LEAN START
The Lean Start is 80% funded by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.
Lean Start Overview
The Lean Start program gives companies a chance to explore Lean thinking with the guidance of a Lean consultant.
Through a short-term engagement, you’ll work together on an internal Lean project. This small-scale project highlights the benefits of partnering with an independent consultant. It offers a preview of what a full Lean Plus program could achieve.
Companies that complete the Lean Start are encouraged to continue with Lean Plus. The Lean Start provides time to prepare a detailed application.
This prepares you for the Lean Plus or Lean Transform programs.
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Lean Start Project Examples
The improvement project chosen for the Lean Start will focus on key pain points within the organisation and include only the key personnel from the area. The Lean Start should be completed in 7-9 weeks.
The Lean Start costs €6300 and is funded by €5,000 by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.
SMED
During a Lean start programme, an SMED project helps your business to achieve operational success and growth by streamlining changeover activities. The method involves clear steps to separate and convert internal setup tasks into external ones, reducing downtime to a minimal version—ideally under ten minutes. This rapid development capability increases productivity, enabling the quick change between different products or service offerings to meet customer demand. By eliminating waste and optimising resources, SMED, a key learning from Eric Ries and the agile movement, allows startups and established industry firms to launch new products faster, improve sales, and demonstrate commitment to continuous improvement and innovation across all sectors.
Process Mapping
During a Lean start programme, process mapping assists your startup or established business by providing the essential steps to visualise the current service or product development flow. This enables businesses to swiftly pinpoint problems, challenges and waste, greatly accelerating the learning and growth cycle. By clearly defining the current business model and focusing on customer feedback, teams can rapidly validate their core idea, plan quick improvements, and pivot or iterate the minimal version. It ensures optimal use of limited resources and leads directly to robust product-market fit and scalable success. This critical activity, rooted in the teachings of Eric Ries and Steve Blank, enhances productivity and effectively informs your launch strategy and subsequent sales activities.
Visual Management
During a Lean start programme, Visual Management helps your business achieve operational success and accelerate growth by making the status of all key activities and development transparent. The project involves using visual tools like dashboards, charts, and information boards to give all employees and stakeholders instant access to performance data, problem alerts, and current priorities. This visible system simplifies learning and communication, ensuring that everyone across different sectors is aligned with the product and sales targets. By visually flagging problems as they occur and making the flow of service or product development clear, this system enhances productivity, supports the rapid launch of new products, and is a core part of the agile and continuous improvement culture for all firms and startups.
6S
During a Lean start programme, a 6S project helps your business build the infrastructure for continuous improvement and lasting success. By implementing the six core steps (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain, and Safety), firms and startups can eliminate clutter, organise workspaces, and standardise procedures. This foundation significantly boosts productivity by reducing search time, increasing employee efficiency, and creating a safer environment. The organised development space improves team learning and reduces problems, which is critical for agile iteration and the speedy launch of new products and services. The resulting clarity in the workplace supports better sales operations and ensures the optimal use of all resources across different sectors, becoming a visible aspect of the improved business model.
LEAN Audit
During a Lean start programme, a Lean Audit helps your business to sustain improvement and secure long-term success. The project provides a systematic set of steps to measure the compliance and effectiveness of implemented Lean tools (like 6S or Visual Management) across different sectors. The audit acts as a crucial feedback mechanism, identifying where problems (waste) have returned and ensuring that standardised activities are being followed by employees. This regular check validates the true efficiency of the service or product development process, verifies the current business model, and ensures that valuable resources are being used optimally. By driving disciplined learning and pinpointing where to focus development and improvement, the audit reinforces a culture of continuous growth vital for all firms and startups post-launch and helps maintain efficient sales and productivity.
