Quality & Operational Excellence

Lean in Office and Administration

Offices and administrative functions contain as much waste as factories, hidden in emails, approvals and rework. This course applies lean to office work: identifying office waste, value stream mapping of transactional processes, standard work, visual management, reducing approvals and handoffs and digital waste.

5 days Classroom or live online English

Smart Horizon Certified - Global Leadership Consultants

Take the course details with you.

Download the full standard outline: why attend, methodology, objectives, audience, competencies, the daily outline and current plans.

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Why attend

From knowledge to real-world impact.

Administrative processes often take weeks for minutes of real work. You will learn to make office processes faster and simpler.

Workplace challenges

Professional Problems This Course Is Designed to Solve

The programme explores practical approaches to the following challenges. Results depend on how the learning is applied in your organisation.

Difficulty translating subject knowledge into practical workplace decisions.
Inconsistent approaches to the activities covered in the course outline.
Lack of a structured plan for applying and reviewing new skills.

Course methodology

How you will learn.

Office process simulations, value stream mapping of real processes, visual board design and case studies.

Course objectives

What you'll take away.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Identify waste in office and administrative work
Map transactional value streams
Reduce approvals, handoffs and waiting
Create standard work for office tasks
Apply visual management to knowledge work
Reduce digital and email waste

Target audience

Who should attend.

This course is suitable for:

Administrative managers
Finance, HR and procurement teams
Shared service staff
Continuous improvement practitioners
Public sector managers

Target competencies

Capabilities you will build.

Participants will develop competencies in:

Waste identification
Value stream mapping
Process simplification
Standard work
Visual management

Course outline

Your learning journey.

A focused, practical outline with time to explore, apply and reflect.

Day 1Lean Office

09:00–10:08Office waste
10:08–11:00Examples
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Examples (continued)
11:45–12:53Simulation
12:53–14:00Exercise

Day 2Value Streams

09:00–10:08Mapping transactional processes
10:08–11:00Lead time and touch time
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Lead time and touch time (continued)
11:45–12:53Analysis
12:53–14:00Workshop

Day 3Simplification

09:00–10:08Approvals
10:08–11:00Handoffs
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Handoffs (continued)
11:45–12:53Batching
12:53–14:00Exercise

Day 4Standard Work and Visuals

09:00–10:08Office standard work
10:08–11:00Visual boards
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Visual boards (continued)
11:45–12:53Workload balancing
12:53–14:00Workshop

Day 5Digital Waste

09:00–10:08Email and meetings
10:08–11:00Information overload
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Information overload (continued)
11:45–12:53Sustaining
12:53–14:00Action plan

The timings provided are estimates and may vary depending on the number of participants and the discussions taking place during the sessions. They are indicative only and do not constitute a binding commitment.

Dates & venues

Find a session that works for you.

Confirmed dates accept registration requests. Tentative dates are enquiry only.

Good to know

A few things to know.

How is the course delivered?

Our classroom programmes combine facilitated discussion, case studies, exercises and reflection. The precise format will be confirmed before enrolment.

Can you deliver this programme for our team?

Yes, you can enquire about a tailored programme. Share your goals, group size and preferred dates with our learning team.

Will I receive a certificate?

Participants who complete the programme receive a Smart Horizon certificate of attendance. Smart Horizon programmes are not externally accredited and do not award a professional qualification, licence or designation. Where a course title or outline refers to a professional certification (for example, AACE International's Certified Cost Professional), the programme supports learning and preparation only; the credential itself is awarded solely by the relevant professional body under its own application and examination requirements.

What should I confirm before booking travel?

Please confirm the session, exact venue, accessibility arrangements, fees and any visa requirements with the team before arranging travel. Tentative dates are not confirmed sessions.

Keep exploring

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