What is the LeanTeams Game?
The training game is an on-line experiential learning simulation based around processing customer orders from several customers using online workflows. In our generic version of the game, we use a Pharma supply chain, although this can be adapted to specific circumstances. Participants in the LeanTeams game are asked to take on various roles. The game includes sales, customer service, finance, operations, and supervision.
The objective of the game is to highlight the typical inefficiencies that are found in modern office and workflow process environments and demonstrate how simple changes can be implemented to improve effectiveness and customer satisfaction. The participants are challenged to correctly complete data on order review and order acknowledgement forms. The game enables the learning and dialogues to understand, and experience Lean in action in a Value Steam:
- Understanding what value is for the customer.
- Identifying a value stream and removing waste
- Enabling products and information to flow at the rate of customer demand.
- Striving for perfection through continuous improvement
The game enables team members to see the most prevalent wastes in office and workflow process.
- Unnecessary movements of tasks between individuals
- Hidden Inventories
- Lost waiting time
- Over Processing
- Over Production
- Impact of passing defective information
- Skills
Each round of the LeanTeams simulation takes up to 15 minutes to run. The full simulation and training takes place over 2 half day sessions, each with a duration of about 4 hours. Following a first round, the existing process is mapped using proprietary on-line collaboration tools and improvements are developed and agreed by the team before re-running the game with the new improved processes over a few rounds. The game can be run with training cohorts in “class-rooms” or with virtual teams.
What are the benefits for Participants?
- A more realistic situation in which you can practice and learn.
- Using electronic based communication and workflow means the game environment is more representative of the tools people use in practice compared with paper and card.
- Setting the learning in the remote collaborative work environment replicates the tools that people use daily, but perhaps not to their full potential.
What are the benefits for the Organisation?
- An effective training delivery method
- Training can be delivered to socially distanced remotely work team or to existing virtual teams.
- Delivering to existing work teams enables team capability building through practice continual improvement and collaboration.
- Remote but social learning is more effective and cheaper!
What are the benefits for Lean Trainers and Practitioners?
- An effective training delivery method
- The training groupings rooms and game runs can be configured electronically. Less time is required for those necessary but non-value adding tasks of organising training logistics and resources.
- The skills needed to give the training and run the game are just a relevant to leading process improvement in a “live” value stream. For this reason, we believe the training should be delivered by trained trainers from within the client’s organisation. ETAC associates will ensure you have the skill and capabilities needed to deliver and effective training.
- A simple pricing structure