How do you make sure you truly understand a process before trying to improve it? For Omar, the answer is simple: ask questions. Do not assume you know why something happens in a certain way but keep asking questions.
Omar has been part of the Venturn Young Professionals programme since June. He grew up in Milan, studied Statistics and Economics, and came to the Netherlands five years ago to pursue a Master’s degree in Econometrics. He then worked for several years as a data analyst at Nielsen.
With his analytical background, Omar values structure and getting to the bottom of complex issues. During the Lean training, he discovered that many Lean principles align well with this way of thinking. At the same time, the training highlighted an important point for him: make fewer assumptions and ask more questions.
What does the customer really want?
Beforehand, Omar was mainly familiar with the basic principles of Lean. He knew that the methodology is used within project management and was particularly looking forward to exploring it in more depth during the training sessions.
“I am a curious person, so I always enjoy learning something new. I was looking forward to taking my first steps. How do you approach process improvement? What kind of tools am I going to learn?”
Over the course of four training sessions, he was introduced to the principles and various tools of Lean. For Omar, Lean is mainly about delivering value to the customer while reducing waste and variation in processes as much as possible.
It all starts with one important step: not deciding for yourself what a customer needs.
“What is central to Lean is: do not make assumptions about what you think your customer wants, but ask questions first. Customers often find several things important: quality, speed, costs, freedom of choice. You can never know from the outside what really matters most, and where they might be willing to compromise. You simply have to ask questions.”
From gnome hats to a better process
Alongside the theory, there was plenty of opportunity to practise during the training. One exercise that stayed with Omar was the gnome hat game. The trainees were divided into two teams and were given the task of producing gnome hats together.
“We were gnomes and we had to make or cut out hats. And you think: this is a game, we are adults, come on, what are we doing here?”
During the first attempt, the process did not exactly run smoothly. The target times were not met, and the quality could also have been better. At the end of the training series, the trainees were given the same challenge again, but this time using the Lean principles they had learned.
“And by the end of the fourth training session, we were so much faster. After focussing so much on asking questions, what is important to the customer and how you can use resources more efficiently, we were able to do the same game with fewer people and with a better outcome.”
For Omar, an exercise like this made it clear that Lean is not just about theory and models. By organising a process differently, you can immediately see what the effect can be.
Confidence in his own way of thinking
Omar noticed that Lean fits quite well with the way he approaches challenges himself.
“My way of thinking is structured. When I look at a new process, I am already thinking: which factors influence the end result?”
The training therefore did not give him a completely new way of thinking, but mainly provided confirmation.
“What was useful was getting more confirmation that my way of thinking is right. You learn new terminology and you learn about the history of Lean. Then you think: okay, so what I already know is not just a feeling. It is something that has been properly tested and works. That gave me more confidence.”
At the same time, Omar also discovered something he wants to be more conscious of: not jumping into conclusions too quickly.
Keep asking why
One of the Lean principles Omar therefore wants to take with him into his first assignment is the 5 Whys. By asking the why question several times, you gain a clearer picture of the problem than you initially had.
“It does not have to be five times. But always ask questions. After an answer, you should actually have more questions. That is a good first step.”
He also believes it is important not only to look at processes and figures, but above all to listen to the people who work with those processes every day.
“When I get an assignment, I will go to the people working on the quay. Because they know better than the people in the management team what the real challenges really are every day and, above all, where the bottlenecks lie.”
Quality before timeliness
If Omar has to summarise the most important lesson from the Lean training in one sentence, he chooses: “Quality before timeliness.”
“There is a lot of focus on doing everything on time. But you also have to get it right the first time, even if that takes a little more time. Otherwise, you ultimately lose even more time.”
For Omar, the Lean training is therefore one of the first building blocks within his two-year traineeship. It gave him new tools, but also more confidence in his own way of thinking.
“During a training session like this, you take a few steps back and learn something that is generally applicable. Lean isn’t just for the maritime sector. You can actually use it anywhere.”
About Venturn Young Professionals
During the two-year Venturn Young Professionals traineeship, young professionals combine challenging assignments with an extensive development programme. Through training courses such as Lean, personal guidance and coaching, they build their professional skills and are given the space to continue developing themselves.
