Programme Start Date: 6th October 2026

Format: Face-to-face workshops

Location: Manchester

Duration: 6 modules delivered across structured workshop days

Price: £2,000 + VAT per delegate

Delivery Dates:

• 6th, 7th, 20th, 21st October 2026

• 3rd, 4th November 2026

  
  

The Continuous Improvement Practitioner Programme is a six-day, hands-on development experience for professionals responsible for driving or supporting improvement in their organisation. It provides a complete foundation in Lean thinking, practical problem solving and improvement leadership, combining structured learning with workplace project delivery. Delegates leave with the skills and confidence to analyse processes, solve real operational problems and lead improvement activities that deliver measurable results.

Across the programme, participants work on a live workplace project with coaching support, typically generating £30,000+ in quantified savings or added value per delegate. The course is accredited to Lean Competency System Levels 1a, 1b and 1c, giving a recognised and respected certification aligned to industry standards.

Who the Programme Is For

• Supervisors, team leaders and managers

• CI specialists, engineers and improvement leads

• Professionals supporting operational excellence or transformation

• Talent pipelines for future CI / Lean leadership roles

• Organisations wanting to build internal capability and reduce reliance on external consultants

What You Will Learn

1. Lean Foundations & CI Principles

• Evolution of Lean, Toyota Production System and modern CI

• Purpose, value, flow and waste

• The 5 Lean principles and how they guide improvement

• How systems, processes and behaviours influence performance

2. Understanding & Improving Processes

• Gemba skills: how to observe, question and understand the real process

• SIPOC, process mapping, swimlanes and spaghetti diagrams

• Value Stream Mapping: current state, future state, analysis and planning

• Identifying waste, barriers and bottlenecks across the value stream

3. Structured Problem Solving

• PDCA as a core improvement method

• DIKW (Data–Information–Knowledge–Wisdom) for evidence-based thinking

• 7 Quality Tools, Pareto analysis, histograms, control charts

• Root cause analysis using 5 Whys, fishbone and A3 thinking

• Containment, corrective action and verification

4. Practical Application & A3 Delivery

• Designing problem statements, scopes and measures

• Analysing causes with data, observation and mapping

• Developing and testing countermeasures

• Standardising improvements to sustain results

• A3 reporting for clear, visual communication

5. The Lean Workplace

• Lean layout and flow principles

• 5S workplace organisation and audit systems

• SMED for reducing changeover and increasing capacity

• Theory of Constraints, bottlenecks and production levelling (Heijunka)

• TPM fundamentals and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)

6. Lean Leadership & Culture

• Shingo Model principles and behaviours

• Systems thinking and organisational alignment

• Leader Standard Work and visual management

• Tiered meetings, leading indicators and daily performance routines

• Managing change and creating the conditions for continuous improvement

Programme Format

• Duration: Six days

• Delivery: In-person

• Approach: Workshops, simulations, group work, practical exercises and real workplace application

• Accreditation: LCS Level 1a, Level 1b and Level 1c

Workplace Project Requirements

Every delegate completes a workplace improvement project, supported by:

• A company mentor to guide local delivery

• Coaching and feedback from a Manufacturers Network practitioner

• A structured A3 or equivalent report to demonstrate analysis, action and results

• Final presentation and evaluation for certification

Typical project duration: 3–6 months, depending on scope and complexity.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Analyse processes and identify opportunities using proven Lean tools

• Solve operational problems using structured, data-driven methods

• Lead improvement teams with confidence

• Reduce waste, improve flow and remove bottlenecks

• Apply workplace organisation and visual management

• Build capability in others and support a strong CI culture

• Deliver measurable, financially validated improvements

Benefits to Your Organisation

• Increased productivity, flow and process reliability

• Reduced waste, rework, downtime and operating cost

• Stronger leadership, coaching and problem-solving capability

• Standardised ways of working and improved cross-team alignment

• Sustainable improvement with reduced dependency on external support

• Real financial return through delegate project delivery