Lean government refers to the application of Lean Manufacturing (also known as "Lean") principles and methods to both identify and then implement the most efficient, value added way to provide government services. Government agencies have found that when Lean is implemented, they see an improved understanding of how their own processes work, that it facilitates the quick identification and implementation of improvements and that it builds a culture of continuous improvement. Lean for government focuses on governing and serving citizens with respect and continuously improving service delivery by cutting out "waste" and "inefficiency" in processes; this in turn will result in better services overall, engaged civil servants as well as more value for tax-supported programs and services. Generally, proponents also see a lean government as a mean to expand the capacity of government to provide more services per unit of investment.

Common methods and approaches

Many lean manufacturing methods have been successfully adapted to identify non-value added activities (waste) in administrative, transactional, and office processes that are common in government agencies. Common Lean methods include: As more and more government services are delivered electronically, Lean government initiatives are commonly applications of Lean IT. Lean government approaches typically have the following characteristics: Lean government does not necessarily promote low taxes, only efficient use of those taxes levied. Tax policy is discerned by the legislative and executive branches of government with oversight of the judicial branch of government. Lean government is implemented by the administrative function of government through executive order, legislative mandate, or departmental administrative decisions. Lean government can be applied in legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.

Types of waste

Several types of non-value added activity, or waste (muda in Japanese), are common in government administrative and service processes. Lean methods focus on identifying and eliminating these wastes. The list below identifies common administrative process wastes.

The 8 Wastes of the Administrative Process with Examples

The 8 wastes spell the acronym: D-O-W-N-T-I-M-E. Wastes in administrative and service processes can relate to:

Lean government activity

Numerous government agencies, such as the Lean House, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the States of Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Washington, are using Lean to improve the quality, transparency and speed of government processes. As in the manufacturing and service sectors, some government agencies are implementing Lean methods in conjunction with Six Sigma process improvement approaches. A source that lists all current vetted Lean Government initiatives at the Federal, State, City, County, and K-12 school levels is the Lean Government Center (since 2008): http://leangovcenter.com/govweb.htm U.S. federal government Some examples of federal government organizations with active Lean Government initiatives include: U.S. state government Some examples of state government organizations with active Lean Government initiatives include: A source that lists all current vetted Lean Government initiatives at the Federal, State, City, County, and K-12 school levels is the Lean Government Center (since 2008): http://leangovcenter.com/govweb.htm The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, works to support and coordinate information sharing among U.S. States implementing Lean Government approaches in public environmental agencies. U.S. local government Some examples of municipalities where lean government practices have been implemented include: A source that lists all current vetted Lean Government initiatives at the Federal, State, City, County, and K-12 school levels is the Lean Government Center. The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) supports a program to assist local government organizations to improve government processes using Lean. Canada - Saskatchewan Provincial Government