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Lean Project Management theory applies to ethics projects.

Business schools now teach Lean Project Management as a standard to be used in any type of project. Let's review what it is.

Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990) is the founder of the idea of Lean Production Management, a production approach he pioneered at Toyota shortly after World War II. The concept was a way to better organize and manage manufacturing operations, for efficiency and a better product, cheaper. Later, the Lean Production Management techniques were applied to the construction industry. While there were differences between manufacturing processes and construction projects, the principles of Lean Production Management were applied successfully to construction projects. Since then, managers have found that the "process engineering" taught in engineering colleges has ideas that can be useful in business management. In short, Lean Production Management principles have a core of ideas that can be applied to projects other than physical manufacturing or  construction --- there is a "Lean Project Management" for all management projects.  Business schools now teach "Lean Project Management" as a standard to be used in any type of project.

What is Lean Project Management? Here is an academic definition:

Lean Project Management determines a project strategy for achieving significant, continuous improvement in the performance of the total business project through the elimination of  wastes of time and other resources that do not add value to the final project delivered to the corporate structure.

Lean Project Management has a financial performance objective of maximizing the value differential between the corporate resources disbursed during the project versus the value received by the company both during and also after the life of the project.

"We do it on time, on schedule, and on budget."

Below are three examples of how ethics experts allow the company to use Lean Project Management.

A typical example of eliminating waste by Using Lean Project Management concepts is minimizing the time your corporate executive time spent on the project. Corporate executives should select among options presented to them, add their input and directions, and supervise the project manager --- not spend hours of executive time on investigations, planning and details.

Usually one of the the Lean Project Management performance objectives is met by moving the end point of the project forward, getting the project done as quickly as possible, consistent with project objectives. The faster you can reach the end point of the project, the sooner you see corporate improvement. If the reason for the project is corporate improvement, the sooner it is done consistent with project objectives, the sooner the corporation receives the improvement. Lean Project Management, by eliminating wastes, increases project velocity, reduces project resources, and facilitates the project purpose.

Another example  example of how a Lean Project Management performance objective is met is -- not training all units or levels of employees the same way or in the same subjects, plus not providing unneeded rules structures for units or levels of employees that do not need them. 

* footnote: The term "Lean Project Management" is not original with Bucklin, who as principal of Corporate-Ethics US integrates Lean Project Management into all our projects.  See Ronald Mascitelli, Building a Project-Driven Enterprise: How to Slash Waste and Boost Profits Through Lean Project Management.
 

 

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