# Lean Manufacturing Maturity Self-Assessment > Source: https://netray.co/tools/lean-maturity-self-assessment > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer Ten questions that place your plant on a simple lean maturity scale and suggest where to focus next. ## Category manufacturing ## Audience - Plant manager - Continuous improvement lead - Operations director ## Tool **Kind:** assessment **Questions:** #### How would you describe workplace organization (5S) in your main production area? **Options:** ##### No formal 5S **Score:** 0 ##### Done once, not sustained **Score:** 1 ##### Standards in place, audited occasionally **Score:** 2 ##### Audited regularly and used by operators daily **Score:** 3 ##### Self-managed by teams, spreads to new areas **Score:** 4 #### How well do you understand your value streams? **Options:** ##### Never mapped **Score:** 0 ##### Mapped once for a single product **Score:** 1 ##### Current state maps exist for main families **Score:** 2 ##### Maps drive an improvement plan with owners **Score:** 3 ##### Maps updated at least yearly and tied to strategy **Score:** 4 #### How is production pace set? **Options:** ##### By what the machines can make **Score:** 0 ##### By weekly forecasts only **Score:** 1 ##### Takt time known for some lines **Score:** 2 ##### Takt time used to design and balance main lines **Score:** 3 ##### Takt and leveled schedule across the value stream **Score:** 4 #### How are materials replenished at the line? **Options:** ##### Push from the schedule only **Score:** 0 ##### Expediting by shortage lists **Score:** 1 ##### Min-max bins in some areas **Score:** 2 ##### Kanban for most repeat parts **Score:** 3 ##### Kanban sized and reviewed regularly, supermarkets in place **Score:** 4 #### How is the work method standardized? **Options:** ##### Operators decide their own method **Score:** 0 ##### Work instructions exist but are rarely used **Score:** 1 ##### Standard work documented for key operations **Score:** 2 ##### Standard work used, followed and updated by operators **Score:** 3 ##### Standard work audited by leaders and improved weekly **Score:** 4 #### How are changeovers handled? **Options:** ##### Not measured **Score:** 0 ##### Measured but not improved **Score:** 1 ##### Improvements done on a few machines **Score:** 2 ##### SMED applied to bottleneck machines with results **Score:** 3 ##### Changeover time is a routine KPI with continuous reduction **Score:** 4 #### How do you respond to quality problems? **Options:** ##### Inspect and rework **Score:** 0 ##### Containment, little root cause **Score:** 1 ##### Structured problem solving for major issues **Score:** 2 ##### Problem solving used at all levels, with poka-yoke **Score:** 3 ##### Problems visible in real time, stop and fix culture **Score:** 4 #### How is equipment reliability managed? **Options:** ##### Fix when it breaks **Score:** 0 ##### Basic preventive maintenance schedule **Score:** 1 ##### PM plus OEE tracked on key machines **Score:** 2 ##### Operators perform basic care, losses analyzed **Score:** 3 ##### TPM program with owned targets and trend reviews **Score:** 4 #### How do leaders spend time on the shop floor? **Options:** ##### Rarely **Score:** 0 ##### Only when there is a crisis **Score:** 1 ##### Scheduled walks without a clear method **Score:** 2 ##### Regular gemba walks and daily tier meetings **Score:** 3 ##### Leader standard work, coaching and visible follow-up **Score:** 4 #### How do you involve employees in improvement? **Options:** ##### Not formally **Score:** 0 ##### A suggestion box **Score:** 1 ##### Occasional kaizen events **Score:** 2 ##### Regular improvement time and tracked ideas **Score:** 3 ##### Everyone improves daily and results are celebrated and shared **Score:** 4 **Bands:** #### Starting out **Min:** 0 **Max:** 29 **Verdict:** Lean practices are limited or informal. The best return usually comes from stabilizing basics before pursuing advanced tools. **Recommendations:** - Start 5S in one visible area and audit it weekly. - Map one value stream end to end to find the biggest delay. - Begin measuring downtime and scrap with simple reason codes. #### Building foundations **Min:** 30 **Max:** 54 **Verdict:** Some tools are in use but results are not consistent. Focus on standard work and sustaining what you have started. **Recommendations:** - Document standard work for bottleneck operations. - Calculate takt time and compare it with real cycle time. - Run a SMED workshop on the most constrained machine. #### Developing system **Min:** 55 **Max:** 79 **Verdict:** Core lean practices are working in places. The opportunity is to link them into a system with leveled flow and leadership routines. **Recommendations:** - Extend kanban and leveling across the value stream. - Introduce tiered daily meetings and leader standard work. - Track OEE and review the six big losses regularly. #### Mature practice **Min:** 80 **Max:** 100 **Verdict:** Lean is part of how you manage. Keep raising the bar and share practices across sites. **Recommendations:** - Align improvement goals with strategy through policy deployment. - Extend lean to suppliers and administrative processes. - Audit regularly to avoid backsliding as people change roles. ## Content **Intro:** Lean maturity is easier to improve when you know where you stand. This ten question self-assessment covers workplace organization, flow, pull, standard work, quality, reliability, leadership and people. It returns a band with practical next steps. **Sections:** #### How to use the assessment **Body:** Answer for your main production area, not the best cell you can show visitors. Better still, have three or four people answer independently, such as a supervisor, an engineer and an operator, and compare. Large differences between answers are useful: they show where practice differs from what management believes. Repeat the assessment every six to twelve months to track progress. #### What the score means **Body:** Each answer scores from zero to four and the total is converted to a percentage of the maximum. The bands are a simple guide, not a certification. A low score does not mean failure; it points to the next foundation to build. A high score in tools but low score in leadership routines often signals that improvements will not last. **Bullets:** - Below 30: build basics such as 5S and measurement. - 30 to 54: standardize and sustain. - 55 to 79: connect tools into a system. - 80 and above: extend and keep auditing. #### Where ERP and data help **Body:** Several of the questions depend on data you may already hold. Takt time needs customer demand from sales orders. Kanban sizing needs consumption history. OEE needs downtime and count data. Changeover time needs timestamps. If your ERP routings still carry outdated setup and run times, lean improvements will not be reflected in planning, so plan to update the master data after each proven improvement. #### Common mistakes **Body:** The most common mistake is scoring aspirational practice rather than current practice. Another is treating the assessment as a ranking between plants instead of a conversation starter. Avoid choosing tools to raise the score; choose the next improvement that removes the largest flow problem, and let the score follow. **Cta:** If your lean data lives in the ERP and several spreadsheets, we can discuss a private way to query it together and keep the results on your own infrastructure. **Faq:** #### Is this an official lean certification? **Answer:** No. It is a simple self-assessment designed to start a conversation and highlight focus areas. It is not an audit or a standard, and different organizations use different maturity models. #### Who should complete it? **Answer:** Ideally several people from different levels, such as a plant manager, a supervisor and an operator, answering independently. Comparing the answers reveals gaps between perceived and actual practice. #### How often should I reassess? **Answer:** Every six to twelve months is common. More frequent assessment rarely shows meaningful change, because culture and systems take time to move. Between assessments, track specific metrics such as OEE, lead time and first pass yield. #### Does a low score mean lean will not work for us? **Answer:** No. A low score only describes where you are today. Lean is usually adopted step by step, beginning with visible basics such as 5S, measurement and standard work, and building up to flow, pull and leadership routines. ## Search terms lean maturity assessment, lean self assessment manufacturing, lean assessment questionnaire, lean readiness assessment, lean manufacturing scorecard, how lean is my plant, lean audit questions, lean maturity model --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json