Bringing lean to the office

Do more with less. That seems to be the mantra for survival in these challenging economic times. Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education (CCE) is offering a Lunch & Learn event focused on doing exactly that. To be held Thursday April 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the topic is “Going Lean: Doing More with Less.”

“Lean is usually associated with manufacturing,” said Tara Cox, Clark College marketing and communications manager. “Many businesses don’t realize lean concepts can apply to other environments, such as healthcare, education, and accounting – there’s no organization that can’t benefit from lean.”

The guest speaker for the event is subject matter expert Carlos Venegas, who has led successful lean office implementations in a wide range of organizations, including the EPA, King County, Yamaha, the Franciscan Health System and Seattle Goodwill. Venegas is the author of “Flow in the Office: Implementing and Sustaining Lean Improvements.” He is a certified lean consultant and holds a master’s degree in applied behavioral science.

Cox said CCE has seen increasing interest in lean concepts, as businesses struggle to become more efficient. She said that since June 2010, CCE has held 30 lean programs with a total of 605 participants from 16 companies. Many of these programs are onsite three- to five-day training programs; others were consortiums held at the college.

During these more intensive training sessions, businesses learn how to reduce waste, reduce customer response time, and increase the quality of a particular deliverable – the “thing being processed” – which is not necessarily a physical inventory item. For example, in the office environment, it could be a flow of information.

Geared to business leaders, managers and high performers, the Lunch & Learn event costs only $10 and includes a box lunch. Those interested in learning more about lean office can register for a full-day course on building lean office tools, which will include a realistic lean office simulation. The full-day course is scheduled for May 17, 2012. For the week following the Lunch & Learn, registration for the full-day course is $349, but increases to $399 after that, and attendance is limited.

For more information or to register for the Lunch & Learn and/or the full-day course, call 360.992.2939, or visit https://cce.clark.edu/corporate-education/.