How Lean principles can be applied to the development process of educational programs?

This document outlines the scope of the proposal which will investigate the application of Lean production theory to service-based industries such as educational bodies with the view of eliminating waste i.e. eliminating redundant processes, waiting times, rework, etc whilst increasing the efficiency of the new programme development processes (e.g. MSc programmes). Lean is an approach to managing business processes, such as production processes, based on the overall objective of increasing value through waste reduction. Lean principles have been successfully applied within Toyota’s development and production processes since the 1950s. The benefits derived from the application of these principles have been investigated by academia and practitioners. It has been proven from time to time that the application of Lean principles significantly impacts on the quality of the outcome. Due to its successful results, the knowledge gathered is gradually being applied in many different industries and processes, such as construction, healthcare and education. The name LEAN, in this proposal, is an acronym for Lean Educational and Academic Nucleus. It is envisaged that the proposed 'nucleus' will be instrumental in promoting efficiency and improving management of new programme development processes by providing informed guidance on the 'know-how, -why, -when and -who', thus equipping the programme development team with the correct ammunition to seamlessly manage the development processes. Thus, it is envisioned that this novel application of Lean principles to the module development programme and the guidance notes thus developed will benefit both, staff and students alike