John Seddon has translated the Toyota method for service organisations.

Toyota's results are legendary. It has taken them fifty years to get to where they are. In service organisations you can make a big difference in fifty days and sustainable change in fifty weeks, for nothing is 'made'; but you do have to be prepared to change the way you think about the design and management of work.

Service differs from manufacturing. There is, inherently, more variety in customer demand. While the Toyota method was developed to solve the problem of how to produce vehicles at the rate of customer demand, in service organisations the problem is how to design the system to absorb variety.

The Vanguard Method has been developed to solve this problem. The consequences are better service at lower costs.

For an overview of the philosophy and practice of the Vanguard Method, read John Seddon's latest book.