Stiven Catalyst
LumenProcess Manager

Free tool · Lean

Lean Assessment

Once a quarter, walk one area and score how far its lean system has come, in ten dimensions from 5S to kaizen. Each assessor scores alone against level descriptions of what you would see on the floor; the tool shows where they disagree, the radar against the last assessment, the three weakest dimensions and the tools on this site that close them.

1 · Area, date and assessors

Up to five assessors. Each one scores alone first, then you compare.

2 · Score each statement

Scoring as

The score scale
  1. 1 · Reactive Not in place, or only when something goes wrong.
  2. 2 · Started First steps taken, not yet a routine.
  3. 3 · Defined Defined and mostly followed.
  4. 4 · Measured Followed and measured; gaps are closed.
  5. 5 · Sustained Sustained and improving by the team itself.
  6. N/A Does not apply to this area; left out of the average.

1 5S and visual management

What each level looks like on the floor
  1. 1 · Reactive Items with no owner pile up in corners and aisles; people search for tools, scanners and pallet jacks every shift.
  2. 2 · Started A first red-tag sort has been done and some places are marked, but markings are partial or worn and clutter returns within weeks.
  3. 3 · Defined Every item has a marked, labelled place; a cleaning plan with owners hangs in the area and is mostly kept.
  4. 4 · Measured 5S audits run on a schedule, the score is posted with its trend, and each finding gets an owner and a date.
  5. 5 · Sustained The area's own people run the audits and raise the standard after each round; a visitor finds anything in 30 seconds.

  1. Only what is needed for the work is in the area; unneeded items are red-tagged and removed.

  2. Every tool, material, scanner and trolley has a marked place, and a missing item is visible at a glance.

  3. Cleaning and checking run on a schedule with an owner, and the schedule is kept.

  4. Floor markings, labels and boards show normal and abnormal without having to ask anyone.

  5. A 5S audit is held on a schedule, its score is posted, and its findings are closed.

2 Standard work

What each level looks like on the floor
  1. 1 · Reactive Everyone does the task their own way; the method depends on who trained them; results differ by person and shift.
  2. 2 · Started Standards exist for some tasks, but they sit in a binder or the system, are out of date, or describe the ideal rather than the real work.
  3. 3 · Defined Standards for the main tasks are posted at the workplace, current, and used to train new starters; most people follow them.
  4. 4 · Measured Leaders observe adherence on a schedule; each deviation is either corrected or used to improve the standard.
  5. 5 · Sustained The standard is the baseline for improvement: the people who do the work change it several times a year, with time and quality measured before and after.

  1. The main tasks (receiving, picking, cleaning a room, loading a route) have a written standard with steps, key points and the reason for each key point.

  2. The standards hang where the work is done, are current, and show who changed them last and when.

  3. People work to the standard: an observation of the task matches what is written.

  4. When someone finds a better way, the standard is changed and every shift is trained on the change.

3 Daily management and KPIs

What each level looks like on the floor
  1. 1 · Reactive No regular meeting; numbers come in a weekly e-mail or not at all; the team hears about problems from complaints.
  2. 2 · Started A meeting happens on most days, but without a board or with numbers that are days old; it is mostly announcements.
  3. 3 · Defined A daily stand-up at the board with yesterday's KPIs against targets; a red KPI gets an action, though follow-up is uneven.
  4. 4 · Measured Board, KPIs and action list are kept every day; actions close on time; escalation to the next level runs on a fixed schedule.
  5. 5 · Sustained Shift, area and site meetings follow each other within the morning; the board drives the day's decisions and the KPIs show a lasting improvement.

  1. The area holds a short daily meeting at a board at a fixed time, and it starts and ends on time.

  2. Yesterday's results for safety, quality, delivery and cost are on the board against a target before the meeting starts.

  3. A missed target leads to an action with an owner and a date, and open actions are reviewed at the next meeting.

  4. A problem the team cannot solve goes to the next level the same day, and the answer comes back.

4 Problem solving

What each level looks like on the floor
  1. 1 · Reactive Firefighting: the same problems return every week; blame or a quick fix ends the discussion; nothing is written down.
  2. 2 · Started Some problems are analysed, usually after an escalation; 5 Whys is known but stops at the first answer or at a person.
  3. 3 · Defined Recurring problems get a 5 Whys or an A3 with a root cause and a countermeasure; most are closed, though the effect is not always checked.
  4. 4 · Measured Problem solving is tracked: opened and closed, time to close, recurrence; each countermeasure is verified with data.
  5. 5 · Sustained Front-line staff solve most problems themselves with one simple method; serious cases run as 8D or A3 and the lessons reach other areas.

  1. A problem is first described with facts: what, where, when and how many, compared with the standard.

  2. A recurring problem is worked to its root cause (5 Whys, fishbone or A3) before a countermeasure is chosen.

  3. Customer complaints and serious defects get a structured response (8D or similar) with containment, root cause and a check that it worked.

  4. The effect of every countermeasure is checked with data a few weeks later, and the lesson is shared with other shifts or areas.

5 Flow and pull

What each level looks like on the floor
  1. 1 · Reactive Work arrives in waves and piles up between steps; staff are idle, then overloaded; stock and queues are noticed when they run out or overflow.
  2. 2 · Started The bottleneck is known and some buffers are sized, but work is still planned in big batches and chasing urgent orders is normal.
  3. 3 · Defined A current-state map exists; the main flow has a fixed sequence and limits; kanban or min/max runs for the main materials.
  4. 4 · Measured Lead time and work in process are measured every week; the work is levelled over the day; kanban quantities are sized from demand data.
  5. 5 · Sustained A future-state map is being put in place step by step; the flow is smooth over the week; queues and lead time keep falling.

  1. The value stream of the area is mapped with its lead time, queues and waits, and the map is less than a year old.

  2. Work moves in small, regular batches rather than in big waves (orders, rooms, routes, pallets).

  3. Replenishment is pulled by real use (kanban cards, bins, min/max) rather than pushed by a forecast or a habit.

  4. Work in process and queues are limited and visible, so a jam is noticed before it reaches the customer.

6 Quality at the source

What each level looks like on the floor
  1. 1 · Reactive Errors are found by the customer or the next shift; a check at the end is the only one; mistakes are blamed on people.
  2. 2 · Started Checks exist at a few steps, mostly done by supervisors; defects are counted, but not by step or cause.
  3. 3 · Defined Self-checks are part of the standard at the main steps; the main error types have a poka-yoke or a checklist; first-time-right is measured.
  4. 4 · Measured Defects are tracked by step and cause; the top risks are in an FMEA; each poka-yoke is tested on a schedule to see that it still works.
  5. 5 · Sustained New processes are designed with error-proofing from the start; stopping for a defect is normal and quick; first-time-right holds at target.

  1. Each step checks its own work before passing it on, so errors are found where they are made.

  2. Common errors are prevented by design: scanners, colour codes, checklists, fixtures or system blocks (poka-yoke).

  3. First-time-right (or the defect rate) is measured per step and shown to the team.

  4. Anyone can stop the work or call for help when something is wrong, and is thanked for doing it.

7 Maintenance (TPM)

What each level looks like on the floor
  1. 1 · Reactive Equipment runs until it breaks; nobody owns the daily check; parts and repairs are sought after the failure has happened.
  2. 2 · Started A service plan exists for the big equipment, but intervals slip; faults are reported by word of mouth; breakdown records are incomplete.
  3. 3 · Defined Daily operator checks with a checklist on the main equipment; preventive maintenance mostly on time; breakdowns logged with their downtime.
  4. 4 · Measured MTBF, MTTR or OEE are tracked; repeated failures get a root cause analysis; the plan is adjusted to the failure history.
  5. 5 · Sustained Operators and technicians improve the equipment together; unplanned downtime is rare and falling; new equipment is chosen for easy maintenance.

  1. Operators check their equipment every day (forklifts, conveyors, scanners, carts, vehicles) on a short checklist.

  2. Preventive maintenance is planned by date or by use, and the plan is kept.

  3. Breakdowns and their downtime are recorded, and a repeated breakdown is analysed for its cause.

  4. Equipment performance (availability, OEE or downtime per week) is measured and visible to the team.

8 Leadership routines

What each level looks like on the floor
  1. 1 · Reactive Leaders are in the office or on the phone; they come to the floor when something goes wrong; their day is run by e-mails and escalations.
  2. 2 · Started Some leaders walk the floor, but without a fixed time or purpose; what they check depends on the person.
  3. 3 · Defined Leader standard work is written for the main roles, with daily and weekly checks; gemba walks happen most weeks, with notes.
  4. 4 · Measured The next level reviews adherence to leader standard work; gemba findings become actions with owners; the routines hold in busy weeks.
  5. 5 · Sustained The routines are how the site is run; leaders coach with questions; the routines are improved like any other standard.

  1. Leaders at each level have a written leader standard work: what they check each day and each week, and when.

  2. Leaders go to the floor (gemba) on a schedule to see the work, ask and coach, not only when there is a problem.

  3. Leaders check that standards are followed and that the actions from the board are closed.

  4. Leaders coach people to solve problems themselves rather than giving them the answer.

9 People and skills

What each level looks like on the floor
  1. 1 · Reactive Training is by shadowing whoever is free; nobody knows who can cover which task; one absence stops a process.
  2. 2 · Started A list of qualifications exists but is out of date; training is planned when someone leaves; single points of knowledge are known but not fixed.
  3. 3 · Defined A current skills matrix for the area; a training plan covers the gaps; new starters are trained on the standard and signed off.
  4. 4 · Measured Cover per task and shift is measured against a target; cross-training is scheduled; training is checked by observation.
  5. 5 · Sustained People train each other and own the matrix; cover is at target on every shift; career steps are linked to skills and improvement work.

  1. A skills matrix shows who can do which task and at what level, and it is current.

  2. Every key task has at least two or three trained people per shift, so one absence does not stop the work.

  3. New starters and people changing task are trained on the standard (for example with TWI job instruction) and signed off.

  4. People take part in improvements, and their ideas are recognised.

10 Continuous improvement (kaizen)

What each level looks like on the floor
  1. 1 · Reactive Improvement is a one-off project from management or a consultant; ideas from the floor get lost; changes fade within weeks.
  2. 2 · Started An idea board or box exists, but few ideas are carried out and answers are slow; improvement depends on a few enthusiasts.
  3. 3 · Defined The idea board is reviewed every week; most ideas get an answer and an owner; a few kaizen events a year with measured results.
  4. 4 · Measured Ideas raised and carried out are tracked; kaizen events follow a standard with a 30-day check; results are kept in the standard.
  5. 5 · Sustained Improvement is part of everyone's job: many small ideas per person and year, events chosen from the value stream, results shared across sites.

  1. There is a simple way to raise an idea (board, card or app), and every idea gets an answer within two weeks.

  2. The team carries out small improvements itself every week, without waiting for a project.

  3. Bigger improvements run as kaizen events or projects with a goal in numbers and a check after 30 days.

  4. The results of improvements (time, errors, cost, safety) are measured and shown, and the gain is kept in the standard.

3 · History

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