Mapping the Journey—Success and Failure with Lean

Some health organizations have achieved tremendous results through Lean. Others have embarked on the Lean journey and become derailed. Why? That is the question this briefing poses and answers.

This briefing describes in depth the three levels of Lean, the tool-, system- and principle-driven levels, outlining the characteristics, challenges and rewards of each level for health care organizations. In doing so, it provides a roadmap against which organizations can chart their progress and use to help guide them towards successful Lean implementation.

The briefing underscores that organizations that are successful in Lean implementation generally take a more comprehensive, multi-level approach. They do more than simply deploy Lean tools. Rather, they fully integrate Lean into their work culture. The briefing highlights examples from British Columbia’s Provincial Health Services Authority’s recent Lean journey to demonstrate how a health organization has managed to integrate Lean successfully.