Objective:

To apply lean principles to streamline and improve a process within the student's home environment,

focusing on efficiency, waste reduction, and value enhancement.

Description:

Students will select a common household process or routine and apply lean techniques to optimize it$.$ This

project encourages students to observe their everyday environment through a lean lens, identifying

inefficiencies and potential improvements.

Steps:

$1.$ Process Selection:

Choose a routine household process $($e$.$g$.,$ kitchen management, laundry process, study$/$workspace

organization, daily commuting, home cleaning, etc.$)$

$2.$ Current State Mapping:

Document the current state of the chosen process in detail.

Include steps, time taken, resources used, and any observed inefficiencies.

$3.$ Waste Identification:

Identify waste using lean principles $($like overproduction, waiting, unnecessary transport, overprocessing, excess inventory, unnecessary motion, defects, and underutilized skills$).$

$4.$ Root Cause Analysis:

Conduct a root cause analysis $($using the $5$ Whys or Fishbone Diagram$)$ to understand the

underlying reasons for the identified waste.

$5.$ Lean Improvement Proposal:

Develop solutions to eliminate or reduce waste $($such as using $5$S for organization, implementing

pull systems for resource use, or redesigning the process flow$).$

$6.$ Simulation and Testing:

Simulate the proposed lean process in a controlled environment $($e$.$g$.,$ a part of the day or week$).$

Collect data on performance, time, and resource utilization.

$7.$ Analysis and Improvement:

Compare the performance of the new process against the old one.

Identify areas for further improvement and fine$-$tuning