History

THE HISTORY OF Le2's TPS APPROACH

Le2's TPS (The Problem Solving) Approach has as its basis the Scientific Method, an empirical model of determining cause-effect relationships to resolve problems. Developed in the 1600's by Rene Descartes, The Scientific Method - also known as The Problem Solving (TPS) Approach - needs no declaration of effectiveness in its application to pure science. It IS the foundation of science as we know it today. However, TPS principles have proven equally effective when applied to areas outside of pure science.

Problem Solving principles were originally developed and applied to manufacturing process improvement by Henry Ford. They were perfected and expanded to general business process improvement by the Toyota Motor Company, a small truck maker, struggling for survival at the end of World War II. Dubbed the Toyota Production System (TPS), this adaptation of scientific method-based process improvement resulted in the most powerful model devised to date for efficient design and management of small and large scale business operations. Using it, Toyota secured its position as the world's third largest automaker a mere 30 years later in the 1980's. In an effort to remain competitive, western businesses studied Toyota's system. MIT researchers coined the name "Lean" for the new system because of its ability to do so much more with less than traditional approaches.

Within the last decade, TPS process improvement has expanded to the service industries (e.g. banking, law enforcement, insurance service centers) with equal success. Integrating simple tools and unique social/management practices, TPS now has been developed for and successfully adapted to general office work and, most recently, in the healthcare industry. In a landmark study begun in 2001 and sponsored by the Innovation and Organizational Change Program of the National Science Foundation entitled "Innovating Health Care Delivery Using Toyota Production System Principles," the application of TPS principles to a hospital environment demonstrated significant gains in efficiency in process improvement, performance levels in patient care, and measurable savings both in staff time and real dollars spent. The feasibility and transferability of TPS principles and practices to education was studied by the Rand Corporation's Education Division. In its 2004 report, "Organizational Improvement and Accountability - Lessons for Education from Other Sectors", Rand concluded that TPS principles offer enormous potential for improvement in school and district operations and performance, and even more accountability than the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award Program, The study also noted the need for modification of TPS business principles to meet the unique needs of education, an industry quite unlike any other both in its product and its processes.

Lean Education Enterprises accepted that challenge. Combining an Educator's inside knowledge of the education process and a Business Specialist's understanding and proficiency at successful TPS application, the Le2 Program applies the same science and data-based assessment to audit and improve existing school processes in the areas of student learning, curriculum and instruction, and resource administration.