Lean Healthcare can increase patient safety, patient and staff satisfaction, and profitability through efficiencies and new strategic options. It can also help you gain the ability to do more (much more) with the same or less resources.

Yet, most hospitals’ Lean efforts are short-lived, ineffective, and result in an 80-90% failure rate. This failure rate is predictable because Lean is so commonly misunderstood and misapplied. But it’s also avoidable. An accurate understanding of why Lean fails sets the stage for understanding why it doesn’t have to.

In this book, Terry provides a step-by-step, start to sustainment approach for how to avoid failure and how to lead a successful Lean transformation. It’s written in a style that is easy to understand and written specifically to and for busy hospital leaders.

Terry has included multiple tools that will increase your likelihood of success, speed of implementation and your ability to sustain improvements. He’s provided a template for a Lean Policy Structure, an A3, a 5S Checklist and 5S Board, a Lean Improvement Board, and a Standard Work Worksheet. In all, you will benefit from 60+ tables, illustrations and other ready-to-use tools with instructions for each.

If you’re ready to lead a Lean transformation, or simply want to make measurable improvements to critical processes, this book is an outstanding resource. Don’t put it off any longer—start now with new insights and a new or renewed commitment to making Lean work in your hospital!

Terry Norris, MBA, is a Lean Certified Master Black Belt, author, speaker, and fulltime Lean consultant. He has trained over 1,800 hospital leaders, in 150+ hospitals on Lean concepts, principles, and specifically on how to lead a Lean transformation.

As a consultant he’s helped multiple hospitals develop a Lean strategic implementation plan. He’s led dozens of frontline rapid improvement events in all major hospital departments—saving millions of dollars through efficiencies and significantly increasing revenue through new strategic options.

Terry’s Lean experience is diverse and extensive. He’s provided Lean consulting services for the federal government, the military and multiple industries. Some of those industries include manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, airlines, construction, public utilities, professional services and cellular services.

Terry served in the United States Air Force (USAF) for 25 years. In his last role he was the Lean leader for a complex organization with 5,500 people, at five locations in four European countries. Terry established the organization’s Lean structure and developed a strategic and tactical plan that delivered 55 major improvement projects, saving millions of dollars through direct savings and cost avoidance.

Terry has also taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Lean Deployment, Strategic Management, Leadership, Operations Management, and Project Management for 18 years.

An interesting fact about Terry is that he was promoted to the Air Force’s top 1% and became one of the youngest Chief Master Sergeants in the USAF’s history.

Terry resides in East Tennessee and enjoys spending time with his wife and children.