LEAN KNOWLEDGE WORK

PRESENTED BY ANJALI TU GOPEE KRISHNAN SANNEL VANDANA

The Toyota Production System is arguably the most important invention in operations. It has spawned numerous approaches to improving operations, all based on the same principles: relentless attention to detail, commitment to data-driven experimentation, and charging workers with the ongoing task of increasing efficiency and eliminating waste in their jobs. This collection of ideas is often termed lean.

But attempts to apply lean approaches to knowledge work have proved frustratingly difficult. Most in the business world believe that knowledge work does not lend itself to lean principles, because, unlike car assembly, it is not repetitive and cant be unambiguously defined

 In

manufacturing, there is a common understanding of how to make an operation lean, and many of the same techniques can be employed in different organizations.

 This

is not the case in knowledge work. It is found that lean principles can be applied in some form to almost all kinds of knowledge work and can generate significant benefits: faster response time, higher quality and creativity, lower costs, reduced drudgery and frustration, and greater job satisfaction.

Wipros Lean Journey

Wipro is one of the largest IT services and product engineering companies in the world. It has more than 100,000 employees and 72 delivery centers in 55 countries. The operations weve been studying build complex custom software. They look nothing like an assembly line. Projects are assigned to teams whose members are chosen on the basis of the skills needed to address the tasks, which range from designing software that controls a digital set-top box to creating new e-commerce platforms.

Wipro software team consists of people with highly varied experience. Some are quite seasoned, others are just starting out; some have specialized skills, others are generalists; some provide broad oversight and support, others do the actual work. By bouncing ideas off one another and trying things out, they come up with solutions

several challenges prompted Wipro to embark upon its lean journey Its need for highly skilled employees was increasing just as turn over was rising because of strong industry demand. Wipros manager were unable to find companies had used lean technology.

the managers began studying the approach and applied in manufacturing.

Knowledge jobs involve expertise and judgment , they can be made lean if organisation draw on six principles.
1. 2. 3.

Continually root out all waste. strive to make tact knowledge explicit specify how workers should comminicate.

4. 5. 6.

Use the scientific method to solve problem quickly. recognize that a lean system is a work in progress. have leaders blaze the trail.

Continually rooting out waste should be an integral part of every workers job.
Seven waste that every one in a manufacturing operation should eliminate: over production unnecessary transportation Inventory Workers motion Defects Over processing waiting

 Encourage

every one to look for small forms of waste . Not just big ones. periodically review the structure and content of every job.

Strive to make knowledge explicit

Writing

down exactly how to perform a task clearly defining the substance order, timing , and desired result- has delivered significant values to manufactures. it allows the actual and expected outputs to be compared.

Specifying knowledge workers include 4 steps..

look for repeatable parts of the process and codify them. dont try to specify everything initially, if ever use data to get buy-in keep studying the work that has been designated as tacit.