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Description

Lean Management for Service Operations: Mapping Flows and Reducing Lead Times

Applying lean methods to administrative work where the product moves in the form of information

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

The department processes files in the order they arrive. Lead times keep stretching without anyone knowing where the time is lost. The same file passes through the same hands several times because one piece of information was missing. Tracking dashboards measure team workload but never the time that genuinely adds value for the customer.

These two days transpose lean to service activities rather than industrial production. Participants map an administrative process, separate processing time from waiting time, identify the forms of waste specific to information-based work and run short improvement workshops with the teams concerned.

Learning objectives

  • Identify value from the customer's point of view in a service process
  • Map an administrative process and measure its waiting times
  • Identify the forms of waste specific to information-based activities
  • Introduce visual management suited to a service team
  • Facilitate an improvement workshop with the people who do the work
  • Track the gains achieved and embed the new practices

What makes this programme different

Mapping is carried out on a process brought in by the participants
Waiting times are measured separately from processing times
The visual management board is tested through a live daily stand-up facilitation

Programme

1Lean Principles Applied to Services

Seeing administrative work as a flow

  • The notion of value from the internal or external customer's point of view
  • Differences between industrial production and service activities
  • Forms of waste in information processing
  • Success conditions for a lean approach in an office environment

2Process Mapping and Measurement

Putting figures on what we assume we know

  • Step-by-step description of the process
  • Recording processing times and waiting times
  • Identifying rework and back-and-forth loops
  • Identifying bottlenecks and workload variations
  • Reviewing the process with the people who carry it out

3Improvement Tools

Acting on causes rather than symptoms

  • Root cause analysis of a recurring malfunction
  • Standardising a task without making the work rigid
  • Organising shared information and the working environment
  • Levelling workload and handling priorities
  • Reducing duplicated checks

4Visual Management and Change Management

Making improvements last

  • Building a team board and selecting indicators
  • Facilitating a short daily stand-up
  • Addressing the irritants raised by the team
  • Common forms of resistance and possible responses
  • Measuring and communicating the gains achieved

Who is it for

Heads of administrative departments and back-office team managers as well as business organisation officers and process owners.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.