Lean AI

Lean AI for Small & Medium Businesses

Practical productivity improvements — not hype, not tech projects

Artificial Intelligence is everywhere right now. For many business owners and managers, it feels confusing, noisy, and hard to know where to start — or whether to start at all.

Lean AI is a practical, low-risk way to explore how AI might support productivity in your business, using Lean thinking to keep people, processes, and judgment firmly in control.

This approach is designed specifically for micro and small-to-medium businesses, not large corporates or complex IT programmes.

This is for you if:

  • You’re curious about AI but unsure where it genuinely adds value
  • You don’t have time for big projects or expensive experiments
  • You want to improve productivity, not chase technology trends
  • You want a safe, sensible way to start — or decide not to

This is not:

  • AI strategy consulting
  • Large system implementations
  • Technology for technology’s sake
  • Replacing people with machines

What Lean AI actually means

Lean AI combines Lean thinking with practical AI tools to help businesses:

  • clarify where time, effort, or energy are being wasted
  • identify small, low-risk opportunities where AI may help
  • test ideas using simple PDCA (Plan–Do–Check–Act) cycles
  • learn quickly what works — and what doesn’t
  • decide what’s worth scaling and what to ignore

AI is treated as a supporting assistant, not a decision-maker.
People remain responsible for judgment, ethics, and outcomes.

A practical example

A typical small business challenge might look like this:

  • Work is busy, but progress feels slow
  • Admin and marketing get done late at night
  • Decisions feel reactive rather than planned
  • There’s little time to review what actually worked

Using Lean AI, the focus is not on tools first — but on:

  • clarifying the real problem
  • testing one small improvement
  • reviewing the results
  • refining and repeating

AI may help speed up thinking, drafting, or analysis — but the improvement comes from better decisions, not technology alone.

How I support businesses

1. Lean AI Awareness Sessions (Group / Chamber)

A short, practical session designed to:

  • demystify AI in plain English
  • cut through hype and fear
  • help business owners spot potential opportunities in their own business
  • reduce the risk of poor or rushed decisions

Ideal for Chambers of Commerce, industry groups, and leadership forums.

2. Lean AI Readiness & Opportunity Sessions (1:1 or Small Group)

For businesses ready to go a step further:

  • identify one real productivity issue
  • apply Lean PDCA thinking
  • explore whether AI genuinely helps
  • design a small, safe experiment

No long reports. No pressure to continue.

Why this approach works

  • Low risk, low cost, low disruption
  • Designed for real-world SME conditions
  • Focuses on productivity and clarity first
  • Keeps leadership and people at the centre
  • Builds confidence, not dependency

A sensible first step

If you’re unsure whether AI is relevant to your business, that’s a good place to start.

A short awareness session or conversation can help you:

  • understand what’s possible
  • understand what to ignore
  • decide your next step with confidence

Interested in a Lean AI awareness session or a practical conversation?
Get in touch to explore what makes sense for your business or organisation.

Lean AI is about improving how work gets done — not chasing the latest technology.