Under the Microscope: What Do Your Business Processes Tell You?
I spent a good bit of my early career doing scientific research for several amazing organizations, including Wadley Research Institute (now part of Carter BloodCare), the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Mallinckrodt Medical, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Co. Back then, I worked with microbes such as bacteria and yeasts – tiny creatures that individually are too small to be seen with the unaided eye. I studied them to improve medicines and treatments for a variety of diseases. Working on these sharp scientific teams to make a difference for sick people who really needed these therapies was extremely rewarding. One of my favorite parts of research was cell staining, a technique used to better visualize cells and cell components under a microscope. By using different stains, you can preferentially stain certain cell components, such as a nucleus or a cell wall, or the entire cell. It may sound complicated, but really, it clarifies things. The staining process helps you look at the same research question through many different perspectives – or sets of data. It led to a lot of “aha” moments! Today, in my work as a business operations consultant, I use Six Sigma, Lean and other process improvement techniques in a similar way to cell staining. It’s almost like you’re staining collected information with these different tools, so that it stands out better for analysis and informed decision making. Tools such as pivot tables, graphs and charts turn data into pictures, drawing our focus to facts that might otherwise be obscured. I am so thankful for my training as a scientist, and my many years of staring into microscopes. Asking good questions and analyzing data are still at the heart of what I do as a business excellence coach. I love what I do! If you have a business process that needs a “check-up,” please email me! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive...
Read MoreA Campaign Promise to Improve Government: The Lean Six Sigma Way
Since this is a presidential election year, social media, newspapers, and television/radio broadcasts are filled with the hopeful rhetoric of politicians who promise to improve the government to better serve the country and its citizens – if only you will vote for them. After 15 commercials in a row, it’s hard not to get disillusioned by all the campaign promises! I was encouraged, though, to read how one state government isn’t just talking about improvements – it is actually doing them, with widespread success in making government more efficient and responsive. In April, New York State’s Lean Initiative received the 2016 Citizens Budget Commission’s Prize for Public Service Innovation. The Lean Initiative is an innovative public-private partnership that engages frontline state workers to improve their own processes using Six Sigma tools to remove unnecessary steps and streamline government services. Governor Andrew Cuomo implemented the program at the suggestion of his Spending and Government Efficiency Commission. Since the program’s launch in 2013, New York has become a leader and innovator in adapting and applying Lean Six Sigma principles to government activities. The program facilitated improved performance in New York state agencies despite a 1% decrease in the state workforce. It has helped keep average spending growth in agency operations to 1% annually. In 2013, the state conducted ten pilot projects using Lean. Today the program includes almost 400 projects in 38 agencies with over 8,500 state workers participating. The program’s improvements are developed during concentrated workshops where line-level employees redesign a process. Since the initiative’s implementation: The Department of Motor Vehicles reduced the average in-office wait time to register a vehicle acquired through a sale from 60 minutes to 39 minutes and, in select pilot offices, to obtain a driver’s permit from 172 minutes to 45. Lean has also contributed to the DMV reducing office wait times by over 50 percent on average. Lean Initiative projects helped to streamline and accelerate the licensing, permitting, and registration of New York State’s two million businesses and 800,000 individually licensed practitioners. These functions, which cross multiple agencies, had their cycle time cut by about half on average. The Department of State reduced the processing time to license real estate brokers and agents from 20 days to 4 days. The Department of Health reduced the time for a healthcare provider to obtain approval for a new facility. The time needed to process a certificate of need has fallen from a median of 157 days to 100; an operating certificate from an average of 137 days to 31. The Lean Initiative increased the general responsiveness to the public for certain acutely needed government services including processing of benefit claims, scheduling hearings, and investigating alleged wrongdoing. The Department of Labor reduced its backlog of unemployment insurance break in claims requests by 77-percent and doubled productivity, shortening the time from request to reinstatement from 42 days to below 10. A key element of the program has been to leverage pro bono support from corporate partners, including Toyota, Xerox, and GE, which have contributed their own Lean Six Sigma experts to train, coach, and mentor New York State workers. The State is now exploring the next phase of its Lean program, including the potential to pilot the Lean Initiative with other state entities and local governments. Now that’s a national initiative I can support! If you have a business process that needs a “check-up,” please email me! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive...
Read MoreWhat Tools Are in Your Business Toolbox?
When I was a child I helped my father as he repaired cars. One of my jobs was to retrieve tools for him. I was always fascinated by the assortment of tools he had. There seemed to be a tool for everything. Many were standard wrenches, screwdrivers, and sockets, but he also had some really unusual specialty tools such as a spring tool for replacing brakes and a leak detector for finding refrigerant leaks. Each had a specific purpose and was required in order to perform a particular task. Similarly, Lean Six Sigma has many tools that one can use to help determine and correct waste and errors. While a SIPOC (suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, and customers) tool is used when beginning the evaluation of many processes, a Measurement System Analysis or a Pugh Matrix may only be required in certain instances. The use of the right tools at the right time can significantly enhance the productivity of a process improvement team and reduce the time required to eliminate the pain caused by waste and defects. If you have a business process that needs a “check-up,” please email me! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive...
Read MoreWhich is Best For Your Next Business Improvement Initiative – Lean or Six Sigma?
Six Sigma and Lean are two common methods that businesses use to help improve quality and efficiency. I have been a Continuous Improvement practitioner for over five years. One topic that continues to fascinate me is the ongoing debate in the business world about the merits of Six Sigma vs. Lean when it comes to improving business processes. How do you know which tool is right for your next initiative? Six Sigma and Lean have the same end goal. They both seek to create the most efficient process possible, but they take different approaches to achieve this. Simply put, Lean strives to eliminate waste (muda) in its multiple forms and while Six Sigma is focused on eliminating defects/errors. Most executives recognize that they have a combination of both sets of issues. How do you choose which method is best for your organization? There is truth in both these perspectives – which is why both Lean and Six Sigma methodologies have been so effective in improving business outcomes in a variety of industries. In my opinion, one shouldn’t have to choose one tool over the other. You need both, working in conjunction, to improve the efficiency of your company. If you have a business process that needs a “check-up,” please email me! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive...
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