Chapter 6
Lean Methods: Visual Management, 5S, and Kanban
Lean Is More Than Tools, but Tools Can Help
Looking back to the Toyota Triangle from Chapter 2, technical tools are just one component of the integrated system of Lean. Rather than documenting all of the details of how to implement these methods, this chapter focuses on some of the healthcare-specific examples of the use of visual management, 5S, and kanban. We also focus on the management methods and philosophical concepts that are embedded in the effective use of these methods. This chapter is by no means an all-inclusive list of tools, but these are some more commonly used in the early stages of health system implementations, methods that remain helpful over time when practiced with ...
