JCC provides strategic lean guidance, management coaching and training, workshops, kaizen events, and other lean-based improvement activities. Our goals are to enable clients to tightly integrate their business functions (Lean Business Management, The Lean Office) with lean operations, reduce waste, and maximize customer and product focus.
"The most dangerous kind of waste is the waste we do not recognize."
— Shigeo Shingo, engineer, teacher and author on improving manufacturing systems
Building Lean Beyond Manufacturing one client at a time...
Expertise
Focus
Jean Cunningham
1992: As CFO, Jean joined the continuous improvement effort at Lantech from their first kaizen
1993: As CFO, eliminated standard cost accounting and created product line (value stream) financial statements.
1993-2005: During CFO period, pioneered Lean Business Management systems at two manufacturing companies.
1997: Began on-request lecturing and advising on Lean Accounting and Operations Management
2003: Co-wrote Real Numbers (Lean Accounting, Shingo Prize)
2006: Co-wrote Easier, Simpler, Faster (Lean IT, Shingo Prize).
2006-Present: Principle of Jean Cunningham Consulting taking Lean Beyond Manufacturing and global lean speaker.
A 30 minute podcast from the Gemba Academy
Books
Our books are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online and brick-and-mortar bookstores worldwide. An ebook edition of each is available through Amazon. Each image has a link to its Amazon page.
What is Lean Accounting... in under 10 Minutes
A 10 minute video presented by Lean Frontiers.
Jean Cunningham Consulting is a recognized world leader in the application of Lean Thinking to the functions outside of operations in service, manufacturing, and healthcare firms. Our service solutions are based on lean principles and utilize lean waste reduction and process improvement methodologies and tools.
See and Hear Jean Talk about Lean
Easier, Simpler, Faster
Systems Strategy for Lean IT
(February, 2007)
Productivity Press
Copyright 2006, 163 pages
Jean Cunningham and Duane Jones
Awarded the Shingo Prize for Research, 2008.
Based on real experience at Lantech in developing and applying appropriate information systems for the lean organization.
© 2017 Jean Cunningham Consulting. All Right Reserved.
Why Use JCC?
Building Lean Beyond Manufacturing
What We Do
Lean Management, The Lean Office, Lean strategy, lean coaching, Lean Accounting,
Jean’s experiments and experiences are now distilled into a “best practices” set of services honed by her industry experience and 10 years of consulting with a wide variety of manufacturing, service, and healthcare firms. JCC can show you how you can apply these same “Lean Beyond Manufacturing” techniques in your company.
Through the 90’s, Jean was creating a Lean Business Management environment in her company with great results and much acclaim. Being a CFO who loved to roam the manufacturing floor, provided her breakthrough insights into how finance, HR, IT, marketing, and other "office" functions can and should provide value add services throughout the enterprise that mesh with the goals for customers and products.
Jean Cunningham Consulting is focused on Lean Business Management which concerns non-operations functions. Though there are dependancies and associations with operations in manufacturing, services, and hospitals that cause significant crossover, JCC clients in addition to operations, are building lean throughout their companies.
Solutions
Lean Accounting
Best Practices for Sustainable Integration
(March 2007)
Wiley House
Copyright 2007, 309 pages
Joe Stenzel, Editor
Collection of works by 13 leaders in the emerging field of Lean Accounting.
Jean Cunningham contributed chapter 9, "Lean Application in Accounting Environments" (22 pages), with practical guidance and success stories for bringing lean into the accounting function as part of the lean enterprise. Three focus areas are outlined and ten sequenced activities are explained which when applied will enable organizations to raise the accounting bar to meet the lean challenge.
Jean Cunningham on Lean Accounting
A 7 minute interview video by Kevin Meyer from the Gemba Academy
(Part 1 of 7 of a paid training series. See the series here.)
Jean Cunningham Consulting brings a highly qualified and perhaps unique set of qualifications to the rapidly growing field of Lean Business Management (aka The Lean Office). It is rare to find aptitude, expertise, communications skills, and real world experience in manufacturing process, business management, and accounting all in one place.
Leveraging Lean as a Business Strategy
Real Numbers
Management Accounting in a Lean Organization
(April, 2003)
Managing Times Press, 2003, 180 pages
Jean Cunningham and Orest Fiume
and Emily Adams
Awarded the Shingo Prize for Research, 2004.
Iconic Lean Accounting primer for accountants and non-accountants alike. Written with no "accountingese", it shares real life experiences of two CFOs implementing lean accounting at separate manufacturing companies and the resulting implications and opportunities for the finance and accounting organization.
Recommended reference reading for the SME/AME/Shingo Prize/ASQ Lean Certification, Silver Level