Lean Office and Service Simplified

Chapter 2

Creating Standard Work for Office and Service

You may have heard that standard work is one of the foundations of Lean Thinking. However, developing and practicing standard work can be elusive, particularly in an office and service setting. What are the difficulties? Why does this very basic concept so often generate strong resistance? Most often, the answers to these questions lie in a lack of understanding of standard work and its benefits. In general, we resist what we do not understand, and we are unlikely to change our ways if we do not see any benefit to doing so.

Standard work is a critical concept, and in this chapter, we will explore it in depth, including why you should implement it, its benefits, and its necessary elements. ...