For me being lean means getting every dollar of profit out of your valuable sales.  This is not achieved through one silver bullet, but by having the right philosophy for your business.

The Lean in our name comes from Lean Six Sigma, a management approach honed by large businesses and used for many years to reduce costs.

 
There are two aspects to Lean Six Sigma. Lean Manufacturing developed by Toyota and Six Sigma developed by Motorola.
 

In simple terms in Lean Manufacturing you map out the processes of your business from end to end. For example you could look at the process from the point when a patient books an appointment up until they complete payment at reception. You would then categorise which of the activities the customer would pay for, which of the activities are necessary as part of the service delivery and which activities are waste. The waste is then eliminated from the process, providing a more efficient and cost effective way of doing business often with better outcomes for the customer. It is common sense, but I am always surprised about the amount of waste businesses unwittingly have in their processes!

Six sigma focuses on delivering customers with consistent and accurate goods or services. This reduces inefficiencies by eliminating rejects or rework and improves customer satisfaction through the provision of consistently excellent service!

If you would like to learn more about how being Lean can help your business, why not start a conversation with us!