Lean: Excellence in
Government
Improving Environmental Agency Processes
with Lean and Six Sigma
Over the past few years EPA and state environmental agencies have experimented with an exciting new approach
to improve government processes. More than 20 States and many federal agencies are using Lean and Six Sigma
to achieve dramatic results. EPA, in partnership with EGOS, is working to expand the use of this continuous im-
provement approach.
Lean in Government
• Using Lean, environmental agencies have improved
quality, cost effectiveness, service delivery and respon-
siveness to the public, without compromising environ-
mental protection.
• Lean is a collection of principles, methods, and tools
that improve the speed and efficiency of any process
by eliminating waste.
• Although Lean originated in manufacturing opera-
tions, the tools have been successfully applied in or-
ganizations across all sectors, including the govern-
ment.
• Lean methods are highly adaptable and could be used
in a myriad of processes ranging from rulemaking to
processing of grants and contracts.
How Lean Achieves Results
Lean techniques such as value steam mapping and kai-
zen rapid improvement events identify and eliminate
unnecessary and non-value added process steps and ac-
tivities that have built up over time. Lean efforts are not
just about fixing broken processes. State agencies have
found that these methods enable them to understand
how their processes work on the ground and to build a
culture of continuous improvement.
By getting process activities and procedures to function
smoothly and consistently, agencies free staff time to
focus on higher value activities more directly linked to
environmental protection. While successfully imple-
menting Lean requires hard work and commitment, the
results can be impressive.
Benefits of Using Lean
•S Achieves environmental results
•/ Ensures better customer service
•S Reduces process complexity
•/ Enhances process speed
•S Produces quality products and services
•/ Improves staff morale
Results
• EPA's Office of Water, EPA Region 7 and 4 States
(Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska) are using Lean
to significantly improve water quality standard setting
and NPDES processes, achieving dramatic reductions
in review steps.
• Delaware Department of Natural Resources and En-
vironmental Control Methods (DNREC) used value
stream mapping to improve air permitting, by devel-
oping new permit applications, installing visual permit
tracking boards, and implementing a "First In, First
Out" system. As a result, DNREC has reduced their
permitting backlog from 199 to 59 minor permits in
three months, and to 25 in one year.
• Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IA DNR) has
conducted over 30 Lean kaizen rapid improvement
events. Results include decreasing lead times on un-
derground storage tank correction action decisions
from 38 months to 3 months and reducing the average
time to issue standard air construction permits from 62
to 6 days.
For More Information:
www.epa.gov/lean/admin.htm
www.ecos.org/section/projects/?id=2292
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Key Lean Tools
• Value Stream Mapping (VSM) - Value stream
mapping refers to the activity of developing a
high-level visual representation of the process
flow involved in delivering a product or service (a
"value stream") to customers. VSM events focus
on identifying sources of non-value added activity
(waste) and prioritizing future improvement ac-
tivities.
• Kaizen Events - Kaizen means "to change for the
good of all" Kaizen activity is often focused in
rapid process improvement events (kaizen
events) that bring together a cross-functional
team for 2-5 days to study a specific process and
immediately implement process changes.
• Six Sigma - Lean is often combined with Six
Sigma, a process improvement methodology that
uses statistical tools to improve quality, reduce
defects, and eliminate variation.
What Lean is Not
• Lean is not about compromising environmental
protection, loosening environmental regulations,
or foregoing an agency's commitment to environ-
mental protection. Lean seeks to correct ineffi-
ciencies in administrative processes and work-
flow, enhancing an agency's ability to protect the
environment.
• Lean is not about cutting jobs. Lean retains the
current staff, but may rearrange or assign new
duties to those staff. It is not a test for job per-
formance; rather it seeks to improve the entire
agency's performance. Lean often improves staff
morale, as employees have a hand in designing
work processes that enable success.
• Lean is notjust another "flavor of the month."
Lean methods have been proven effective many
times over and in a multitude of settings making
it different from past management trends, such
as TQM. Unlike past trends that focused on qual-
ity only, Lean addresses quality, cost and deliv-
ery. Lean's focus on rapid implementation brings
real improvement and compelling results fast,
sparking momentum for further improvement.
Types of Administrative Waste
NCEI^
Waste
Inventory
Defects
Overproduction
Complexity
Waiting
Excess Motion
Moving Items
Example
Backlog of Work,
Excess Materials/Information
Data Errors, Missing Info
Unneeded Reports,
Doing Work Not Requested
Unnecessary Process Steps
Approval Cycles
Trips to Remote Printer
Report Routing
Lean in Government Tools
Lean in Government
Starter Kit
Corking Smart for
Environmental Protection
Contacts:
Jamie Burnett, US EPA
202-566-2205
burnett.jamie@epa.gov
Lee Garrigan, Environmental Council of States
202-624-3502
lgarrigan@sso.org
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Policy,
Economics and Innovation
(1807T)
September 2008
EPA-100-F-08-070
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