Lean Second Time Around: Lessons learned for Higher Education

The purpose of this paper is to present the lessons learned from implementation of a lean approach in a university environment and to determine if lean principles can be successfully applied to Higher Education and is based on a longitudinal case study within a higher education institution (HEI).

The case study presents the main success factors and lessons learned from the implementation of lean practices. Factors such as leadership, communication, perception, visibility, training and resistance to change and cost versus value are highlighted as critical through this case study.

The practical implication of this work is to give, those wishing to implement lean within the Higher Education sector, an insight into the problems and issues that may arise and how they may be overcome It is also of value to those undertaking the implementation of lean practices within the Higher education sector as it is one of few studies done in this particular context as well as offering the experiences gained from a longitudinal study.