Many universities and schools have successfully implemented Lean programmes and reap the benefits of this management philosophy. Lean management enables them to analyse and review their office and administrative processes, recognise opportunities for refinement, and develop a continuous improvement. Some major universities that have used/ implemented Lean education are: Cardiff University, Winona State University, University of Central Oklahoma, Michigan Technological University, etc. At its core, Lean in education emphasis on reducing process waste, improving workflow, and enhancing performance improvement opportunities.
Now one would argue that how Lean can be implemented in schools or universities? There are no assembly lines involved and universities aren’t manufacturing any tangible products. However, Lean has grown out from its roots of manufacturing and has permeated across departments, sectors, and industries. While it’s true that schools/ universities don’t manufacture products, they produce measurable results such as student’s results, employee engagement etc. Such parameters can be analysed, mentioned and improved over time.
Lean Education offers a way to give a higher value while minimising costs, reducing non-value adding activities (waste), and making optimal use of resources. Lean management, when implemented in educational institutions creates a cultural shift where all parties take ownership of the processes. It also emphasizes working with cross functional departments and within departments to bring out better results. Whether it’s administrative processes or maintaining track record of student’s results, etc, Lean makes the workflow more streamlined, smooth, and efficient. This, in turn, improves services/ results and reduces costs. It saves time and money that can be invested elsewhere.
How Lean Works in Education?
Lean provides opportunities for change and improvement in institutions to operate more efficiently and improve learning results. Lean practices include involvement of all stakeholders (teachers, admin staff, students) at every level. It also includes documenting the current practices in the said educational institution and finding gaps to fill and areas to improve. Further, it focuses on using data-driven tools and KPIs to measure and evaluate implemented changes. Here the role of Lean consultants also becomes significant. These professionals are qualified to train the university faculty and administration to understand and leverage lean methodology more effectively.
Lean, when implemented successfully, reduces unnecessary and wasteful workload on teachers and administrators. It gives room for student engagement where they can freely provide feedback to the school management. This creates a student-centric learning environment where students are more engaged. They become better learners that will reflect positively on their academic performance as well. Lean encourages open communication and ownership from all involved parties (top management, administration, faculty, students, support staff, etc.)
Application of Lean Principles in Educational Institution
The foundation of Lean management is built on five principles which are: 1) Defining Value, 2) Mapping Value Stream, 3). Creating a Flow, 4). Establishing a Pull, 5). Seeking Perfection via Continuous Improvement. One can take these principles and apply them in any industry or sector to see tangible results in waste reduction and operational efficiency. Let’s look at the principles and how they translate in the educational institutions.
1) Defining Value
The first and foremost principle of Lean is to define what is value for the customer. Value is what the customer is willing to pay based on their pain points, wants and desires. Businesses must use these aspects to create a product or service that delivers value though and through.
In case a customer or customers can’t define or articulate what is valuable for them, a business can gather insights from feedback, surveys, interviews or past user experiences/ behaviour. Lean encourages organizations to deeply understand what a customer truly wants, making sure that the value is defined by the customer.
Defining Value in Educational Institutions:
In an educational institution, value is defined by students or anyone who gets impacted by university’s activities (parents, faculty, admin staff). As for students, they want to be an active participant in their learning, hence for them “defining value” can be anything from streamlining admission processes to ed-tech integration. It can also include orientation programmes and student support services provided during academic years at university.
2) Mapping Value Stream
Once an organization knows what “value” is for their customers, the next step is to map the value stream. In this step, an organisation must analyse how that value is delivered in minimum time and in an optimal manner. Lean uses visual mapping or a chart that depicts the entire process, right from value definition to final delivery. It helps teams to visualise the value flow and multiple processes, bottlenecks and non-value adding activities in it.
Mapping Value Stream in Educational Institutions:
With Lean, universities or schools can map out a value stream. They must use this as an opportunity to recognise gaps, bottlenecks or inefficiencies that hurt a student’s/ faculty experience. For instance, reducing time in addressing an applicant’s admission enquiries or analysing gaps in faculty recruitment or performance tracking.
3) Creating a Flow
Now that the value stream is thoroughly mapped out and inefficiencies and gaps are identified, it’s time to create a new flow. This means creating smooth, streamlined and uninterrupted work processes to deliver value to the “customer” without any wastes or delays. Organisations need to think about how to reduce the steps in the processes, make it streamlined to smoothly deliver value to the customer. The wastes a business/institution may recognise are redundant works, unnecessary waiting, seeking multiple approvals, etc.
Flow in Educational Institutions:
In universities, creating a flow would mean when everyone (admin staff, teachers, students) knows their task and performs it effectively without causing any wastes. For instance, moving from paperwork to paperless administration. Using automated grading and evaluation so that valuable time of faculty is saved. Removing obstructions for channels through which a better student-teacher communication can be established. Providing quick resolution to student’s queries and doubts so that their learning journey remains hassle free.
4) Establishing a Pull
The fourth Lean Principle is about establishing a pull. It involves creating a demand-oriented production rather than producing unnecessary product/service in advance. Production done merely on the basis of forecasts must be avoided. Lean emphasises on creating products based on actual customer needs rather than pushing products or services on customers which may remain unsold. It will eventually lead to unsold inventory which will take up storage space, increase costs and waste resources. Since a huge focus of Lean management is on waste reduction, using a pull system helps organizations to keep wasteful activities/ processes at bay by only generating what is required at the moment.
Establishing a Pull in Educational Institutions:
Pull in educational institutions refers to delivery value based on what that value means to students. For example, a student may redesign their entire curriculum based on student feedback and suggestions. Or to make the curriculum adaptive and flexible for students to engage rather than creating a one size fits all curriculum. Using Just-in-Time (JIT) learning in which students are provided with resources and study materials as and when required (or on what they want), rather than burdening them with unnecessary study content.
5) Seeking Perfection via Continuous Improvement.
More than a concept and management philosophy, Lean is a mindset and a practice. Even when work processes operate smoothly, costs decrease, and employee satisfaction rate goes up, Lean suggests that there is still room for improvement. Lean is cyclical in nature as it continues to find areas where efficiency is increased, waste is reduced, and quality value-oriented work is delivered. With the help of lean consultancy, any organisation or sector can establish a culture of continuous improvement and enjoy its long term benefits.
Continuous Improvement in Educational Institutions
In an educational institute, Lean is about establishing a culture of continuous improvement where all stakeholders are visible and engaged in improvement. Lean focuses on creating a culture of learning (upskilling), setting up feedback, and active participation in problem solving. From top management to frontline employees, everyone is involved in creating and maintaining a lean culture. For instance, updating curriculum that involves real-life problems and removing outdated topics. Optimising the admission process by automating paperwork and manual processes. Another example would be using survey forms or feedback to keep track of students and teachers’ pain points and changing needs.
