Continuous Improvement Practitioner Programme (LCS 1c)

About the event

• Accreditation: Lean Competency System (LCS) Levels 1a, 1b and 1c

• Format: Face-to-face workshops, six days

• Venue: Manufacturers Network Head Office, 1 Adbaston Road, Trafford Park, Stretford, Manchester M32 0TP

• Times: 8:30am – 4:00pm each day

• Price: £1,750 + VAT per delegate

Delivery dates

• Autumn 2026: 10, 11, 24 and 25 November; 15 and 16 December 2026

• Winter 2027: 26 and 27 January; 9 and 10 February; 23 and 24 February 2027

About the programme

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.

Each delegate works on a live workplace project with coaching support, typically generating £30,000+ in savings or added value per delegate. Across a cohort of eight, that has added up to around £200,000 within eight weeks.

The programme is accredited by the Lean Competency System, the globally recognised Lean qualifications framework created by the Lean Enterprise Research Centre at Cardiff University. Content, design and delivery are led by our team of manufacturing practitioners.

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

No previous Lean qualification is needed. [CONFIRM]

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

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

  
  

Workplace project and certification

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 showing analysis, action and results

• Final presentation and evaluation for certification

Projects typically take 3–6 months. Delegates present once their project is complete, and certification follows a successful evaluation.

Included: all six workshop days, materials and scheduled activities, project coaching, final evaluation and certification, lunch and refreshments.

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

• Training aligned to strategy, with a measurable financial return

• A globally recognised Lean certification

• Sustainable improvement with less dependency on external support

Train a whole team on site

We also run this programme in-house for cohorts of 6–8 delegates: five days of training plus three days of on-site coaching, with a senior sponsor to champion projects. In-house programmes start from £10,000 per cohort. Enquire about in-house delivery.

Where next?

• Before: First Line Lean Leader (LCS 1b, CMI Quality Assured) for supervisors new to leading teams.

• After: the Advanced CI Leadership Programme (LCS 2a/2b).

By booking you agree to our training booking terms.