Where Should We Start With Lean?

At Gemba Academy, one of the most common questions we hear from new customers is:
Where should we start with Lean? It’s a great question—and an important one.

On Gemba Insights, available on the Gemba Academy website, Ron explains in less than three minutes the three essential steps to take before beginning your Lean journey:

1. Identify Your “Why”—What Problems Are You Trying to Solve?
2. Follow the Money and Secure Early Wins (Look for low-hanging fruit).
3. Establish a Clear Vision and Direction (Visualize the future: “Knowing where you’re going is the first step to getting there.” — Ken Blanchard).

I always ask my Lean Practitioner candidates why they chose this program and are committed to spending a year learning and applying Lean. It’s a big investment of time and effort, so understanding their why is crucial.

Instead of working on a hypothetical case, I ask them:
What real-world problem are you trying to solve?
That problem becomes their challenge on the Kata Storyboard.

As they begin applying fundamental Lean tools, we celebrate their early successes—those quick wins that come from addressing low-hanging fruit.

Defining the Vision Before Making Improvements

Before making any changes, we teach candidates how to use the Kata Storyboard to establish a clear vision and direction. Knowing their long-term goal keeps them motivated and focused.

Once they define where they want to be in 6 to 12 months, they begin learning and applying essential Lean tools—starting with:

• Improvement Kata & Coaching Kata – These structured routines help teams develop a problem-solving mindset and continuous improvement habits. Improvement Kata guides problem-solving, while Coaching Kata ensures the learning process is supported and sustained.
• 5S (Workplace Organization) – Organizing the workspace to improve efficiency, safety, and productivity.
• Seeing Waste (Identifying Waste in a Process) – Learning to recognize and eliminate inefficiencies in workflows.

We emphasize mastering the fundamentals before moving on to more advanced tools. A strong foundation ensures they can sustain improvements and work toward their long-term challenge effectively.

Lean Is Not Just About Tools—It’s a Culture

One of the biggest misconceptions about Lean is that it’s just a set of tools. Yes, Lean offers a powerful toolbox, but it is much more than that—it’s a culture.

Focusing only on tools will not help you achieve sustainable, long-term success. Lean is about people at all levels and creating a structured system that enables organizations to train and develop their teams efficiently.

You may have heard of organizations that struggled to implement Lean. A common reason for failure is that they introduced it as just a tool, rather than an organizational culture.

Leadership Buy-In Is Key

To successfully implement Lean as a cultural transformation, leadership buy-in is essential. Leaders must:

1. Understand the “Why”—Why Lean? What problems will it solve?
2. Recognize the Long-Term Benefits—How will Lean help them achieve sustainable improvements?
3. Support the System and People—Ensure the right processes are in place to reinforce the Lean mindset.

At Gemba Academy, we work with organizations of all sizes, many of which have successfully embedded Lean into their business operations. When applied correctly, Lean can take an organization from “good” to “great.”

Ready to Start Your Lean Journey?

If you’re considering Lean for your organization, start by securing leadership buy-in and making sure everyone understands why it matters. From there, Lean tools will help you solve real problems, sustain improvements, and drive meaningful change.

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