This book is an implementation manual for lean tools and principles in a healthcare environment. Lean is a growth strategy, a survival strategy, and an improvement strategy. The goal of lean is, first and foremost, to provide value to the patient/customer, and in so doing eliminate the delays, overcrowding, and frustration associated with the existing care delivery system. Lean creates a better working environment where what is supposed to happen does happen. On time, every time. It allows clinicians to spend more of their time caring for patients and improves the quality of care these patients receive. A lean organization values its employees and encourages their involvement in organizational initiatives which, in turn, sustains hospital-wide quality improvements. The opportunities for lean in healthcare are limitless. This is not a book to be read and forgotten, nor is it meant to sit on a book shelf as another addition to an impressive but underutilized collection of how-to books. As the name implies, it is a guide; a companion to be referenced again and again as the organization moves forward with its lean transformation.

One subject that is receiving a lot of attention is organizational change. Whether it is reinventing government, reengineering corporations, or reforming churches, all kinds of organizations are attempting major transformations. Th e pace of organizational change projects is perhaps only overshadowed by the number of books on the subject of organizational change. One only has to scan the business section of any local bookstore to see that there are numerous titles on the subject of organizational change. While each book may be interesting, the books often do not build on each other and sometimes develop contradictory ideas and concepts. Th is book will walk you through the fi ve ingredients of transformation. Vision: Where are you going? Leadership: How are you leading the eff ort, and do you have the skills? Technical Plan: How will you close the gap between the vision and your current situation? Social Plan: How will you enroll others that might be supportive or not supportive of your plan? Burning Platform: Why should you do anything? At the end of reading this book, you will understand why change eff orts fail, what ingredients are needed to ensure success, and what skills are needed at the organizational, group, and individual levels to maximize improvement eff orts.