Former Michigan Tech Lean consultant, Mike Taubitz, is featured in a podcast on Leanblog.org. Check it out HERE!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Mike Taubitz featured on Leanblog.org
Posted by wmdavis under FMCS Grant, Lean Thinking
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
ThedaCare Improvement System Experience!
Posted by meganj under News
Last week, I was fortunate to be granted the opportunity to participate in an improvement event at ThedaCare in Appleton, Wisconsin. I was a “fresh eyes” participant on a team that was looking to make improvements in the outpatient lab scheduling process at ThedaCare hospitals. As someone who has interests in both healthcare and Lean, participating in this event was a fantastic opportunity to see firsthand how the two work together.
The biggest “a-ha!” moment I had during my week at ThedaCare was the use of a SIPOC Process Map. I only had a vague understanding of what SIPOC was and did not really know the value or purpose of the tool prior to this event. The SIPOC map, in addition to showing the suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, and customers, identifies the “trigger” for the process to start and the signal that the process is complete.
A SIPOC map can be used to provide a high-level overview of the process and define the scope. The well-defined “trigger” and “done” signals in a SIPOC map help prevent “scope creep” from occurring. “Scope creep,” is when the team widens their improvement discussion beyond the goals of the project. In the ThedaCare kaizen event, any issues the team identified that were outside of the scope (not on the SIPOC diagram) were put into an Out of Scope Parking Lot for future referral. This allowed the team to focus on our scope, but ensured that the other ideas for future improvements wouldn’t be lost.
Image from: http://mentorsonline.wordpress.com/category/leadership/
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
MUB Catering Standards & Visual Controls Part I
Posted by mrleveil under Events, News
The first lean project I assisted has finished up its first phase. I worked with Eric Karvonen, Executive Chef and Kathy Wardynski, Manager of Purchasing and Process Improvement on a shelf that holds catering bowls and utensils inside the MUB kitchen. We used 5S methodology to tackle the current state problems.
On the first day we took a look at the current state: lots of clutter, lack of organization and no system to sustain any organization that is attempted. To begin work we removed any items from the shelf that should not have been there. All of these items already had a proper place to be stored, but had accumulated on this shelf. Next, we began trying different arrangements of the bowls and utensils that would remain. After consulting a few subject matter experts (catering staff, dish washing staff) a final arrangement was agreed upon. Along with the organization, the fluid ounce capacity of each size of bowl was determined to make bowl selection easier during food preparation for catering.
Before the next visit to the pebble bowl shelf, labels were created for the new organization. The next day consisted of applying duct tape to section off parts of the shelf for each of the bowl sizes and utensils. The labels were applied for each position to sustain the new current state.
Overall, this phase of the project went great. Future phases of the project will continue throughout the summer, next we will begin work on the storage of catering trays as well as various sauces, oils, and vinegars.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Making a Good Problem Statement – Tech Fit Process Improvement
Posted by wmdavis under Events, Lean Thinking, Tips
Taking the time to understand the current state of a problem can be described as the most critical part for improvement. Many Lean practitioners will recommend at least 50% of the time invested in making an improvement, be in the Plan phase of the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust cycle. This is where you will study the problem where it occurs (the gemba) and collect baseline metrics, facts, and observations to answer the question “What is currently happening?” From there a problem statement can be formulated to focus the improvement effort.
A good problem statement should sound something like this: “A is happening, causing X, Y, and Z.” A is the problem and X, Y, and Z are waste.
A kaizen event is currently implementing countermeasures to respond to the problems within the Tech Fit Benefit Request Process. Metrics were collected for a few weeks prior to the team getting together. Vendors and customers (stakeholders) were involved to understand key issues with the process. As a result, a problem statement was formulated:
Monday, April 15, 2013
Customer Appreciation Week Lean Tours
Posted by kabetzin under Events, Lean Thinking
The Auxiliary Services Customer Appreciation Week was held at Michigan Tech a few weeks back. One event that we’d like to highlight today was the tours in the MUB which featured Lean improvements.
Heidi Reid, the Facilities and Events Coordinator at the MUB shared a bit about the tours: “The Lean tours consisted of several “day to day” continuous improvements that take place in our office and building.” The tour started off with their 5S improvement project for their inventory of office supplies. The 5S improvements to the supply closet and ordering system have been sustained for over 4 years and counting.
Standardized work was also covered on the tour, “We used standardized work for many areas including managing our guest room reservation/check-in procedure. We utilize a practice of standardized work called knowledge folders, which are step by step instructions for many routine operations. If a student worker needs to perform a duty they are not familiar with, they can use these folders to complete the task” stated Reid.
Other Lean improvements and tools covered on the tour were the value of auditing, daily team meetings , and visual controls. Reid added “our office staff are working every day to improve our processes and streamline daily work, in an effort to satisfy our customer’s needs.”
The tour sparked new interest in Lean practice to those who participated. Karen Patterson, new to the University and the Center of Diversity and Inclusion, had a positive experience on the tour. Karen came from Portage Health, where many of the nurses are practicing Lean. When asked about her overall impression of the tour Karen said she was very excited to hear about all of the improvements. Karen has taken the next steps to bring Lean to her new role and will be presenting some ideas to her office at their May department meeting.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Graduate Application Review Process
Posted by meganj under Success Stories
Lean in Higher Education is about the University delivering expected value through their processes and services, using University resources more effectively, and providing employees of the University with more meaningful work.
The department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, recently learned how successful their spring 2012 kaizen event on their graduate application review process was. The “current state” prior to any improvements was that the length of time it took to respond to graduate students was causing a loss of students (to other schools who respond faster), re-work, and over-processing of application material. The length of time to respond was approximately 50 days!
A cross-functional kaizen team was brought together one year ago to focus on this problem. The team consisted of members of the graduate student selection committee, a staff member from the Michigan Tech Graduate School, a graduate student providing the perspective of a customer, and a Lean facilitator. A process map was created indicating that there were 33 steps to complete a review and respond to students. The team identified problems within the many steps and brainstormed ideas to eliminate the problems/waste.
As a result the process was reduced from 33 steps to 24 steps, a 27% improvement. After a year of collecting post-kaizen metrics the team has recently learned that their improvements have reduced the time to respond to students from 50 to 15 days – an impressive 70% improvement! Congratulations to the kaizen team!!
The process map for the graduate application review process.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Personal Kanban Board Take 2
Posted by wmdavis under Success Stories, Tips
You might recall a post from almost one year ago when I introduced the concept of personal kanban boards. I began using this tool that week and I have not gone a day without using my board since! I find this tool to be very effective for my work (projects, correspondence, coordination of activities, etc.).
If you compare the below picture to the graphic in the 2012 blog post you will see that my personal kanban has evolved quite a bit – a little bit of check and adjust. I have made many changes over this past year to adapt the board to fit my needs, I think this is a very important step in making your kanban board work for you.
Here is a bit about some of the changes I made to my board:
- I color coded my work (stickies) by month – giving each month a color allows me to see items that are falling behind. A month works great for the type of work I do.
- I changed my headings – the original PDCA heading was more confusing than helpful (personal opinion, I know others who find these headings to work well). I came up with three headings: my “hopper” are items I will work on at some point, “today” is work items for the day, and my “waiting” column allows me to keep track of items that I sent off but will be waiting for a response on.
- I also strategically limited my column sizes. For instance, my “today” column cannot fit more than five stickies. I would despise working a day with more than five stickies – so this board constraint holds me to that. Limiting your work in process (WIP) is one rule for personal kanban. The other rule is to visualize your work.
In the past year, I also found a great website that helped me better understand this concept: http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/.
If you are interested in starting a personal kanban board for yourself or your work group, please contact me. We have many examples across campus to give you some ideas.
Wendy's Personal Kanban March 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Posted by mrleveil under Lean Thinking, News
Hello there,
I am Mike Leveille, a new Student Process Improvement Coordinator working in the Process Improvement Office. I am a fourth year Mechanical Engineering student with a minor in Mathematical Sciences. When I graduate in spring 2014 I will be commissioned as a 2d Lieutenant into the US Air Force.
Two concepts that are important in the Air Force are situational awareness and attention to detail. The OODA loop is one way that these concepts are emphasized when making a decision. The OODA loop was originally developed by US Air Force Colonel John Boyd for military strategy. This decision making loop has also been adapted for use in the business world. The OODA loop stands for:
Observe: Collect information.
Orient: Analyze the information you’ve gathered and use it to get in tune with your current state.
Decide: Decide on a plan of action.
Act: Carry out your plan.
I am relatively new to Lean concepts and continue to learn more about them every day. I have learned that OODA loops can be compared to a cycle commonly used in Lean practice, the PDCA cycle. Like PDCA, OODA is a continuous cycle where you continue to collect feedback and make adjustments to your decisions and actions as needed until you have the desired result.
I am looking forward to begin my first Lean projects for the office. You can contact me at mrleveil@mtu.edu. Have a good day!
Mike
Note: Image from: http://3pointbeyondthearc.blogspot.com/2010/08/five-marketing-and-business-truths.html
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
ICE Rap
Posted by kabetzin under Lean Thinking
One of the commonly used prioritization tools used in Lean practice is ICE (which stands for Impact, Ease, and Control). This helps to list out and prioritize any possible countermeasures based what impact they will have, the control you have over the countermeasure, and the ease of implementation.
Here in the process improvement office, we have created an ICE rap, using the song Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice as a guide. The lyrics can be read here.
| Countermeasure | Impact | Control | Ease | Total |
Monday, March 11, 2013
UPLMC Presentation and the Affinity Diagram
Posted by wmdavis under FMCS Grant, News, Success Stories
On March 7, a group of Michigan Tech employees gave a panel presentation at the U.P. Labor Management Council’s annual conference in Harris, MI. The panel presentation, “Lean Principles: A Strategy for Improved Labor Relations,” was given by:
- Amanda Cadwell (Administrative Aide, Civil/Environmental Engineering & UAW President)
- Wendy Davis (Manager of Process Improvement)
- Bob Hiltunen (Director, Auxiliary Services)
- Ellen Horsch (Vice President for Administration)
- Rhonda McClellan (Facilities Helper, AFCSME member)
- Barb Ruotsala (retired, past UAW President).
Theresa Coleman-Kaiser (Assistant VP for Administration) moderated the panel presentation.
At the beginning of each presentation the panel used a tool called the Affinity Diagram to gather thoughts and opinions from the audience on what they thought about “Lean” in 3 words or less. While a presentation was given regarding the key concepts of Lean and how Michigan Tech has been utilizing Lean methods and tools, Theresa Coleman-Kaiser was organizing sticky note responses from guests into family groups by their affinity. This tool allowed us to better understand our audience, gave them a connection to our presentation, and allowed us to have a well moderated and engaging open discussion period.
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