Easier, Simpler, Faster: Systems Strategy for Lean IT

To enhance and sustain its Lean journey, a company must implement information systems that fully support and enhance the Lean initiative. In Easier, Simpler, Faster: Systems Strategy for Lean IT, Jean Cunningham and Duane Jones introduce the case study of an actual Lean implementation involving the IT system of a mid-size manufacturer, highlighting the IT challenges that the manufacturer faced during the Lean transformation. Winner of a Shingo Prize, this book will provide you with a broader vision as well as a path to what a Lean system environment will look like for your company.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Lantech, Lean, and IS: Why This Book Was Written -- Beginning Your Journey: IS, IT, and ERP -- All Value Streams Are Created Equal -- Overview -- Conclusion -- Chapter 1: Lean Basics to Define Your Custom er -- Eliminate Wastes, and Align IS -- The Five Lean Principles -- The Seven Deadly Wastes -- Kaizen and Kaizen Events—Aligning IS to -- Activities -- Thirteen IS Guiding Principles for a Lean Environment -- Chapter 2: Applying Standardization -- Information System s -- Applying Standardization to Hardware and Software -- Hardware Madness -- Software Galore -- ERP in Name Only -- Hardware Benefits from Standardization -- Software Benefits from Standardization -- Doing More with Less, Faster and Cheaper -- Benefits from Using a Common ERP System -- Chapter 3: Integrating Your Order Entry into -- Information Highway -- Modifying ERP to Handle Order Entry -- Every Employee Sees the Customer Order -- Handling Incomplete Customer Orders -- Making Your Office Lean— Less Paper/Immediate Access -- Hold That Order! -- From Lead to Quote to Order -- Scheduling an Order to the Floor -- Chapter 4: Selecting, Enabling, and -- Your ERP System -- Base Product Definition—Technology and Business Preferences -- Use Business People with Lean Backgrounds to Find -- New ERP System -- Skip the ERP Product Sales Talk and Go Directly -- the Technicians -- The Role of End User Participation -- Finalizing Our ERP Choice -- Managing Your ERP— Implementing a Vanilla Version -- Customizing -- Customizing ERP after Implementation -- The Power of Training and Keeping Programmers on Staff -- Chapter 5: Kanban: Reducing Inventory and -- Pull with Suppliers -- Kanban Basics -- Benefits of Less Inventory -- MRP Produces More Inventory, Less Flexibility -- The Kanban Process Begins to Open Doors -- Kanban Reduces Inventory, Eliminates Waste, -- Improves Savings -- Integrating the Kanban Process into the ERP System -- Creating Self-Billing Invoices -- Kanban Builds Stronger Supplier Relationships -- Inventory Accuracy Is Less Critical with a Kanban System -- Chapter 6: Reshuffling MRP to Align with Kanban and Lean -- Role of MRP in Lean -- The Pre-MRP Program -- MRP Benefits -- MRP No Longer Manages You -- Chapter 7: Mission to Go Live—Building Teams -- Overcoming Barriers -- The Business Process Kaizen Team’s Strategic Project -- The BPK Team Becomes the New ERP Team -- Choosing a Consultantd Creating -- Implementation Team -- Managing the Implementation -- Going Live— Strike for the Heart -- The Challenge of Using Fewer Reports -- Importance of Teams in Building a Lean Culture -- Chapter 8: Capturing, Managing, and Sharing Information -- Who Sees the Information? -- Benefits of Open Sharing of Information -- Example of Easy Access— Programming a Preorder Screen -- Open Information Builds Trust and a Common Culture -- Use Information as a Tool Throughout Your Business -- The New IS Role in Supporting Lean -- Chapter 9: Lean Accounting System s -- The Role of Reports in Lean -- Standard Cost Accounting -- Plain English Financial Statement -- Putting Financial Statements in the Hands of the Users -- Impact of Kanban on Accounts Payable Functions -- Standard Allocations -- Appendix I: Seven S teps to Eliminating Standard Cost from an Information System -- Appendix II: The Thirteen Guiding -- System Principles -- Index -- About the Authors.

About the Author :
Duane Jones has worn several hats at Lantech, and has served the companyas material handler, engineering change coordinator, and productionscheduler. When Lantech decided to go lean, he became amember of the kaizen team for the lean effort. After implementingLantech’s ERP system in 1995, he learned to program (without any previousexperience) and subsequently trained others in the customizationof the new ERP system. Duane then became Lantech’s IS TeamLeader, a position he holds to this day. In this capacity, he is responsiblefor hardware, software, and application integration in our company.He has served as consultant to Lantech’s European affiliateduring its ERP implementation in 2003 and continues to apply leanprinciples directly within IS as well as in any IS customer projects.While at Lantech, Jean Cunningham was the company CFO andresponsible for corporate services, HR, accounting, information systems,telecom, facilities, and many of the com pany’s continuousimprovement activities until 1999. Fluid in project responsibilities,she was appointed project sponsor for implementation of the ERPsystem in 1995 and was also involved with Lantech’s very first m anufacturingkaizen events in 1992, geared to im plem ent lean on thefactory shop floor. After leaving Lantech, Jean assumed a similar leanleader position while serving as CFO for a door manufacturing companythat adopted lean as a business strategy. Jean frequently providesconsulting services to companies interested in lean manufacturing, ISimplementation in a lean environment, and lean accounting.

Review :
This book deserves a detailed read and discussion within any organization planning a lean transformation. Jean and Duane have accurately and sensitively captured their struggles, frustrations, and victories around the previously submerged and invisible IT portion of the lean iceberg.— Pat Lancaster, Chairman, Lantech, Inc., December 2006 Jones and Cunningham's first-hand experience with lean IS Transformation is distilled into a pragmatic set of guidelines that will fortify your roadmap for remarkable change.— Jamie Flinchbaugh,, co-author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean, December 2006 For too long, IT systems have indirectly functioned as a barrier to lean initiatives. ...This book breaks new ground because the authors fully illustrate just how IT can significantly hasten waste reduction.— Anand Sharma, President & CEO, TBM Consulting Group, Inc., January 2007