Lean Management – A ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL YOUR COMPLIANCE NEEDS

The Accelerate Programme

This proven programme has already helped over 650 companies uncover more than £65 million in business improvements!

The BUSINESS SMART SUITE Lean and Agile delivery team has a proven track record of successfully securing and managing funding. This programme is flexible and can be tailored to suit any business, regardless of industry or size. It’s more than just a programme—it’s a philosophy that helps businesses develop their employees and drive growth effectively.

We’ve worked with over 650 businesses and 6,000 individuals, helping them achieve more than £65 million in business improvements—an average of £100,000 per company. Our straightforward programme is easy to follow and delivers the best possible results.

The Accelerate Programme can be delivered via three different methods:

The programme focuses on real-life challenges your business faces. We help you identify an improvement project and customize the tools, techniques, and support needed to reach your goals. Plus, we share valuable skills and knowledge so participants can keep driving continuous improvement within the business long after the project ends.

Over several months, participants will complete five modules designed to build their skills through hands-on workshops and practical projects within their own business. The programme culminates in a final presentation, where teams showcase their projects to fellow participants and senior leaders from their organisation.

Benefits of Accelerate

Reduced Costs

Increased Efficiencies

Boosted Team Morale

Improved Quality

Our Accelerate Programme helps reduce errors across all departments, creating a smoother workflow and making work life easier. It boosts the performance of both your teams and machines, leading to fewer defects, less rework, and fewer breakdowns. We also work closely with your staff to improve their skills and earn qualifications that are valuable in any industry, helping them remove bottlenecks and keep your processes running efficiently.

Our primary goal is to equip your staff with easy-to-use tools and practical techniques that boost efficiency, increase output per hour, and help you achieve higher profits along with greater customer satisfaction.

How Accelerate Works

Module 1

Introduction to Lean

Module 1 provides a clear introduction to Lean Management, covering key measures, terminology, techniques, and tools. This module focuses on practical areas relevant to your business and explains how we can help develop Lean practices within your organisation.

Lean Management: A management system based on the non-zero-sum principle that focuses on creating real value for end customers by removing waste (MUDA), unevenness (MURA), and overburden (MURI). It uses a scientific, data-driven approach to improve efficiency and quality.
Continuous Improvement: Doing what you do as well as or better than your competitors.
Kaizen: Kanji – Change or Modify, Zen – With Continued Goodness, KAIZEN – Modify with Continued Goodness
The Deming Cycle (PDCA): Plan-Do-Check-Act is a key part of many ISO systems and is the main process that drives continuous improvement.
Influencers of Lean: Henry Ford, Henry Gant, Deming & Juran, Ohno etc.
Co-operation in the Workplace: Working together leads to higher quality and lower costs.”
Muda, Mura & Muri: Muda – Consumption of resource that adds no value, Mura – Work activities that fluctuate poor flow, Muri – Unreasonable behaviour.

Problem Solving Tools & Techniques

Module 2 teaches you practical tools and techniques to easily identify any issues within your organisation. It helps you find areas that need improvement and uncover the root causes of problems, so you can tackle them effectively.

Process Map: Creating a process map that shows your company’s current procedures helps to clearly identify any bottlenecks.
Critical to Quality (CTQ): A CTQ (Critical to Quality) is any feature of a product, service, or process that a customer sees as essential to its quality.
Problem Solving (DMAIC): One of the key tools in Six Sigma is DMAIC, which stands for Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, and Control. DMAIC is a data-driven approach used to improve processes and is a vital part of any company’s Six Sigma program.
The 5 Why’s: The 5 Whys is a question asking method used to explore the cause and effect relationships found within a particular problem. Ultimately, the goal of applying the 5 Whys method is to determine a root cause of a defect or problem.
Cause & Effect (Ishikawa): The 5 Whys is a straightforward questioning technique used to dig deeper into the causes of a problem. By asking “why” five times, it helps you uncover the root cause of an issue or defect, so you can fix it effectively.
Pareto Analysis: A Pareto chart is a bar graph. The lengths of the bars represent frequency or cost (time or money) and are arranged with longest bars on the left and the shortest to the right. In this way the chart visually depicts which situations are more significant.

Module 2

Module 3

Change Management & Team Working

Module 3 focuses on building a positive and proactive team by teaching conflict resolution skills, exploring different learning styles, and helping individuals discover effective self-learning methods.

Effective Teamworking: By using the Honey & Mumford questionnaire, we identify each learner’s unique learning style. This helps not only with the project ahead but also allows learners to receive information and instructions in a way that makes sense to them.
Characteristics of High Performing Teams: People in high-performing teams often say it’s enjoyable and rewarding to work together. They feel valued for using their full potential and gain new skills and knowledge as they go.
Belbin’s Self Perception: Meredith Belbin studied what makes a team work well and discovered that effective teamwork depends more on the roles people play than just their intelligence or personality. Through detailed research, he developed the concept of ‘Team Roles’ to explain how different people contribute to a successful team.
Work Groups: Teams are definitely forms of work groups, but not all work groups are teams, in fact, plain work groups are much more numerous than teams. Work groups function on three levels, Dependant, Independent and Interdependent.
Dealing with Conflicts and Disagreements: When people from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs work together, differences in opinions and perspectives are natural. Everyone sees situations and builds relationships in their own unique way. They may also have different ideas about how to solve problems, which can sometimes lead to disagreements or conflict with colleagues.
Discovering Learning Styles: By using the Honey & Mumford questionnaire, we can identify each learner’s unique learning style. This not only supports the success of the project but also helps learners adapt information and instructions into a format they understand easily.

Workplace Organisation & Efficient Processing

Module 4 is all about making positive improvements in the workplace. It covers simple methods like 5S and teaches you how to check if the changes you’ve made or plan to make are working effectively.

Effective Teamworking: When individuals come together to work on a specific task or project, they form a team. Over time, the team develops its own identity, which can be seen in how team members behave and carry out their work.
Characteristics of High Performing Teams: Most members of top-performing teams say they enjoy working together because they get to use their full potential and learn new skills along the way. Collaboration makes the work fun and rewarding.
Belbin’s Self Perception: Meredith Belbin studied the different roles needed for a team to work well. After thorough research, he introduced the concept of ‘Team Roles,’ showing that teams can’t be fully understood just by looking at mental ability or personality.
Work Groups: Teams are a type of work group, but not all work groups are teams. In fact, simple work groups are far more common than true teams. Work groups operate on three different levels: dependent, independent, and interdependent.
Dealing with Conflicts and Disagreements: When people come from different backgrounds and have diverse life experiences, values, and beliefs, conflicts can sometimes happen. Everyone sees events differently and builds relationships in their own way. They may also have unique ideas about the best solutions to problems, which can sometimes clash with the opinions of their colleagues.
Discovering Learning Styles: By using the Honey & Mumford questionnaire, we identify each learner’s unique learning style. This helps not only with the project ahead but also allows learners to receive information and instructions in a way that makes sense to them.

Module 4

Module 5

Health & Safety Compliance - Apprenticeships Only

Module 5 covers the essential topic of health and safety compliance in the workplace. This one-day accredited course is included at no extra cost. Upon completion, learners will earn a nationally recognised Level 2 Award in Health and Safety within the Workplace qualification.

Qualification Overview: This qualification is specially designed for people who need a basic understanding of essential health and safety practices in the workplace. It’s perfect for those starting their first job or anyone aiming to advance their career within an organisation.
Course Content: The qualification provides learners with an understanding in:
1. The duties and responsibilities of employers and employees
2. The benefits of good health and safety in the workplace
3. The process of risk assessment
4. Hazards and controls in the workplace
5. Responding to accidents, near misses and ill-health in the workplace
6. Emergency procedures
7. The importance of reporting accident
Assessment Method: The qualification is assessed through a multiple-choice exam.

Team Presentation

The presentation is the final—and often the most important—part of the programme. It’s when teams share their results with management, explain the tools and techniques they used, and outline the outcomes along with plans for future improvements.

Presentation

Accelerate Pathways

£ 15,000

10 Days Consultancy Support
Focusses on Business Improvement
No formal Qualification
Simplistic Delivery Model
Shortest Timescale

£ 18,000

10 Days Consultancy Support
Formal Qualifications (Yellow/Green/Black Belt)
Small Amount of Work Required
Slightly Longer than Standalone
Potential to do Various Belts

coming soon

£ 200-300 Per Delegate

At Least 95% Funded
Minimum 12 Months
Functional Skills English
Functional Skills Maths
Level 2 Health & Safety Course

funding available