Let’s talk Lean Business Process Improvement — and let’s do it over a hot, cheesy slice of pizza.

At CCS, our 30+ years of experience in Lean Transformation and Change Management success means we know how to keep it real when making change happen across organisations.

One of the biggest mindset shifts in Lean thinking is getting crystal clear on what “value” actually means. This isn’t just business jargon — it’s the foundation of transforming how your company works. And what better way to explain it than with a classic food we all know?

So, What Is Value?

In Lean, “value” is anything the customer is willing to pay for. It’s the part of your process that directly contributes to delivering your product or service in a way that the customer appreciates. Simple, right?

Now let’s make a pizza.

Imagine you walk into your favorite pizza joint. You order a wood-fired pepperoni pizza. What do you care about?

• The dough being kneaded and stretched ✔️
• Sauce being spread and cheese added ✔️
• The pizza sliding into that roaring-hot oven ✔️
• Someone slicing it and boxing it up ✔️

These are all value-adding activities. Why? Because every one of them directly contributes to the delicious pizza you’re about to eat.

But what about…

• Ordering flour from a supplier ❌
• Checking the fridge temperatures ❌
• Generating shift schedules ❌
• Delivering the pizza to your house (yes, even that) ❌

Necessary? Yes.
Important for operations? Absolutely.
But do they add value from the customer’s perspective of the pizza? Nope.

Value vs. Non-Value-Adding | Why It Matters

Here’s the kicker: Most businesses have a LOT of activities that don’t directly add value. That’s not an inherent flaw — it’s just how operations tend to evolve. But in Lean, the goal is to maximise value-adding work and minimise everything else (often called “waste”).

When you communicate this clearly to teams during a Lean transformation, you help shift the focus. You help people see where their energy matters most — and where process improvements can have the biggest impact.

But Wait — Don’t Throw Out the Delivery Guy!

This doesn’t mean you fire your delivery team or stop ordering flour. These “non-value-adding but necessary” steps still need to happen. The Lean trick is to streamline them so they’re as efficient and low-effort as possible, freeing up time and resources for the parts of the process that really deliver the goods (or in this case, the pizza).

This may be through iterative process adjustments, like optimising the way you use your current tools and systems (are you struggling to manage multiple spreadsheets? or a spaghetti structure of software?) all the way to implementing an organisation-wide Lean Transformation programme that includes implementing new systems, training and tools like Enterprise Resource Planning software.

Why This Framing Is Crucial for Change Management

When you’re driving change in an organisation, resistance often comes from fear of losing relevance. That’s why it’s so important to explain that Lean isn’t about cutting corners or cutting jobs — it’s about focusing your team’s talent where it counts. When everyone understands what “value” means — and how their work connects to it — you unlock a sense of purpose, clarity, and even pride.

So next time you talk Value, Lean or Process Improvement, ask your team:
“What’s our version of making the pizza?”

It’s a deliciously simple way to get everyone on the same page.

Get Clear On Your Value (and Waste)

Keen to get started on boosting your value and eliminating wasteful activities? Access our free Business Process Improvement Diagnostic Playbook — it gives you a step-by-step walkthrough of how to start making change happen with your team.