Following are some participants comments on Building the Perfect Value Stream Workshop held in Denver, Colorado on November 29, 2006.

Did you gain techniques and skills that will help you to be more effective back on the job?

Yes, especially Phase III Lean Process Design. This was a clear sequence of steps to apply lean.
Yes, Standard Work and calculating takt time will enable me to balance my lines easier.
Concrete examples and experienced insight was excellent.
Yes, specifically in the organization of the Lean Roadmap, and an ability to back up the recommendations with data. 

What was most beneficial to you?

Feedback for current activities and a well defined model to implement lean manufacturing.
Found new ideas and options for implementation.
Work flow calculating (I'm still digesting it!) and Kanban principles.
Line design and CPI examples were excellent.
The calculations and the thought of the changeover matrix. 

Please give constructive feedback regarding the instructor's major strengths.

Domain of concepts, experience and a great sense of humor.
Good experience on different cases...a very good team.
Very knowledeable and vast experience.
Good volume, details and excellent insights.
Very good in weaving real world experiences into the lectures. Some of them apply directly to the problems that I currently have.
You guys are passionate about lean, and it really shows!

Course Description

Building the Perfect Value Stream is a three-day lean learning experience designed for your Implementation Team. This workshop follows author’s Lean Roadmap implementation methodology. The Lean Roadmap tools have been proven effective over hundreds of implementation world-wide.

Course Objectives

Attendees will finish the workshop with a clear understanding of the steps to follow in a successful lean transformation. The knowledge acquired by the team members will include:

• Developing a process-focused mindset.
• “Selling” Lean Manufacturing to other employees in the company.
• Methodically gathering the necessary data to design linked and balanced processes.
• Documenting and creating the foundation for Standard Work practices.
• Creating a high-performing line design.
• Reporting on the team’s progress.
• Methodically gathering the necessary data to design a kanban-based materials replenishment system to support the new line.
• Developing and documenting policies and procedures for a kanban-based materials replenishment system.
• Developing a deployment plan to bring live the new line and kanban.
• Tracking the line’s success with relevant metrics.

Who should attend?

All the employees expected to participate in the design, management, and support of the new line design. These typically include:

• Process Engineers
• Manufacturing Engineers
• Design Engineers
• Purchasing managers
• Operations managers
• Line Supervisors
• Selected Operators
• Union Leaders