UK Ministry of Justice goes Lean to drive innovation

In the United Kingdom, public spending budgets have declined and organizations are now dealing with a greater number of restrictions. However, according to Public Service, the Ministry of Justice is using Lean practices as a way to drive innovation and arrive at cost-efficient solutions.

“This program provides a set of tools and techniques, supported by an underlying respect for people, which focuses on delivering customer value,” explains Faith Geary, who is in charge of continuous improvement at the MoJ. “With responsibility for driving capability in continuous improvement I have had a prime view of how this solution has developed.”

Because of the implementation of Lean, the MoJ has received commendation from higher up organizations. Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has provided the MoJ with its biggest case study for success to current date. Now, workers at the organization have become committed to the philosophy and are more aware of the Lean mindset.

It's important to realize that Lean can be applied to just about any business – it may have been invented in the manufacturing sector, but it can be just as easily leveraged by everything from government organizations to software companies.