FASE IV: Comunicación de Resultados

In order to put Lean management into perspective, value is added to various fundamental aspects of the model which are important for WMCN. The four models discussed in this chapter are listed in table 8. First of all, Lean is reviewed in two versions of Lean (the original model of Toyota where KR8 is based on and the adjusted version for governmental organisations from Huguenin, Binnerts and van Gestel (2011, p.17). KR8 is not discussed separately, because it is just a small part of the original Lean and therefore only the original Lean is discussed in this paragraph. Subsequently, the following models are discussed in the table: the KO-model, Six Sigma and ISO-9000. The four models are a lot alike, using similar concepts with a corresponding meaning. All four models state that a process should have as less variations as possible and should be standardised. They also use the concept of continuous improvement. This is being done with the PDCA-circle, with the exception of Six Sigma which uses the DMAIC-circle. The KO-model is the odd one out, because it is the only model using a self evaluation principle.

In this paragraph the values are also summarized in table 8. The statements marked in light purple, are the statements that RWS is considering as important, because these statements are found in their business plan 2015. Each criteria has two opposite statements which have the following values:

- The statement suits the first part of the statement the best, than the statement is rated with ++ - If the statement is less evident, the statement is scored with +

- When statement does not suite either of the statements, the statement is estimated with +/- - If the second statement suits the quality model bester, the criteria is marked with -

- If the second statement suits the model the best, the quality model is rated with –

TABLE 8: OVERVIEW QUALITY MODELS WITH CRITERIA

It is important to know if Lean is the best model on basis of the preferences of WMCN. Studying the goals, ambitions and mission of RWS which are presented in the Business Plan 2015 it is clear that some of the criteria’s are more important for WMCN.

The first thing to look at is if the model suits the structure of a governmental organisation. Lean Management and KO-model both score high in this regard. These two models are adapted to the environment of governmental organisations. A next criteria is the focus on customer service. This is a new development within RWS. In the Business Plan 2015 is stated that this is an important issue for the next few years. Again, Lean scores high on this criteria. Following, RWS tries to enhance primary work processes with a ´bottom up´ approach (Rijkswaterstaat, 2010e). This (empowerment) is most present in the Lean model. Nonetheless, it is important to note that the beginning of the process is ´top down´, because the management should set the goals. Later the process is ´bottom up´. Furthermore, is it important that the employees can understand the system, not only so that they can implement the system by themselves, but also that they can trust their management. The last important criteria is how flexible an organisation is. Again, Lean and Six Sigma score both high on these criteria. Six Sigma is flexible because the production process is described in detail with cause and effect. In Lean flexibility it is doing the right amount of effort at the right moment, in this way there is less waste in the process.

To conclude, although ISO 9000 scores the most plusses in the table, Lean scores the highest regarding the most important criteria. Besides these criteria, there is the question if Lean could learn from other quality models. The various models have many similarities and the pros are most of the time also applicable on Lean. Although, there are elements from other models that could be useful for Lean. One important factor what Lean could learn from other models is the fact that ISO-9000 has a well document structure for processes. However, the pitfall of a bureaucratic organisation should be kept in mind.

The most important conclusion is that every model has its own purpose, and the different models could be used side by side. The KO-model is a good model to spot weakness in your organisation and to known in which phase of development your organisation is. Six sigma could enhance the credibility by creating a uniform process. Whereas ISO-9000 could help an organisation with the documentation of the process, such that the organisation can operate robustly in the event of changes (e.g. employee leaves the organisation). After reviewing literature on what could influence the implementation of a quality model, the most factors are valid for all quality models and not specific for Lean. It is important to make use of the elements that could enhance the quality and efficiency of the organisation concerned.

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