In January 2010, Finance & Facilities (F2) began using Lean as a comprehensive approach to:

• Find ways to become even more nimble, efficient, and customer focused
• Adopt common tools and vocabulary
• Improve core processes
• Transition to a new and sustainable academic business model to address changing demands and reduced budgets
• Build upon existing work within F2 including the use of the balanced scorecard, dashboard measures, quality and process improvement fundamentals, and tools and teamwork
• Improve management of people and processes

See official announcement by Senior Vice President V'Ella Warren

What is Lean?

Lean consultants Womak & Jones defined Lean as “a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste..." which involves value stream mapping, rapid process improvement, a future vision, and customer involvement.  Lean engages staff to identify and solve problems, and trusts them to do so. They identified 5 key principles:

1. Define value to the customer
2. Organize work using value streams
3. Focus on flow of work 
4. Produce at the rate of customer demand
5. Improve continuously

For more information:

Please contact F2Lean@uw.edu