We are living in an era where the change and innovation rate is just so high. If you want your organization to reach new heights then you’ll have to certainly prioritize improvement methodologies that are being used in the software world with approaches such as lean digital methodology which plays a vital role in speeding up the development of digital products. 

So, let’s understand the concept of lean digital and how the adoption of lean principles can help enterprises in discovering great digital transformations.  

What exactly is lean?

With its roots in Japanese automobile manufacturing, the term lean refers to a set of principles that helps in minimizing waste, and also allows for more productive time. Regardless of its manufacturing pedigree, lean has the ability to work in any process-driven environment despite the industry. 

The end goal of lean is to recognize and change any part of a process that doesn’t really work for the benefit of the business. With such an approach lean is able to provide quicker responses to changing consumer demands and also results in robust and faster production that further leads to increased quality, and lower costs. 

Here is an informative video on lean digital. 

Lean thinking as a means to digital transformation

Do you know that most of the companies which are gaining success in this very new digital economy do have lean principles at the core of their company DNA? 

Lean helps organizations in three crucial areas such as 1) recognizing value for the consumer and the flows of value creation, 2) building a management system in order to assure that they’re offering that value constantly, and 3) consistently finding ways to improve. 

Let me here give you some examples of the big brands that have prioritized the lean concept. So, Google has lean at the core of many of its business procedures. 

Then Starbucks was just so inspired by lean that it had to hire a “vice president of lean thinking” who aimed to create a much more well-organized company with an exceptional coffee-buying experience. 

You can also see how Starbucks adopted the lean methodology in its app that enables consumers to order their drinks without even being physically present at the store, also saving their valuable time, and creating one of the most convenient mobile payment solutions in retail.

Overcoming the challenges of lean digital 

After understanding what is lean digital, and also while transforming to this methodology you will come across various challenges. But with proper planning and understanding of its common pitfalls, these challenges can be overcome. 

1. While executing new technologies, manufacturers mostly get stuck up in a digital program that doesn’t aim at resolving the most urgent business issues but instead explores a technology. And poorly targeted technology processes and project improvements might lead to program fatigue and low returns for a business. So, this can be overcome by conducting a detailed assessment, also ensuring initiatives that are aligned to where there is an opportunity in order to capture the value and develop a rigorous business that can be tracked during execution.  
2. Just remember that before you launch a digital lean effort, you need to recognize the right starting point. It is observed that most companies go for a well-understood plant or line on where exactly to focus. But within that plant or line, they will have to evaluate the people, procedure, and technology readiness in order to select the exact starting point.
3. We all know that people are not comfortable to change. They like sticking to the same old techniques and processes without trying something new. So, engaging the workforce in any digital lean initiative without giving them sufficient time to adapt can be really difficult, including expressing the value of the tool to each and every stakeholder can be very tough. Therefore, the most convenient way to deal with such a situation is to build user personas for every stakeholder that can possibly illustrate how the new tool can simply add value to their regular job.
4. Finally, if you’re wondering that mimicking what other organizations are doing in order to achieve success can be a wrong approach. Rather than that, you can start focusing on your organization’s roadmap and goals. Therefore, applying lean to your digital transformation can prove as an amazing opportunity if you’re clear about your work endeavors.  

Read more on:

• The Pandemic-Driven Digital Transformation
• An extensive overview of a digital platform strategy
• What are the right questions to ask before you start a digital transformation project?
• Effective ways of creating the right digital commerce strategy for your organization
• Delivering the perfect digital commerce experience to your customers

Final thoughts

From this article, you must have understood the importance of lean digital in today’s business. Therefore, we need some leaders who practically have experienced the journey of lean digital transformation and are capable of bringing robust and consistent growth year on year leading to satisfied teams and consumers.