2026 Schedule

What happens when IT stops measuring efficiency alone and starts improving experiences? Come join us on the journey at fictional company LeanLine Software where the new employee onboarding experience is not what it should be. We will walk along side of Matt, the frustrated new employee; Jackie, the IT Manager that thinks nothing is wrong; Mary, the HR professional that just wants happy employees. By looking through the lens of Lean, Kaizen, and Human-Centered Design (HCD), we can uncover ways to reduce waste and effort while improving how new employees feel about not only their first day but every day at work. In this session, we'll take you on a "Gemba walk" of the employee onboarding experience, showing how to connect the dots between journey mapping, value stream mapping, and continuous improvement. You'll participate in an engaging activity that demonstrates how these tools streamline work, highlight pain points, and spark new ideas for improvement. Expect to leave with practical skills and a sample value stream map to get started back at your desk.

Takeaway

- Apply Lean, Kaizen, and HCD methods to uncover and improve experience.
- Practice journey mapping and Gemba-style observation to capture the current employee experience.
- Explore how value stream mapping connects process improvement to experience improvement.
- Leave with a sample value stream map and activity framework you can adapt in your own organization.