Sistematização das práticas extensionistas do laboratório lean da Universidade Federal da Paraíba: modelo para difusão da filosofia lean

Abstract

University extension plays a vital role in disseminating academic knowledge to the community. Along with teaching and research, it constitutes one of the three fundamental pillars of Higher Education Institutions. Despite this, structured approaches to conducting extension initiatives are not always easy to find, especially for specific purposes such as teaching and popularizing quality methodologies. With this in mind, this work aims to develop a model for systematizing extension actions dedicated to process improvement. To this end, an action research study was carried out on the Lean Laboratory, an Extension Program of the Federal University of Paraíba, which focuses on disseminating the knowledge and practices of the Lean Philosophy, an approach aimed at optimizing processes and eliminating waste. The stages of this study involve problem identification, planning, data collection, implementation and evaluation of actions. As a result, it was possible to map 70 outreach actions carried out by the Lean Lab between 2018 and 2023, with the collaboration of approximately 260 multipliers. In addition, a structured model was developed, incorporating fundamental, complementary principles and essential guidelines, which offers a structure that can be replicated in other higher education institutions.