Get Lean … Get Sales
Front-office functions can provide remarkable opportunities to improve order processing times, eliminate waste, and increase profits. Often, businesses implementing lean manufacturing target their manufacturing processes and overlook creating a lean front-office. However, you may find that over 95% of the lead time in your order is lost in front-office functions – and only 5% of the lead time in the actual production of the product.
Value Stream Mapping Identifies Waste
Value Stream Mapping is a helpful tool for creating a lean front-office. Value Stream Mapping is designed give you a look at the big picture, identifying every step in a customer order’s path across your entire system, from order input to final product shipment.
Value Stream Mapping helps you understand how each existing step in your order process contributes to or detracts from your overall value stream. Value Stream Mapping helps you identify the source of bottlenecks, waste and delays, and aids in improving inefficient processes to eliminate waste and add more value. Lean front-office processes analyzed include quote and order management, product configuration, application engineering, BOM generation, sales configuration and analytics, and channel and customer management.
Lean front-office benefits include:
- Eliminating redundant approvals
- Improving the flow of paperwork
- Restructuring how orders are handled
- Reducing long lead times
- Eliminating defects and mistakes due to incomplete or inaccurate information
- Simplifying complex tracking systems
Image: Value stream mapping for hospital by Quarterman Lee — qlee@strategosinc.com
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About the Author: Donna Hedge Burns is a public relations specialist for Cincom Systems, who specializes in ERP, product configuration and other smart selling technologies.