The interesting thing about continuous improvement is it will work for anyone, anywhere, all the time.  (Caution where and how you apply it, as I will allude to often, use extreme caution is you try to apply lean tools at home.)  One of the lessons I have learned over the past decade is to be open to outside input and always keep filling up your lean tool chest.  Benchmarking is one of the greatest opportunities to keep you apprised of how others solve their problems, often through a unique application of some lean tools. You typically hear how company X is different and “our processes are just unlike everyone else’s”.  If you’re one of these companies, benchmarking may just be what the Dr. ordered as a remedy to fix what is causing pain within your four walls.

I often find myself going into my lean toolbox and pulling out some tool I have applied to a situation in the past.  I will do some further benchmarking research on the tool in order to update or modify the application of this same tool.  You might ask why would you change something that worked for you before?  I gladly do this because every situation is different and the purpose of the tool is to apply it properly for the team, so the team gets a new perspective to a problem.  Trust me; the team will let you know if they have no idea what you are talking about.

I will be the first to admit it, when I tweak a tool I might have to re-run a data collection session.  But I know when I am done the team will have a better understanding of the problem and the overall continuous improvement results will greatly benefit.  The best tool you can have in the toolbox is an open exchange of ideas with others.  By sharing what did and didn’t work you will continue to develop your lean toolbox.  This open dialog will allow you to discover that more times than not others are going through the same sort of challenges as you.  This is true both within your own company as well as throughout the business world with peer companies.

The companies that are making the greatest advances in their lean journey are not following the ‘same ol – same ol’, they continue to improve on the system they’ve established for their lean journey.  I often go back to prior benchmarking partners and discover that something we talked about a few years back is no longer being used by them.  They have adopted something better which everyone loves.  So, have an open mind, try something different, and by all means openly benchmark others.  Apply Gemba, “go and see” what they are doing.  Then find a golden nugget that you can apply to your ‘unique problem’.