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LeanSuite - Lean Manufacturing Software

Category guide

What is continuous improvement software?

The definition

Continuous improvement software is a system that runs an improvement program in one place: it collects ideas and problems from the floor, runs them through a method such as PDCA, A3 or DMAIC with owners and due dates, and reports the results. In a plant it usually also covers audits, daily issues, skills and KPIs, so improvement work sits next to the daily work that produces it.

See LeanSuite in actionWhy LeanSuite

What it is and what it replaces

Every plant already runs improvement work. It lives in suggestion boxes, spreadsheets, whiteboards, printed A3s and email threads. Continuous improvement software puts that work in one record per improvement, from the first report to the measured result, so nothing depends on one person's file.

  • Suggestion boxes and idea emails.
  • A kaizen tracker in Excel, with a copy on every desk.
  • A3s printed and pinned to a wall.
  • Audit checklists on paper, with findings that stay on the sheet.
  • Whiteboards by the line that are wiped each week.
  • Weekly reports built by copying numbers between files.

It does not replace your ERP, MES or maintenance system. An ERP manages orders, inventory and finance, and an MES manages machines and production. Continuous improvement software manages people and process work: the kaizen events, audits, skills matrices and employee suggestions those systems miss.

What it covers

Tools differ in how much they cover. These are the capabilities to look for, with where to find each one in LeanSuite and our buyer's guide for it.

How an improvement moves through it

  1. 1

    Capture

    Someone on the floor reports an idea or a problem, with a photo, from a phone or a tablet.

  2. 2

    Review

    A reviewer approves, rejects or asks for more, and the person who reported it gets an answer.

  3. 3

    Run it

    The work gets an owner, a method such as PDCA, A3 or DMAIC, and due dates. Overdue work is flagged.

  4. 4

    Check the result

    The result is measured against a baseline, and savings are confirmed before the work closes.

  5. 5

    Standardize and share

    What worked becomes the new standard, and it is copied to the other lines, shifts and sites.

Who uses it

  • Operators and supervisors

    Raise issues, complete checklists and submit ideas on a phone or tablet. In LeanSuite, operators sign in with an employee ID.

    Daily Issue Management

  • CI and lean leaders

    Run the portfolio of projects, set the methods and follow the savings.

    For CI leaders

  • Quality and safety

    Run corrective actions, audits, incidents and near misses with an owner and a due date.

    For quality

  • Engineering and CapEx

    Run engineering and CapEx projects through stage-gates, with an auditable trail.

    For engineering

  • HR and people teams

    Run an idea program with approvals, points and recognition.

    Idea management for HR

  • Industries

    Food and beverage, automotive, appliances and consumer durables, and industrial equipment plants all run this work.

    All industries

For a plant-wide example, read the Whirlpool case study.

How to choose

Ask every vendor the same questions, including us.

  • Which methods does it run?

    Fixed templates, or any method including your own, such as 8D or a company method.

  • Which project types?

    Kaizen events only, or also DMAIC, CAPA, engineering and CapEx projects, and projects outside manufacturing.

  • Can the floor use it?

    A phone app, and sign-in for operators who have no company email.

  • Does it connect to the daily work?

    Can a failed audit question or a daily issue become an improvement project, and can you see who has the skills for it?

  • How are savings confirmed?

    Who verifies them, and can the project close without that check?

  • Does it work across sites?

    Company-level roll-ups, shared templates and one workspace for several plants.

  • How is it priced?

    Per user, per site or by module, what is published, and whether you can test it before you commit.

  • Who sets it up, and how fast?

    The vendor's team or yours, and how long the first module takes to go live.

  • What do security and support look like?

    A SOC 2 report, single sign-on, uptime commitments, support hours and what happens to your data if you leave.

A free scorecard

The CI software evaluation scorecard turns these questions into a weighted score you can compare across tools.

Build, buy or stay on spreadsheets

Three ways to run a continuous improvement program
OptionGood forWatch for
Spreadsheets and paperOne team or area where one person owns the file.Copies that drift apart, actions nobody chases and reports built by hand. See LeanSuite vs spreadsheets and paper.
Build it yourself (Access, SharePoint lists, Power Apps)A development team that will own the tool for years, with a small and stable scope.One person who builds and maintains it, no mobile app unless someone builds one, and hand-over when they leave. See homegrown software and Power Apps.
Buy a finished productSeveral shifts or sites on the same process, operators who need a phone app, and a vendor team that maintains it.Whether it runs your methods, how it is priced and how much of the setup is yours.

The full argument, with the pilot, is on Why LeanSuite.

What it costs

Vendors price in different ways, for example per user, per site or by module, and many quote on request. LeanSuite is one flat price per facility with unlimited users, quoted on request. The free Starter plan covers idea management for teams of 25 and under, and the 90-day pilot costs $3,000 per facility, set up by our team. See pricing.

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Key terms

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FAQ

Questions about continuous improvement software

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