Personal Lean Publications by Dr. Mohammed Hamed Ahmed Soliman

Read or Download this Article here: Developing People Improves the Process This article is provided with permission of the Institute of Industrial Engineers from the January/February 2016 issue of Industrial Management, Copyright©2016 Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. All rights reserved.

Mistakenly, many people think plan-do-check-act (PDCA) is a continuous improvement cycle, even if they neglect the human part. PDCA does aim to improve the process, but if you have only improved the process without developing and teaching your people, you have put the process at risk of slipping back. People must be trained in the culture of continuous improvement so they can keep managing the process with the new method.

Many people don't understand the DNA of the Toyota Production System and the core values of the Toyota Way. I have seen many who think about TPS as a toolkit or lean manufacturing techniques that have worked with Toyota because Toyota has a different process, a stable environment, or a less fluctuation in customer demand. Some others believe that TPS works only with the automotive industry.

Truly, most organizations remain far away from establishing a solid continuous improvement system, and current management behavior rarely leads corporations to do what they should do in terms of both process and people management. Bad habits, behaviors done with little or no conscious thought, continue to affect culture and hold companies back from success.