59th MDOG commander talks 'Lean Daily Management' at UTSA Published April 22, 2015 By Staff Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- Wilford Hall's 59th Medical Operations Group commander, Col. (Dr.) John Andrus, spoke of the importance of Lean Daily Management (LDM) to members attending a Continuous Improvement Professionals (CIP) meeting at the University of Texas San Antonio April 17.The monthly CIP meeting acts as a platform for continuous improvement practitioners in all sectors to share process improvement experiences, said Dr. Hung-Da Wan, UTSA Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems.Approximately 35 people from the university as well as various local organizations specializing in areas of health care and biomedical, finance and banking, manufacturing and higher education attended the event.The Lean Daily Management (LDM) process has been in practice at the 59th Medical Operations Group since October 2013."With LDM, we put the continuous back into continuous process improvement," said Andrus. "In order to do this we must make process improvement part of the culture."During his speech, Andrus discussed in detail the LDM process and tools; and made frequent references to the trials, successes and lessons learned along the way."The 59th Medical Wing has incorporated LDM as a key element in its deliberate effort to enable those at the point of patient care to identify and solve problems," said Andrus.Upon being prompted for leadership advice for those looking to implement LDM in their organizations, Andrus noted that LDM is a place for the staff to feel empowered and for leaders to step back and listen.This process should be about listening, understanding, encouraging and mentoring your people, said Andrus. The staff members should own the process; leaders are there to assist and to move problems through higher levels for coordination, if needed. Get out there and just do it.Following Andrus' talk, Wan expressed gratitude for the experiences and advice Andrus shared. "We asked Col. Andrus to speak because we heard about the successes of Lean Daily Management in the 59th Medical Wing," said Wan. "Through this event, we hope to further promote the concept and practice of Lean Daily Management."