The consistent implementation of lean management principles has now proven to be best practice for successful digitization. The following features contribute to the success of digitization:
1. Customer orientation: Every lean implementation begins with the consistent clarification of customer needs in order to avoid any waste in the form of services that are not requested. Since digitization is primarily about how services can be created more efficiently, it is important to clarify the order in advance in order to avoid processes being digitized for which there are no customers.
2. Orientation on the value stream: In lean management, all services and processes are recorded using the value stream analysis in the way they are actually lived. For this purpose, the employees who actually handle the processes are involved.
3. Value stream design: With the value stream design, the processes included are systematically improved and waste is eliminated. This creates an optimal process as the basis for shifting services to IT systems.
4. Zero errors and quality: The optimized process is continuously improved and errors are reduced. This creates digital processes of high quality.
5. Interface analysis: With the value stream analysis, processes are analyzed and improved across functions. This creates a holistic view of the existing interfaces. This avoids that sub-processes are digitized, but the interfaces are not sufficiently considered.
6. Employee involvement: The employees analyze and improve their own processes. The acceptance of these processes is correspondingly high. It can be expected that after digitization, the processes will be lived by the employees, the best prerequisite for a successful change process.
In many companies it can be observed that although sub-processes have been successfully digitized, the synchronization of these sub-processes still leaves a lot to be desired. This eliminates possible savings effects of partial digitization, which can be prevented by systematically applying the lean principles.