The correct answer is both. Let me explain.

Here’s a good definition of Lean:
“Lean is a people-driven improvement system that can improve any work process.” The key is to train EVERYONE in a business how to improve work to get better quality, less waste, safer conditions, and higher production. Lean leaders want to turn their work team into an “Army of Improvers.”

How does problem-solving fit in?
Many (most?) work processes are FILLED with problems. Last week, I spent a total of more than 5 hours observing production at several of my clients. Here are just a few of the many “problems” I saw:

• More than 20 minutes was spent cleaning a workpiece before discovering a defect that resulted in scrapping the piece. If inspection had been done first, that cleaning time wouldn’t have been wasted.
• A needed tool was not in the workstation and had to be found and retrieved from a far corner of the shop.
• An variable welding fixture was adjusted to produce a larger version of a product. Change-over took much longer than it should have because fixture parts were old and worn. This resulted in over-production waste by one team-member, and waiting waste by others.
• A worker produced parts out-of-sequence. This forced a downstream workstation to set a job aside for several hours until the needed parts were ready. It clogged up the shop, took extra time, and delayed completion of the job.

Issues like these are typical of most operations. Occasionally, I’ll see a process that runs smoothly with little waste. But usually, daily work is filled with problems.

A good way to improve a process is to correct its built-in problems. The examples I listed above will probably be fairly simple to address. If we inspect before cleaning, we can avoid some wasted time when a defect is discovered. If we put ALL required tools at each workstation, we can avoid travel-waste to hunt down a needed screw-driver. Proper maintenance of welding fixtures will keep change-over times low. And having all areas follow the same production sequence improves flow and minimizes bottlenecks.

If your current work process has built-in problems, working with your team to solve them IS improvement. Your productivity will get better. The frustration level of your people will decrease. More importantly, the abilities of your team will grow.

Notes:
The definition of Lean is from Leading the Lean Enterprise Transformation (2nd Ed.) by George Koenigsaecker (CRC Press, 2013) p. 16.