My 1st Lean Project

The 1st Value Stream Mapping I facilitated with emotional mapping of patient's experience depicted too

In 2014, it was a great opportunity to apply lean concepts and tools in the hospital I worked in. One of the unique services the hospital offers is the manufacturing of prosthesis and orthosis (P&O) to patients who either need artificial limbs, or those who need some kind of orthopedic support for various conditions.
The P&O center just started to expand and fine tune its operations to meet the huge demand in the population as one of if not the most advanced center in the region. To deal with patient expectations and streamline the processes, lean was a good option to start with. Manufacturing in a hospital, what greatest fit for lean one could dream of?
The leaders in P&O and other departments within the value stream were very receptive to the idea, and that what encouraged me to facilitate a lean project for the first time.So, sort of testing the water, we decided to experiment with 5S to organize the fabrication workshop before moving to a new building, and that was a great eye opener for all. The amount of clutter and wasted space and time was huge due to disorganization of the workplace, and the P&O leaders pushed hard to rectify that.
The project started with a 3-day VSM activitiy,with participation of all department leaders who were involved at some points in the delivery this service to our patients, which was also a huge opportunity to look at departmental silos in a new way, and work towards patient service as one team. This was followed by a transformation plan over 7 months.
Being the first project, we lacked a lot of experience, so learning from lean experts like Karen Martin was a necessary step. Her books, webinars and personal advise made the learning curve much smoother, for me personally, and for the project.
During and after the project, we saw improvements in some metrics, although some areas are still challenging either because of resources, external factors, and sometimes because of sticking to the old ways of doing business, a cultural barrier.
Overall, the project was a success at many levels, at least in terms of changing  mindsets, behaviors, and in involving all staff in improvement efforts.
This was published as a case study by INSEAD, and accepted in the poster competition during the IHI Middle East Forum 2015 in Doha.You may visit Lean P&O to view the poster.
Some Lean experts may rightfully say that this doesn't represent a complete lean transformation, but I do believe it was a great step forward to introduce various Lean and Kaizen concepts, tools and techniques to the staff and to the organization.

What about you , do you remember your first lean project? what learning can you share with us?