Over at the LeanBlog, Mark Graban notes that the Starbucks Gossip blog describes an effort at lean deployment at Starbucks.  The post describes the effort this way:

Basically, the backlines of stores are being completely re-arranged and the processes for labor deployment plus customer drink crafting are being re-engineered to:

• Increase efficiency/speed of service
• Maximize lower labor levels
• Save the company money/resources
• Follow the “Shared Planet” platform (environmentally friendly)
• Prevent workplace injuries

Mark provides an insightful discussion of the good news here, along with some thoughtful questions about how ‘bucks might do better. Also provided are links to earlier clippings that note Starbucks earlier efforts to apply Lean Thinking.

Read the post here.