In search of lean management [management system diagramming]

The fundamental management task is to provide direction and make decisions, thus this is accomplished through the management system. Lean techniques offer a solution to management systems\´ improvement. Defining a clear focus, reducing waste, and improving process flow - these concepts apply to management as well as to the factory floor. One of the evaluation and improvement tools for defining the operating state of an organisation is to complete a value stream map of the total organisation -creating a basic business system model. This map can be very helpful in improving the strategy, structure, and processes of the organisation and is a very helpful assessment technique for strategic planning processes. In our lean management improvement, we still need another technique to get at the root understanding of how organisational activity is managed and controlled. We desired an approach that would be visual, be easily understood, would identify areas for improvement, and that would provide a framework for analysing potential improvements. We also wanted to leverage it as a learning opportunity regarding lean concepts. In this paper, we introduce the \´management systems diagramming\´ (MSD) process. Lean management systems improvement begins by diagramming the \´what, when, and how\´ of the current management system. MSD consists of documenting the responsibilities, major tasks, schedule of requirements, meetings, control processes, communication methods, and organisational linkages for the management system being evaluated. The purpose of the MSD process is to understand and document how the organisation approves, communicates, and controls the flow of people, information, money, material, and activities. This answers the fundamental question "how do we run the business?". MSD is only one of the simple, yet powerful, techniques that should be used to build a lean management system. It appears very simple but it can be quite challenging in actual practice.