16096716 - many sticky notes with questions all posted on an office note board to represent confusion

16096716 – many sticky notes with questions all posted on an office note board to represent confusion

Most adults (and especially parents) can relate to the irritation of a child repeatedly asking, “Why?”

After the second or third time the question is asked, the response may be, “Because I said so!”

While these seemingly endless questions may be aggravating, they are often one of the best ways children learn. The same is true for work teams.

Work teams generally begin process improvement initiatives to correct known or perceived business problems. Some of these issues can be easily identified (i. e., obvious manufacturing defects), while others may not be so easily recognized (i. e., billing delays). To correct a problem, a process improvement team must first define the cause(s) of the issue before developing and implementing meaningful and impactful improvements.

To truly understand what is occurring, we often need to recognize the underlying causes. One way to do this is using a technique called “5 Whys.” By asking “why?” several times, the team digs deeper into an issue to determine the root cause, rather than accept the first superficial answer on face value.

For example, many physician offices struggle with patients missing their appointments. This can lead to underutilization of resources (staff, facilities) and loss of revenues. A typical 5 Why session could look like this:

Issue: The patient missed his/her doctor’s appointment

Why did the patient miss his appointment? (S)he forgot about it.

Why did (s)he forget? (S)he did not receive a reminder card.

Why did (s)he not receive a reminder card? No card was issued when the appointment was made.

Why was no card issued? Not a part of the check-out process.

Why wasn’t it part of the check-out process? No written check-out process has been defined for staff

Once the team has this information, then they can suggest a solution.

Recommended improvements:

  • Provide each patient with a reminder card listing the date and time of his/her next appointment as a standard part of the check-out process
  • Call to remind the patient 24-48 hours before the appointment
  • Establish a checklist for the scheduling team, including reminder information

This type of resolution has been implemented in many physician offices and hospitals, resulting in greatly increased patient attendance and improved revenue streams.

Often, the best solutions are the simplest. But before any solution is implemented, the team needs to understand the “why?” of the situation.

How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities?

If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace!