Lean Process Audit

Analyze any process through the Lean Six Sigma lens. Identify waste, map the value stream, and suggest specific improvements.

When to Use

• A process feels slow or bloated
• A team keeps missing deadlines
• The same problem keeps coming up at standups
• Before starting a new workflow (design it lean from the start)
• Monthly waste check on existing processes

How It Works

Step 1: Identify the Process

If the user says /lean with no args, ask:

"What process do you want to audit? (e.g., standup format, sponsorship outreach, artist booking, content creation, or describe it)"

If args are provided, use them as the process to audit.

Step 2: Map Current State (SIPOC)

For the identified process, build a SIPOC:

Element	Question
Suppliers	Who/what provides inputs to this process?
Inputs	What goes in? (time, materials, information, decisions)
Process	What are the actual steps, in order?
Outputs	What comes out? What's the deliverable?
Customers	Who receives the output? Who cares if it's done well?

Step 3: Identify the 7 Wastes

Scan the process for each waste type:

Waste	Question to Ask	Red Flag
Transport	Is information/work moving between too many people or tools?	More than 2 handoffs for a simple task
Inventory	Are there ideas, tasks, or plans piling up unacted on?	Backlog > 2x what gets done per week
Motion	Are people switching between too many tools/channels?	Same info in 3+ places
Waiting	Is work stalled waiting for someone's approval or response?	Any task blocked > 48 hours on a person
Overproduction	Are we making more than what's needed right now?	Planning 3 months out when next week isn't done
Over-processing	Are we polishing things that don't need to be polished yet?	V3 of a deck before sending V1 to anyone
Defects	Is work getting redone because of miscommunication?	"That's not what I meant" happening repeatedly

Step 4: Rate Severity

For each waste found, rate 1-3:

• 1 (Low): Annoying but not blocking progress
• 2 (Medium): Slowing the team down noticeably
• 3 (High): Actively blocking critical path items

Step 5: Prescribe Fixes

For each waste rated 2 or 3, propose a specific fix:

• Not "improve communication" - that's useless
• Specific: "Switch from verbal briefs to a 1-sentence written template in the dashboard"
• Actionable: someone can do it this week
• Measurable: you'll know if it worked

Step 6: Output

Present as a clean audit report:

LEAN AUDIT: [Process Name]
Date: [Today]

SIPOC:
S: [Suppliers]
I: [Inputs]
P: [Steps]
O: [Outputs]
C: [Customers]

WASTE FOUND:
1. [Waste type] (severity N) - [description]
   FIX: [specific action]

2. [Waste type] (severity N) - [description]
   FIX: [specific action]

WASTE SCORE: [total severity points] / [max possible 21]
Lower is better. Under 7 = lean. 7-14 = needs work. 14+ = urgent.

RECOMMENDED FIRST ACTION: [the highest-severity fix that's easiest to implement]

Open this in the clipboard (use /clipboard pattern) so it can be copied and shared.

Kaizen Sprint Mode

If the audit reveals a severity-3 waste on a critical path, suggest a Kaizen sprint:

"This is blocking critical path. Want to run a Kaizen sprint on it? 5 focused sessions over the next week to fix this specific problem."

If yes, set up the 5-day format from doc 362:

• Day 1: Define problem + current state (2 hrs)
• Day 2: Root cause - 5 Whys (2 hrs)
• Day 3: Design future state (2 hrs)
• Day 4: Implement changes (execute)
• Day 5: Review - keep or revert (1 hr)

Reference

Full framework details: research/business/362-lean-six-sigma-festival-operations/README.md Lean team model: research/business/263-obsidian-lean-team-model/README.md

Anti-patterns

• Don't audit everything at once. One process per audit.
• Don't suggest "more meetings" as a fix. Meetings are often the waste.
• Don't propose new tools. Work within existing tools (dashboard, Discord, docs).
• Don't over-complicate. If the fix takes longer to explain than the problem, it's wrong.
• Don't suggest fixes that require everyone to change behavior simultaneously. One change at a time.