Heijunka

April 2, 2016 Written by mbayer

Heijunka is the Japanese word for the expression “just in time”. It is not a process but rather a state of mind. It applies to every step in a lean process. Think of heijunka as maintaining a continuous flow. LEAN operates on a principle that an ideal process is one where any input or action is available or done exactly when it’s needed. Every step in the process happens one step after another without delays.

The time between actions is the turnaround time. Turn around can consume vast amounts of time and is non-value-added time for our patients or customers. Applying the principle of heijunka, LEAN processes reduce this time with a goal of eliminating it completely so the patient experiences a continuous flow of service, going directly from one step to the next with no delays.

When we think of heijunka we think in terms of eliminating or reducing turn around time. We can and should apply this to LEAN daily management. When deficiencies occur, we undertake countermeasures to eliminate the deficiencies. This may be in the form of an countermeasure or a rapid cycle improvement project (or kaizen event). Applying the principles of heijunka, the countermeasure should be started immediately. It should be tracked on the gemba board as part of the daily gemba walk until it is eliminated. If the project has a larger scope, a team should be formed as soon as possible. The team should use an A3 to track the project. The A3 should be a part of the daily gemba walk until it is completed.

Heijunka is a principle that should be applied to all aspects of the LEAN journey

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