Quick Glance Case Study: Metric Capture Deadlines

“The Lean review has resulted in a 200% productivity improvement with financial benefits exceeding our initial projections”

After completing a ChangeWise Lean Practitioner training course, one candidate submitted the following work-place project to gain their qualification to LCS Level 1c.

The Business Challenge

Our organisation needed to install 2,727 metric capture devices to ensure products were working effectively.

The current installation process would not allow us to meet the required deadline.

These output metrics are sent to an external regulatory body, missing the deadline would result in not having a full year of data, and this would impact figures for the following year.

Inadequate figures would also result in missing the company’s external performance measures and could result in a penalty.

A Lean review was required to investigate the current process, identify waste, the root cause of issues and determine how the process could be improved to deliver the devices by the required deadlines.

Photo by Nick Abrams on Unsplash

 Key people involved from client site

Specialists including the Reinstatement Team, Wholesale Services and members of the Senior Leadership Team were involved in the review.

Lean Methodology Employed

DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analise, Improve, Control)

Various Lean methodologies were used including, SIPOC, Current State Mapping, Gemba walk, Value Analysis, Future State Mapping, SECAR and Ishikawa Diagrams.

Lean Activities and Findings

We used the SIPOC method to agree the high-level process and confirm scope, followed by current state mapping to understand the process in more detail. We also completed a Gemba Walk to really understand the ‘as is’.

Using Value Analysis, we assessed each process step to identify where non-value add (NVA) activities were present in the process.  We then applied the 8 Lean wastes which helped us to focus on key issues:

Defects:

• The process was potentially missing a vital regulatory step (notifying clients of installations beforehand)
• Significant amounts of Failure Demand at the beginning of the process
• No process in place to capture re-work
• No regulation process to notify clients

Waiting:

• The Operational Team are not creating databases quickly enough to meet install demand
• The database issue resulted in field technicians waiting around before installations could take place

Over Production:

• Bulk logging was causing unnecessary alarms (also resulting in defects)

Inventory:

• The Operational Team Platform for creating databases was causing a bottle neck

Once the key issues were agreed, we used the 5 Whys technique to understand the root causes:

• Operational Team platform to create databases not fit for purpose
• Bulk logging at the start of the process causes bottlenecks
• No standard regulatory requirements built into the process
• Lack of maintenance capturing automation 

Benefits & Outcomes

We adopted the SECAR method to build a Lean future state:

Simplify

• Remove non-value add process steps

Elimination

• Rank the key issues identified by applying FMEA and eliminate to reduce failure demand
• Standard maintenance and QA for logging; stops over-production and prevents problems with alarm handlers

Combine

• Standardise ways of working

Automation

• Address system issues to ensure applications are fit for purpose

Relocation N/A

Photo by Alexandria Bates on Unsplash 

In Summary

In addition to meeting our required deadlines, the Lean review has resulted in a 200% productivity improvement with financial benefits exceeding our initial projections. We also have an improved commercial understanding of our customer consumption and usage.

Interested in looking at how Lean can help to meet key deadlines and reduce unnecessary costs within your organisation? Contact us at info@changewise.co.uk and let’s talk about how we can help.

ChangeWise believes employee engagement is the foundation for successful Change. Training and coaching your people to use simple continuous improvement techniques will enable your organisation to continuously adapt and stay ahead in a constantly changing and challenging environment.

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