Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess waste and propose countermeasures to simplify the account opening process at a bank in Kuwait. The study uses a case study approach to analyze the process and therefore recommends some lean solutions to simplify the process. To solve this problem, five groups of five students were formed. These groups recommend various lean strategies and guidance that can help banks improve their processes. The study identified multiple sources of waste, including overproduction, overprocessing, excessive motions, underutilized skills and long wait times. To improve the process, the groups came up with several lean tools such as 5s, poka-yoke, andon, and visual management,  that could reduce processing time by about 30 percent. These solutions were recently adopted by banks, which confirmed the applicability of lean tools in Kuwait banks, and validated that the solutions proposed by the students also confirmed that lean is a sound approach, as long as they have the mindset. To the best of our knowledge, there are very few studies on lean systems in the suburbs of Kuwait, and this is only the second study to use lean tools and techniques to analyze and improve banking processes in Kuwait.

Keywords: lean system, A3, Kuwait, retail bank, seven wastes