section 2: Understand the principles and techniques
of workplace organisation

When tasks need When one task impacts another, this is a critical review point
to be done in Make sure that everything is on track before the deadline or
order, the delay review point is reached
from one team Move physical and human resources to make sure that the
member leads to task is done on time
delays for other
Make sure that people working on the next related tasks
members
know about any possible or actual delays so that they can
replan their activities
Involve team members to make sure that they know how
critical the timing is
Encourage early intervention when problems and delays are
possible
Move physical and human resources to make sure tasks are
done on time
Advise other teams and managers if delays are possible
Outside causes Have a bad weather plan about how to get staff to work, get
such as bad supplies and how to maintain production – e.g. hold enough
weather extra stock to keep production going for a week and arrange
for staff who live locally to come in and take key roles
If bad weather is looking probable, plan ahead – e.g. shut
down or reduce production for a day
If the planned activities are weather-dependent, have a
detailed bad-weather plan – e.g. have other work available to
do, increase stock levels and have a flexible delivery schedule

10 © LCG 2016
 Section 2: Understand the principles and techniques
of workplace organisation

Knowledge Activity 1:

Describe a weakness that has occurred in your organisation

How was this problem dealt with?

Did you know?

According to a 2017 report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), an
estimated 137 million days were lost to sickness or injury in the UK in 2016.
This is an average of 4.3 days per worker, but has reduced considerably since
1993 when the average rate was 7.2 days per worker. Minor illnesses including
coughs and colds accounted for 24.8% of absence, musculoskeletal problems for
22.4%, and mental health issues for 11.5%.

Workbook 11
 Section 3: Be able to use visual indicators to improve
the work environment

Elements that contribute to good visual management

in the workplace
Please read the following as it will help you to answer questions 3 and 4.

Visual management is a system of making the workplace more effective by making

conditions obvious at a glance and is designed to make everyone’s job easier. It uses
visual communication to make it easier to understand the processes that have been
put in place.

Here are some examples of visual communication:

Information boards
A visual management tool should enable workers to enter their work area and very
quickly understand the status of the work being performed. A good example is an
information display screen in a call centre which informs all the staff of the status of
current calls, for example:
Agents on calls: Calls on hold:
22 15
Longest call waiting: Calls abandoned per hour:
2.10 12

12 © LCG 2016
 Section 3: Be able to use visual indicators to improve
the work environment

Information boards can be used in many ways, for example to display: stock levels;
spare parts available; production charts; delivery or service; standard operating
procedures; or preventative maintenance.

Excellence in
healthcare

Today’s
date: 06 February 2019

The nurse in charge

today is: Rowena

The number of patients

on the Ward today is: 45

It is Recommended that the Ward has:

Registered Healthcare
Shift
Nurses Assistants
Early 14 13
Late 12 11
Night 11 11

Currently the Ward has:

Registered Healthcare
Shift
Nurses Assistants
Early 9 9
Late 11 11
Night 11 10
The number of Rehab Support Workers &
Therapists on the Ward Today is: 8

Workbook 13
 Section 3: Be able to use visual indicators to improve
the work environment

Here is an example of a workflow chart for an IT department to show the status of

different projects.
Operations and Implementation Workflow
In Work

Investigate Implement Monitor Validate Completed

Maintenance Live Issue JP Monitoring Project FT Increase storage

Security compliance Production Zabbix upgrade Project Gemini capacity
preparation FT Database server at FT environment setup JD
100% disk capacity

On Hold

Investigate Implement Monitor Validate Completed

PDX Firewall
replacement

Abandoned

Investigate Implement Monitor Validate Completed

Decommission JD
servers for Mercury
Application

5Ss
The 5Ss stands for:
Sort
Set in Order
Shine
Standardise
Sustain

5S is a workplace organisation technique composed for five primary phases:

Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardise and Systematise.

SORT SET IN ORDER SHINE STANDARDISE SUSTAIN

Keep only Arrange items to Clean the work Set standards Maintain and
necessary items promote efficient area so it is neat for a consistently review standards
in the workplace workflow and tidy organised
workplace
14 © LCG 2016
 Section 3: Be able to use visual indicators to improve
the work environment

This was originally a Japanese method of organisation and was a building block of the
Just-In-Time manufacturing method. It is about having a simple, easy-to-understand
system that has a quick impact. Examples of 5S include:
 red tag event where all items in an area are tagged, it is then decided on how
A
they should be sorted – discard, store, keep? This prevents items that are not
needed from being kept and cluttering surfaces; only essential items can remain in
the work area.

Arranging items in a way to minimize wasted travel so less-
frequently used items are stored further away than those
used regularly.
Use colour coding for tools and equipment.

Use shadow boards for tools and equipment so everything
is put away in the correct place.

Organising the work area so that items are put
away in the correct place and the workplace stays
tidy, for example there may be different-coloured
containers to store different items.

Using standardised colour schemes, signage, WASTE RECYCLABLE NEW
MATERIALS
colour codes.

Displaying a picture of the benchmark for a work
area, to show the high standard required.

Lights
A light that comes on, or a flashing light, is a useful visual tool, for example a light
that comes on to indicate a fault in the system or a machine fault, a light that an
operator can put on if they need assistance or a light in healthcare to
indicate a patient requires assistance. By using light systems, staff can
be warned of stoppages or downtime leading to improved productivity
and efficiency. Lights can be accompanied by warning sounds too.

Workbook 15
 Section 3: Be able to use visual indicators to improve
the work environment

Scoreboards
Scoreboards can ensure that performance is meeting the organisation’s expected
targets, if not, any issues can be identified and dealt with quickly. The information
provided on scoreboards can include delivery times, quality, quantity, waste and
customer satisfaction.
Performance Chart

Target 2000
Current production 1236
Delivery time 2 days

Defined areas
Areas can be defined for different uses with paint, tape
or colour coding. This can show staff where items should
be placed or stored, areas that are out of bounds or
unsafe and correct distances from certain equipment for
safety reasons.

Standard product charts

When assembling a product, images can be provided so that all employees know
what they are aiming for, this can improve quality and prevent substandard products
reaching the customer. For example, in a factory producing baked good, colour charts
are often provided so that products can be tested against them, ensuring that finished
products are exactly the right colour, not overcooked or undercooked. A chart of a
finished cake can show workers exactly where to position decorations so that every
cake is produced to the identical high standard.

16 © LCG 2016
 Section 3: Be able to use visual indicators to improve
the work environment

Photographs
Photographs of team members and their roles can be useful in some larger
organisations where employees may need to find a member of staff from another
department to resolve an issue; this can save time in helping staff locate people they
do not know.
A photograph of a finished product can help employees achieve a quality and
standardised product so the customer gets the same thing every time. For example,
a food outlet that employs semi-skilled staff could provide a photograph of each dish
on the menu to show how it should be set out on the plate and which ingredients
have to be included.

2 mint
Grape leaves Raspberry
Red
currant

3 mint
leaves Cherry

3 orange Crushed
segments biscuit

Workbook 17
 Section 3: Be able to use visual indicators to improve
the work environment

Burger Italiano – Assembly Chart

Ciabatta roll

Minced beef burger

Sub assembly
Mozzarella slice
Salt and oregano seasoning

Tomato and oregano sauce

First layer assembly
Red onion slice
Romaine lettuce

Thinly sliced focaccia

Minced beef burger Sub assembly
Mozzarella slice
Salt and oregano seasoning

Romaine lettuce
Second layer assembly
Tomato and oregano sauce
Red onion slices

Bottom ciabatta roll

Greaseproof wrapping and cardboard tray Completed Italiano Burger
Ready for Sale

Contact numbers
Contact numbers for other departments or organisations that might be needed could be
displayed to save time for staff who need to communicate with others on the phone.

18 © LCG 2016
 Section 3: Be able to use visual indicators to improve
the work environment

Safety signs
These are easily and quickly identifiable to all and mean that staff know what must
be done, what is forbidden and which areas are out of bounds or require Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE).

To make the concept of visual management easier, think about the following examples
for the driver on our roads and motorways:
Speed bumps Limit the speed of the car
Painted lines in the Tells the driver where they need to be in the road
middle of the road
Traffic signs Clearly show the way to different places
Rumble strips Warn the driver against possible danger, improving safety
Traffic lights Tell the driver when to stop and when they can go ahead
Traffic police Easily recognised by the driver due to their standardised
uniform
Police cars Easily recognised by the livery on the vehicles, and sirens
alert driver of their presence and need to pass quickly
Cat’s eye Used to make centre of road to show driver where they need
to be and also shows raised surfaces for safety
Visual management is simply using this type of system but in a workplace setting

Workbook 19
 Section 3: Be able to use visual indicators to improve
the work environment

Knowledge Activity 2: Using the analogy of the road and driver above,
think about some of the visual management systems in your organisation:

For visual management to be effective:

 has to be obvious, it needs to be easy to tell what goes on in an area with only
It
a little training.

Standardisation is needed, there have to be normal conditions identified so that
abnormal conditions are recognised.
It has to be used and not ignored.

There have to be planned responses for the things that might go wrong so there
is a quick remedy.

The benefits of visual management include:

 improvement in performance leading to competitive advantage for an
An
organisation.
Shows key data and can reinforce what is important to an organisation.

Addresses performance issues and keeps the workforce
focussed on the organisations’ goals.
The workforce are more engaged.

Improved communication and information sharing
throughout the organisation.
Reduces information overload.

20 © LCG 2016
 Section 4: Know ways to eliminate variance from
processes in the workplace

The benefits of standard working methods

Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 5.

There are benefits of standard work procedures to many industries including

manufacturing and production processes, service industries and the fast-food industry.
This means that there should be a standard way that tasks are performed and any
differences in how staff approach different tasks is eliminated. Think about how a
customer might feel in the following situations when there is no standard working
method in place:
Saleem has booked in to a hotel for business purposes and sees the customer in
front of him at the check-in desk greeted politely, given useful information and offered
an early morning call, newspaper and a choice of dining times. The member of staff
then calls for a porter to take the customers bags up to her room. Saleem is checked
in by another member of the reception team who is quite surly and doesn’t offer the
same information or options as the other guest was offered. When he has finished
checking Saleem in, the employee bangs a key down on the desk and gives him a
rough idea of where the room is. There is no offer of a porter to carry his bags and
when Saleem asks if this is possible is told they are short staffed and he will have to
carry his own bags.

Fiona stops for a quick meal on the way home from work at a fast-food restaurant.
She orders burger and fries with a coffee. She enjoys the meal which is a generous
portion and the coffee is good. The following week she returns and orders the same.
The burger comes without the pickles and salad that she had the week before and
the portion of fries is much smaller. The food isn’t as hot as it should be and the
coffee tastes really weak. Fiona doesn’t return to the restaurant again.

Vivienne is a keen gardener and has started to use an

online garden supplier; she is delighted with her first two
orders as the plants are good quality and of a good size,
she feels she gets good value for money. The azaleas she
ordered were particularly good and she decides to order
another three to put in her front garden. When the order
arrives the plants are much smaller than the last order,
even though they were the same price, and the soil is very
dry. The plants don’t look very healthy and she feels she
has wasted her money.

Workbook 21
 Section 4: Know ways to eliminate variance from
processes in the workplace

Some of the benefits to an organisation of using standard work procedures include:

Improved quality if implemented through a production process.
 consistent product for the customer, for example for manufactured goods and
A
meals out.
 consistent, standard service for the customer, for example in hotels, leisure
A
and restaurants.
A reduction in rework as errors will be reduced.
Fewer discrepancies between operators.

Less time wasted looking for tools or documents as the processes and systems
have been standardised.

Better staff training at all levels – for new staff and refresher training and
development for existing staff.

Waste will be eliminated as products will be produced correctly, for example
fewer customers in a restaurant will complain if the meals are produced in a
standardised way.

Eliminating variance to process

Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 6.

In both service and manufacturing industries, where manual labour is part of the
operation, it is likely that there will be some variation in the process as no two
humans are alike and there will be some variance when two different people complete
the same task.
Although variance is to be expected, organisations need to take measures to reduce it
as it does not result in a consistent product or service every time for the customer.

Some examples of how variance can affect quality of products and services include:
the size of a product, for example a cake or biscuit
 serving portion, for example fries and salad to accompany a burger or ice
the
cream on a dessert
packaging of products
neatness and quality of finish
greetings and attention given to customers in service organisations

22 © LCG 2016
 Section 4: Know ways to eliminate variance from
processes in the workplace

time taken to process an order

time taken to deliver products
cleanliness of surroundings

Think about ways that variances can be eliminated to provide better-quality goods and
services for the customer:
Variance How this can be eliminated
Nina owns a small company making Nina could look at the tools that could
luxury expensive handmade chocolates. help to eliminate this using a mould to
She is fortunate to receive a large order scoop the same amount of mixture for
from a company running a promotional each individual truffle and a chocolate
event but receives a complaint because funnel to measure set amounts of melted
the truffles she supplies differ in size and chocolate when coating truffles. By
some are not coated evenly. She has to investing in some fairly inexpensive tools
remake a large number of truffles for the Nina can control the quality and reduce
company which means there has been complaints and wastage.
wastage and loss of money.
Tyreece runs an online gift company The process needs to be standardised
and an essential part of the process is and goods need to be wrapped in
that customers receive quality gifts that protective packaging. John needs to
have been wrapped in professional and standardise this by providing pre-cut
attractive packaging. The company has pieces of bubble wrap and tissue for
had complaints about broken items and each product, so employees all use
poor-quality, untidy gift wrapping. the same amount of packaging. To
improve the quality of the gift wrapping,
the wrapping paper and ribbon need
to be cut to size and a picture of how
each package needs to look should be
provided, so each package goes out
looking identical.
Agnieska is the manager of a Agnieska can eliminate variance in
delicatessen and take-away that sells serving sizes easily and cheaply by
lunchtime platters, salad boxes and providing scoops for each ingredient.
sandwiches. The main customers of the The overall quality can be improved by
deli are office blocks in the surrounding providing a photograph of each platter to
area who place large orders daily. show exactly what it should look like and
Recently, with a change in staffing, there where each piece of meat/fish/bakery
have been complaints about the serving item should be placed and where the
sizes and quality of the lunch platters and accompanying salads should be placed
sales have fallen. in the container.

Workbook 23
 Section 4: Know ways to eliminate variance from
processes in the workplace

Joan is an office manager and has
received customer complaints about the
way calls are answered and dealt with.
She also receives praise about some
of the employees, particularly the more
experienced staff who have been with the
company a long time.
Joan needs to produce a script for
staff to follow so that each customer
is greeted in the same way. There also
needs to be a standardised way of
dealing with customer queries, this could
be done in a visual way by producing
process diagrams to show the different
procedures and options for dealing with
different situations.

Knowledge Activity 3: Think about some areas where variance could occur
in your organisation and suggest ways of eliminating variance.
Possible variance Ways of eliminating variance

24 © LCG 2016
 Section 4: Know ways to eliminate variance from
processes in the workplace

Summary

In this workbook, you have learned about:

the main Kaizen techniques and their application
ares of weakness in workplace organisation and how to improve them
visual management in the workplace
how to eliminate variance from process in the workplace
the benefits of standard working methods

Well done!
You have now completed your Workbook and should
attempt the assessments. If you require any help or
guidance, please contact your Assessor/Tutor.

Workbook 25
 Please use this page for additional notes

26 © LCG 2016
Please use this page for additional notes

Workbook 27
 VISUAL INDICATORS

LEAN

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