Lean Foundations
Start improving today with a practical, people-focused introduction to Lean.
Lean provides a logical, practical and human approach to improving everyday work. This one-day programme offers an engaging introduction to Lean, focused on practical application and showing how small, well-chosen improvements deliver real results. You will leave energised, able to spot waste, tackle everyday process challenges and apply what you’ve learned straight away.
Introduction
Our Lean Foundations programme provides an accessible introduction to Lean thinking, practices and tools, designed for anyone new to process improvement. It is ideal for process managers, process owners and team members who want to play an active role in improving how work gets done, often alongside Lean Practitioners or Green Belts.
The course works equally well in both transactional and manufacturing environments, requires no prior knowledge, and provides a shared language for improvement. Through practical exercises and real-world examples, delegates gain the confidence and capability to start making a difference immediately.
Participants will be able to:
- Explain what Lean is and how it can be applied in their own environment
- Recognise that improvement can start small and start straight away
- Apply simple Lean approaches to achieve early success and build momentum
- Select, scope and define a suitable problem to solve
- Spot waste and understand value from the customer’s perspective
- Format
- Virtual, In Person
- Duration
- 1 day
- CPD Points
- 8
- Download Course Information
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Why choose this programme?
This course removes the mystique from Lean and shows that meaningful improvement is within everyone’s reach. Delegates gain straightforward, confidence-building approaches they can use immediately, plus an understanding of how everyone can contribute to change. The programme is accredited by the Lean Competency System and can optionally lead to LCS Level 1A certification for those who complete the training and pass the associated knowledge check. It also opens clear progression routes towards Lean Practitioner, Yellow Belt, Green Belt and Change Management programmes. Lean Practioner training carries 8 CPD points.
Delivery Information / Options
This highly engaging inhouse workshop can be delivered virtually or on site. Content can be tailored to your organisation and delivered as a full day or split into two half-day sessions.
Course Details:
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The programme begins with a concise introduction to the origins of Lean and the principles that underpin it. This provides context, builds an understanding of why Lean remains so relevant to improving everyday work, and offers insight into the powerful concepts that sit beneath its practical application.
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We’ll explore together the importance of people in successful improvement. Using the simple relationship E = Q × A, we’ll reveal how the quality of a solution must be matched by acceptance if change is to succeed, reinforcing a practical, people-centred approach rooted in respect for the people involved in the work.
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The programme addresses how to identify and prioritise improvement opportunities, and how to define a clear, focused problem statement to ensure effort is directed where it will have the greatest impact.
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The course is structured around the five principles of Lean: defining value, mapping the value stream, creating flow, establishing pull and pursuing perfection.
As we explore what these mean in practice, we bring them to life by sharing a range of practical tools and techniques. You will learn how to identify value from the customer’s perspective, spot waste using TIM WOODS, create a high-level view of a process using SIPOC, and identify root causes using tools such as Fishbone diagrams.
You will leave with a practical toolkit you can apply immediately to everyday process challenges.
Certification Partners
Open Training
Purchase includes 12 months access to Catalyst’s Business Improvement Zone for materials and slides.
Choose your Start Date:
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Start Tue 15th September 2026 9am – 4pm
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