Lean in higher education: connecting the principles and tools to our core activities Presentation on 2nd International Lean Six Sigma Conference for Higher Education in Arnhem, The Netherlands, organized by HAN University of Applied Sciences

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Position paper - Lean in higher education: connecting the principles
and tools to our core activities.
Dr Tammi Sinha and Prof Jiju Antony
Connecting Lean to the field
• Supporting student
learning,
• research,
• knowledge exchange,
• administration,
• professional services,
• management

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How can we
connect the
principles
and tools to
our core
activities in
Higher
Education?
 Introduction
 Momentum for improvement
 Our burning platforms
 Challenges
 Expectations of stakeholders
 Massive inefficiencies
 The UK Higher Education Landscape
 Student fees
 Removing the ABB cap
 Student expectations and experience gap
 Staff workloads
 Evolution of lean leadership and visual leadership
 1 Identify key stakeholders (customers, students, staff, and society) and
specify the 'value' from their worldview.
 2 Identify and map the core value streams, from the multiple viewpoints
expressed
 3 Make that value flow by eliminating waste, removing bottlenecks and
empower key stakeholders.
 4 Pull ‘orders’ through the system by responding to key stakeholders.
 5 Pursue perfection (operational excellence) for the student and staff
experience.
 Principles of lean applied to HE
 For the educator
 For the researcher / Knowledge transfer
 For professional services
 For students
 Reflection

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Introduction
Momentum for improvement
Our burning platforms
Challenges
Expectations of stakeholders
Massive inefficiencies

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TheUKHE
Landscape
Student fees
Removing the ABB cap
Student expectations and
experience gap
Staff workloads

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Evolutionof
leanleadership
andvisual
leadership
 1 Identify key stakeholders
(customers, students, staff, and
society) and specify the 'value'
from their worldview.
 2 Identify and map the core value
streams, from the multiple
viewpoints expressed
 3 Make that value flow by
eliminating waste, removing
bottlenecks and empower key
stakeholders.
 4 Pull ‘orders’ through the system
by responding to key
stakeholders.
 5 Pursue perfection (operational
excellence) for the student and
staff experience.

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Principlesoflean
appliedtoHE
For the educator
For the researcher /
Knowledge transfer
For professional services
For students

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T I M W O O D
Acade
mics
Profes
sional
service
s
Stude
nts
T – Transport – Moving
people, products &
information
Timetabling and Room bookings: this has a big impact on creating the space for good education,
whether this is virtual or physical space; if this goes wrong, (and it seems to at many universities) it
can affect the student and academic experience.
X X X
I – Inventory – Storing parts,
pieces, documentation ahead
of requirements
Assessments: many professional services have transformed the way assessment submissions are
handled as physical pieces of work can create waste in terms of waiting to be collected by academics,
waiting to be marked and waiting to be collected by students (sometimes never collected) By using
technology such as Turnitin on tablets, this waste in terms of inventory and waiting can be radically
reduced.
X X X
M – Motion – Bending,
turning, reaching, lifting
This can also be linked to assessments, but a good example is the library and the move towards e-
books. Many university libraries have embraced lean principles and have addressed issues of layout,
automation of book returns and renewals. The phenomenal access to journals and materials on line
has also provided a better experience for students and academics. However the skill of information
literacy also needs to be highlighted to ensure benefits are seen.
X X X
W – Waiting – For parts,
information, instructions,
equipment
Sign offs for travel, proposals, meetings. Governance is important, however waiting for key people to
be available to sign off documents can cause delay and stress. Once identified processes can be
simplified and autonomy granted up to certain levels.
X X
O – Over production –
Making more than is
IMMEDIATELY required
At a very superficial level (although a significant cost) over printing of handouts, booklets, meeting
minutes, reports which are never collected or read. This is a massive waste that universities are
addressing with learning networks (virtual learning environments) and using tablets in the classroom
and for marking. This has an impact on all major stakeholders.
X X X
O – Over processing – Tighter
tolerances or higher grade
materials than are necessary
At first glance this is perhaps difficult to apply to higher education. However if we reflect on the
amount of paperwork for validations and quality assurance that we are required to do. This could be a
superb focus for simplifying and streamlining administrative processes.
X X
D – Defects – Rework, scrap,
incorrect documentation
Errors are found everywhere in a human activity system. Simple checks and having the time and
space to carry out the massive range of activities required in this sector can reduce errors. Incorrect
exams, double room bookings, incomplete timetables, proposal forms incomplete, contribute to the
60% of failure demand that is inherent in service organisations
X X X

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The KEY
QUESTION….
HOW DO WE ENGAGE
STUDENTS &
COLLEAGUES?

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The solution?
Visual leadershipand visual
management???….

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Some tools for staff
engagement
(21st Century skills)
 Visual Literacy
 Team information Boards
 Note sketching
 Value Stream Mapping
 Knowledge cafe
 Information Literacy
 Information access and reviewing
 Sorting – data – info – knowledge – wisdom
(Linked organised applied)
 Improvement Literacy
 Lean Six sigma
 Operational excellence
 Layout and 5S
 Value Stream Mapping
 A3s
 Creative literacy
 Gamestorming
 6 Thinking Hats
 Mind mapping
Social interaction
Effective communication
Critical thinking
Problem solving
Team work
Creativity
Locating and evaluating
information

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Visual……..
Workplace..
Thinking..
Leaders..
Teams..
Meetings..
15% increase in throughput.
70% cut in materials handling.
60% decrease in floor space.
80% decrease in flow distance.

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A curriculum for future minds and
engagement
 Using visuals to solve complex problems and
implement improvements
 Visualise complex ideas
 Help to tell the story
 Facilitating groups using to apply lean principles
and solve problems
 Vision, challenge ,
 Applying core principles
 Seeing and owning the problem

13. http://prezi.com/83lclycrx1tm/curriculum-for-future-minds-by-sunni-brown/ AND
http://sunnibrown.com

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15. +
How can we
connect the
principles
and tools to
our core
activities in
Higher
Education?
 Introduction
 Momentum for improvement
 Our burning platforms
 Challenges
 Expectations of stakeholders
 Massive inefficiencies
 The UK Higher Education Landscape
 Student fees
 Removing the ABB cap
 Student expectations and experience gap
 Staff workloads
 Evolution of lean leadership and visual leadership
 1 Identify key stakeholders (customers, students, staff, and society) and
specify the 'value' from their worldview.
 2 Identify and map the core value streams, from the multiple viewpoints
expressed
 3 Make that value flow by eliminating waste, removing bottlenecks and
empower key stakeholders.
 4 Pull ‘orders’ through the system by responding to key stakeholders.
 5 Pursue perfection (operational excellence) for the student and staff
experience.
 Principles of lean applied to HE
 For the educator
 For the researcher / Knowledge transfer
 For professional services
 For students
 Reflection