Pay Me Now, Or Pay Me Later
I took my car in for an oil change last week. When I was growing up, my Dad always changed the oil in our cars and he showed me how to do it for myself. My early cars were easy to work on and changing the oil took little time and skill. As time went on, however, engines became more complicated, requiring specialized skills and equipment. It seemed that, while I wanted to continue to do the work myself, it was actually faster and cheaper to have the work done. Many companies face the same problems that I have run into with my car repairs. What once worked very easily and took little effort now either works very poorly or not at all. Processes and protocols developed months or years ago no longer address the issues they once did, or have been modified over time. Employees that established these processes may have moved to different departments or have left the company. Process improvement (PI) programs often begin by asking “How are things working now?” By mapping out current processes, a PI leader and his or her team can help the organization determine “pain” points and aid in the development of innovative ways to reduce waste and eliminate errors. Several years ago, an automobile parts company utilized the tag line, “Pay me now or pay me later.” The same can be said for PI. An organization can put a PI program in place early or wait until serious problems occur. A robust PI program can help to head off problems before they begin, saving costs and complications later. How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? 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....
Read MoreHelping the Boy Scouts to “Be Prepared”
A few years ago I had an opportunity to facilitate a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project with the local Boy Scouts of America (BSA) council. As an Eagle Scout, I was honored to help an organization that has given so much to me. The project had a relatively simple goal: provide a reliable way for young men and their parents throughout Central Indiana to enter their contact information so that they could receive more information about scouting. Due to the limited time commitments available for the participants, we decided to conduct the project as a two-day Kaizen (sometimes referred to as a rapid improvement event or REI). I was fortunate to have a Green Belt assist me with facilitation on the second day. Over these two days, we took input from our team members, either parents or BSA Council members. This was used to develop the Voice of the Customer, Voice of the Business, and Critical Customer requirements. We evaluated data from previous years as to how many young men had joined BSA annually and developed an estimate of the number of potential Scouts that would be accessing the system. Since this project occurred right before BSA’s 100th anniversary year and many special events were planned, the group anticipated an even larger response than normal. The team also discussed probable issues that could prevent young men and/or their parents from signing up. The team divided into two groups to develop new ways to collect contact information from young men interested in learning more about scouting, or their parents. Team members then compared the two plans. The best aspects of each were selected and combined into the final process involving a new web-based user interface. The team also developed a multi-level approach of assigning BSA volunteers to follow up on the requests, to ensure that all requests were acted upon in a timely manner by the appropriate representative. We then developed an implementation plan and a Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) to make sure that nothing fell through the cracks. I followed up with the BSA council a few times to check on the project implementation status. Everything was implemented without serious impediments. Overall the team was very happy with the outcome of the project. I was very proud to a part of a team that had a wonderful result even though they had never been exposed to LSS. LSS can be a powerful tool in helping non-profits like BSA do more of the good they were founded to do! How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? 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...
Read MoreIncorporating the Scientific Method Can Help Your Root Cause Analysis
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a strong interest in science. It didn’t matter if it was actual science, such as medicine, or science fiction such as Star Wars. If it involved science, I adored it. After spending time in a research lab, I became enamored with microbiology and molecular biology. This interest followed me from high school into college and into my career as a molecular biologist. While much of science is based on memorization (how to spell Escherichia coli or the number of molecules in a mole of table salt), one also learns how to conduct research. One of the primary procedures involved in research is the scientific method (SM). Through the use of observation, testing, and analysis, one is able to prove or disprove a hypothesis (theory) about how something works. In a recent article in Quality Progress (QP) Matthew Barsalou, a Master Black Belt with BorgWarner Turbo Systems Engineering GmbH, recommended the use of the SM in process improvement (PI), especially as it relates to root cause analysis. By developing a hypothesis of the cause(s) of a problem, the PI team can begin to narrow the scope of their investigation. The actions involved can include empirical (making observations, collecting data, and testing the hypothesis) and conceptual (development of the hypothesis, prediction of the results if the hypothesis is true). By using induction and deduction to develop, test, and prove or disprove a hypothesis, the PI team can answer difficult root cause questions and aid in the development of corrective actions and improvements. While not all PI team members are scientists, the scientific method is a great tool for all PI teams to utilize. Be sure to check out Matthew’s article. It’s worth the read! How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? 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...
Read MoreSix Sigma Approach Improves ICU Bed Turnaround Time
These days it seems every organization is being told to work smarter, due to unprecedented pressures in funding, staffing and supply costs. No place can this be seen more clearly than in the hospital setting. With all the changes in the American health care system, every hospital is struggling to maximize the use of whatever it has, be it equipment, staffing, or patient rooms. In the May 2017 issue of ISE Magazine, Patrice Batamack, PhD and Christine A.N. Ndjee, MD discuss an effort by a Los Angeles academic acute care medical center to improve bed turnaround time in its 32-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU), to better meet patient needs and control costs. The hospital noticed that bottlenecks occurred when staff discharged or transitioned patients to lower acuity units. Leaders assembled a team to evaluate the situation using Six Sigma methodology. The team focused on both the voice of the customer, i.e. patients desiring less wait time between transfers into and out of the ICU, and the voice of the business, i.e. the hospital, needing a faster turnover rate for these rooms. The team went through the DMAIIC process (define, measure, analyze, improve, implement, control). Instead of jumping to the conclusion that the hospital needed more ICU rooms, the team collected data about the cause of delays surrounding the turnover of these rooms, such as cleaning and preparing the room for the next patient. The cleaning process was owned by the Environmental Services Department. The team established turnover rates for these rooms. After collecting data for 6 months, they discovered that the process was out of statistical control. The main causes for the delays centered on the availability of managers; their trust in the hospital information system; the availability of the nursing floor staff; their ability to use the hospital info system consistently; availability of supplies; and staffing levels. The team recommended several improvements, not the least of which was to promote and reinforce better teamwork, emphasizing collaboration, cooperation and staff flexibility. The team developed a detailed implementation plan and a Visual Basic tool to monitor the process. By decreasing the median cleaning turnaround time from 67 minutes to 60 minutes, the project team anticipated an annual savings of at least $24,000 in the ICU alone! Too often a problem such as this is addressed by trying to increase staffing, and/or facilities. Six Sigma tools helped this team use data to identify the root causes of delays, make informed decisions and implement solutions. This team proved that by improving the cleaning process, they could achieve better ICU room utilization, meeting the needs of both the customer (patients) and the business (hospital administration). Kudos to the team on a job well done! How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? 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...
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