Course details
Continuous Improvement and Lean Management
OPER 60521A
This course enables students to acquire concepts, tools, and practices for process and performance improvement, and to apply them within the context of an improvement initiative or a Lean management system.
This course offers an immersion in the practice of continuous improvement, with a strong emphasis on learning by doing.
Lean principles and the Toyota Way serve as guiding threads to understand the logic underpinning the tools, approaches, and behaviors of continuous improvement.
Students will discover the key steps of an improvement journey inspired by the Toyota Kata-identifying a challenge, grasping the current condition, defining a target condition, and experimenting iteratively to overcome obstacles-while also exploring the human, organizational, and strategic factors that shape its success.
They will gain hands-on experience with a variety of improvements and problem-solving tools, learn how to select the most appropriate ones for different contexts, and practice kata routines to develop their scientific thinking and coaching skills.
The course is designed to equip them to integrate improvement practices into their daily work, actively contribute to transformation projects, and assume a role as catalysts of change within their organizations, whether or not they formally hold responsibility for continuous improvement.
Lean principles and the Toyota Way serve as guiding threads to understand the logic underpinning the tools, approaches, and behaviors of continuous improvement.
Students will discover the key steps of an improvement journey inspired by the Toyota Kata-identifying a challenge, grasping the current condition, defining a target condition, and experimenting iteratively to overcome obstacles-while also exploring the human, organizational, and strategic factors that shape its success.
They will gain hands-on experience with a variety of improvements and problem-solving tools, learn how to select the most appropriate ones for different contexts, and practice kata routines to develop their scientific thinking and coaching skills.
The course is designed to equip them to integrate improvement practices into their daily work, actively contribute to transformation projects, and assume a role as catalysts of change within their organizations, whether or not they formally hold responsibility for continuous improvement.
Themes covered
Foundations of Lean and Continuous Improvement
Introduction to Problem-Solving Approaches: PDCA A3 and Six Sigma
Governance and Management of Improvement Initiatives
Improvement Kata Coaching Kata and Scientific Thinking
Continuous Improvement Tools (process mapping 5S poka-yoke jidoka SMED etc.)
Lean Leadership
Strategy Deployment and Hoshin Kanri
Daily Management Systems and Strategic Alignment
Organizational Culture and the Learning Organization
AI and Continuous Improvement
Important notes
Course in French: OPER 60521
Course code
OPER 60521A
Subject
Operations and logistics
Program
Master of Science (MSc)
Location
Côte-des-Neiges
Instruction mode
On-site learning
Credits
3