About the Lean Learning Program

Lean is a way of thinking, acting, and applying a collection of principles, methods, and practices for consistent operation and organization. Through valuing the individual experiences and abilities of staff, focusing on clear long-term goals, and identifying and eliminating forms of waste, organizations are able to create work environments which encourage continuous improvement, respect, and collaboration while producing quality results on time. 

Journey into a culture of continuous improvement

At UCSF, we are invested in building a culture that supports and encourages continuous improvement as part of the Lean process. 

Learning and practicing Lean is often talked about as a journey. Over the past 15 years, the Enterprise Program Management Office (EPMO) has been helping Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) build muscle to advance a culture of continuous improvement. In the past 5-6 years, this effort, better known as our Lean journey, has helped develop direction, infrastructure, and discipline. The underpinning for everything Lean is known as A3 thinking, a repeatable process to approach problem-solving.

Framework for Developing Problem Solvers

The Lean Learning Program helps participants gain key competencies to foster a culture of continuous improvement. These courses are where you will develop new vocabulary to improve your problem-solving conversations with one another within the FAS village and the greater UCSF campus. If we are using the same vocabulary and applying a repeatable process to approach problems, we will increase the likelihood of solving them. 

Learn more about the courses we offer and how to register 

• Intro to Lean
• A3 Thinking 101

Making Improvement Work Part of the Work