Shingo Principle “Create Value for the Customer”

Continuing my series on expanding and giving real life examples, I’d like to go back to an earlier blog.

So remember, what we learn from the Shingo Model, is that Ideal Results Require Ideal Behaviours.

The Shingo principle “create value for the customer” again sounds obvious and is covered at a high level in Lean Thinking but this principle goes deeper.

“Ultimately, value must be defined through the lens of what a customer wants and is willing to pay for. Organisations that fail to deliver both effectively and efficiently on this most fundamental outcome cannot be sustained over the long-term.” shingo.org

When I parked my car outside of Silverdale Countdown, I noticed freshly painted white and yellow lines.

I also notes some freshly painted weeds that led me to question whether the painter honoured this principle?

I’m guessing the customers are the retailers that pay their rent for use of space and parking and the landlord who is paying to maintain their assets.

Possibly the landlord wants value for the customer and their money, but perhaps has missed a fundamental step.

A good behaviour would be to ensure that the entire Value Stream was aligned, assuring maximum value for the end consumer?

Technically the paint contractor is delivering as promised but you would have thought that they would have flagged the weed issue and maybe even provided a solution prior to the paint job?

In this case the system has broken down, the process was unsuitable and the results were a waste of paint and failure to deliver what the customer wanted.

If an organisation has the behaviour, where time is invested in building close relationships with customers by asking questions, anticipating needs and aligning the value stream to deliver this and continuously improve, this may not have happened.

If each and every participant in delivering this service was aligned with the end goal of customer first principles, perhaps they would take pride in a job well done and hold themselves accountable for any problems and resolve them as a matter of principle.

If anyone would like further information on the Shingo Model for Enterprise Excellence, drop me a line. richard.steel@richardsteel.co.nz