End of Summer, Start of Lean: A Fresh Start for Your Business
As summer 2025 draws to a close, many of us start to think about new beginnings. It's the perfect time to get your business into lean thinking. Just as you might organise your home and prepare for the change of seasons, this period offers an ideal opportunity for a business to reassess, tidy up, and streamline its operations.
The casual pace of summer can often mask inefficiencies. With staff on holiday, projects might slow down, and there's a general tendency to postpone difficult tasks. This creates a hidden backlog of "waste"—from unused inventory and delayed decisions to cluttered workspaces and convoluted processes. As the end of summer approaches and business picks up, this waste can lead to bottlenecks, frustration, and lost productivity.
A lean approach offers a fresh start. You can begin with a simple check list to get more organised in a physical workspace or introduce a team tidy day. If your business has lots of equipment, sort through and categorise. This visible change can build momentum for more significant improvements.
You might consider as a next step, mapping a key process, such as order fulfilment or customer service. By visually charting every step, you'll uncover unnecessary delays, handoffs, and rework that can be eliminated. Think of it as a form of spring cleaning for your business processes.
Of course these tasks are simply the beginning of what could be a period of transformation for your business. At Pembroke Alliance, we encourage you to take action on making improvements to your business that last. In implementing these basic lean principles, you're not just tidying up; you're creating opportunity for business improvement and change. Get in touch if you are keen for your business to grow, whilst becoming more agile, responsive, and productive.
Why the Next Quarter is Crucial for Your Lean Transformation
The start of a new business quarter is a powerful moment. It's a natural checkpoint for goals, a time for performance reviews, and an opportunity to reset and refocus. For businesses committed to a lean transformation, this moment is not just about reporting on past results; it's about making a deliberate, strategic push to make the next quarter truly matter.
A common pitfall in lean journeys is a loss of momentum. An initial pilot project might show promising results, but the enthusiasm wanes as daily demands take over. The new quarter provides a chance to re-energise the entire organisation.
We recommend you use this time to reflect on what worked and what didn't in the previous quarter. Was there a specific bottleneck? Did a lack of clear communication cause delays? Use the start of the quarter to conduct a "retrospective," involving key team members to openly discuss these issues.
Next, set clear, measurable goals for the quarter that are directly tied to lean principles. Instead of a vague goal like "improve efficiency," aim for something specific like "reduce order processing time by 15%." This gives you team a tangible target to work toward and makes the results of their efforts visible.
Finally, empower your teams to take ownership of these goals. Provide them with the time and resources to implement a Kaizen event, focusing on a specific, high-impact problem. When teams are trusted to find and fix problems, they become more engaged and motivated.
Pembroke Alliance are working alongside several businesses to support their lean journey. We know that by using the momentum of the new quarter to set focused, measurable, and team-driven lean goals, you can create a drive on positive and productive culture in your business. Get in touch to book a free consultation today with one of our LEAN Experts.
The Decisive Factor: Why Lean Thrives in Some Businesses and Fails in Others
Lean manufacturing isn't a silver bullet. While countless success stories highlight its transformative power, just as many companies have seen their lean initiatives fizzle out. The difference between success and failure often comes down to a single, critical factor: the mindset of the organisation.
Businesses that fail at lean often treat it as a project. They might hire a consultant to teach them lean, implement the tools, and then move on. They view lean as a checklist to be completed rather than a fundamental shift in how they operate. When the tools don't produce immediate, magical results, the program is deemed a failure, and the company reverts to its old, comfortable habits.
Successful lean companies, by contrast, treat lean as a culture. For them, lean is a journey of continuous improvement, where everyone is a problem-solver. The tools are simply the means to an end. This culture is driven by strong leadership that is visibly and consistently committed to lean principles. They don't just talk about it; they walk the talk. They remove barriers for their teams, celebrate small wins, and create an environment where identifying waste is encouraged, not punished.
The decisive factor, therefore, is not the type of industry, the size of the business, or the specific tools used. It's whether your business as a whole—led from the top—embraces the core lean principles of continuous improvement and respect for people. When a business understands that lean is about empowering its people to relentlessly eliminate waste, success is not just possible—it's inevitable.