
304 Leveraging Lean in Ancillary Hospital Services
LEARNING THROUGH LEAN
Many times, Lean initiatives may be started and scopes determined because of the need to reduce
full-time employees (FTEs) or potentially avoid a capital project. This can sometimes be mislead-
ing, as the number of FTEs or perceived area of square footage that can be reduced may not be the
“root cause” of the problem. Project scopes need to be monitored and may need to be revised as the
team learns through data and facts and analyzes the process.
Lesson learned - projects should never be undertaken just for RIO reasons. They should be pur-
sued to eliminate waste which will ...