Improving Business Performance With Lean, Second Edition

CHAPTER 5

The Need for Reduced Variation in Processes

This chapter discusses the need for predictable outcomes of processes and how the predictability of outcomes can be controlled by reducing the variation in how a process is executed. The importance of reducing process variation in Lean is twofold. First, reducing variation in how a process is executed reduces the variation in the characteristics of the product or service being created, which reduces defects and errors that, in turn, improves quality. Besides improving customer satisfaction, improving quality reduces waste due to defects. Second, reducing variation in process execution reduces the variation in how long the process steps take to perform. Although the explanation is beyond the ...