When practicing the idea of “lean” in services, it is important to create a flow in the process whereby customers receive value. Here, instead of thinking from the provider’s viewpoint, it is necessary to think from the customer’s viewpoint. In Sweden, long wait for healthcare services has been a serious issue, and more and more healthcare provides are adopting the “lean” concept to address it. By improving the flow in the process from admission to an emergency ward until discharge, many hospitals have reduced waiting times in their emergency wards and increased the total number of patients treated. There is even a report that implementing “lean” in the regular breast cancer screening process from the first visit to a doctor until the receipt of a diagnosis was reduced from 42 days to two hours: the process became five times more efficient.

Creating a flow of value involves changing our basic way of working. In particular, emphasis needs to be put on ensuring quality. Through visualizing information regarding the current status of processes, problem solving as a team is facilitated. With the goal of perfecting quality, improvement activities are conducted on a daily basis. Nowadays, in Swedish workplaces, it is not uncommon to see workers at various levels engaged in improvement meetings in front of a whiteboard. It should be noted that such a systematic way of working boosts worker morale too. It can prevent confusion and redundant repetition of tasks and thereby make workers feel that they are doing something that really adds value. Also, close teamwork with others leads to a sense of solidarity. Above all, the idea of continuously pursuing a better flow gives a sense of challenge. In essence, people development is at the heart of “lean.”