H1 N1 Vaccine - Improving Supply & Demand Issues

As noted in our September 9th BLOG posting, work and work processes can sometimes be complex, thus making improvement efforts more difficult and even overwhelming. We used our nation's health care system as an example, and the question posed was, "Why not take a manageable piece [of the problem] and get going on that, rather than trying to address the whole system?"

Another example is the H1 N1 vaccine shortage. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has stated, "...vaccine to protect against the 2009 H1N1 flu virus is available; however, initial supplies are limited."

The shortage has caused some people to panic. To manage distribution, The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended that certain, more at-risk groups receive the vaccine before others. They are hoping that the general public will wait until supplies become more plentiful before seeking immunization, thus eliminating or reducing the problems associated with the shortage.

In other words, given the supply and demand problem, they have opted to work on demand. This approach may or may not work, but it is a good example of taking a smaller piece of the problem (i.e., demand) and working on that first.

Have you had similar experiences or success with reducing the scope-of-focus associated with improving complex processes? If so, we look forward to your comments!

The Cobbler's Children...

You are most likely familiar with the story about the busy cobbler who was so busy making shoes for his customers that he had no time to make some for his own children. So too is this the case for the "improvement process."

Process improvement is itself a process that can be improved, yet it is often ignored by the very professionals who spend their time improving other work processes. While it is important to maintain a strong focus on identifying the best opportunities for improvement throughout our organizations, it is equally as important to apply the fundamentals of Continuous Improvement to the improvement process itself. Over the years, we've found that the organizations making the most out of their improvement effort are the ones that have also studied and "improved" the improvement process.

You can read more about this idea in our upcoming newsletter, which will be posted on our website soon. If you'd like to check, here's a link.

4 Keys to Driving Improvement

When engaged in broad-based improvement, we focus on four key elements:

· Human relations

· Variation

· The customer-supplier relationship

· Work & work processes

Human relations are important because people must adopt the proper perspectives and attitude toward improvement. They must be educated in not only the methods for initiating improvement, but also the fundamental concepts associated with continuous improvement.

Though often under-estimated, process variation is a costly pitfall if ignored. As noted in an earlier post, find out where your business practice varies from the theory and what variations are having the greatest impact on your success. Controlling these variables will help you achieve consistency and added success!

Enhanced communication with suppliers can lower costs and significantly reduce waste. Keep in mind that large quantities of waste are most often found in the "hand-off" areas - the interstices between departments, divisions or organizations.

Finally, continuously planning, studying, changing & improving work and work processes is what results in sustainable, bottom-line gains - the cornerstone of our methodology.

Tracking Variables: Differences in Theory and Practice Punish the Bottom Line

Bill Conway is an avid sports fan. I remember him talking about a conversation he’d had on a plane with an National Football League coach about kicking field goals and all the variables that influenced whether or not the kick was good: how far back the ball was, how much to the left or right of center, the snap, the hold, the kick, the wind, the condition of the field, etc. How well the kicker and holder understood and managed the variables – some controllable, others not – affected the likelihood of making the field goal.

I remember thinking that field-goal kicking involved more variables than I had originally thought – similar to trying to solve work or process-related problems.

Using another sports-related thought, Yogi Berra once observed, “In theory, theory and practice are the same. But in practice, they’re not.” Find out where your business practice varies from the theory and what variations are having the greatest impact on your success. Controlling these variables will move you closer to your goal line.

Breaking-Down Complicated Work Processes into Bite-Sized Pieces - What Do You Think?

Work and work processes can sometimes be complex, thus making improvement efforts more difficult and even overwhelming.

A good example of this is our nation's health care system. As chronicled in a recent USA Today article, our health care system is extremely complex and riddled with waste. Even worse, as documented and detailed by the article's collaborative team of authors, current efforts by the Federal Government as well as those dating back to the early Clinton years have been ineffective. "The complexity of the system, the pressure from chronic diseases, the shortfall in preventive care, the high costs, the competing demands - and the life-or-death stakes..." have made it very hard for Presidents and policymakers alike, they say; with no definitive improvement plan in sight.

An Effective Alternative?
Given the complexity of the problem, why not take a manageable piece and get going on that, rather than addressing the whole system? We have seen this approach work effectively in many situations, and look forward to hearing your opinions or experiences!

Are You "Destroying" Work?

To many people's surprise, the concept of "destroying work" can be a good one!

A common phrase used within the nuclear power industry, "destroying work" refers to the destruction (or elimination) of unnecessary or non-productive work - the waste. The word "destroy" connotes an elevated sense of urgency, and is perfectly aligned with Conway Management's The Right Way to Manage© practice of identifying and eliminating waste.

In fact, our approach frequently involves an "assault" on waste!

So, however you might like to phrase it, the act of continuously and aggressively studying work and work processes, identifying waste and eliminating waste is the foundation for continuous improvement and sustaining long-term gains.

Have You Considered a Pilot Program Approach to Improvement?

There are times when a “pilot” program might be an ideal approach to making work or process improvements within an organization, as this tactic offers a number of short-term advantages without stressing resources or compromising long-term opportunities.

For example, an organization with limited financial or people resources might find a pilot program an ideal way to achieve some measurable results quickly without putting a heavy burden on the budget or on human capital. Similarly, an organization that has been down the “Continuous Improvement (CI) road” before but failed to achieve sustainable results might be more comfortable committing to the smaller scope of a pilot program versus an enterprise-wide improvement initiative.

Typically, once some initial success is experienced, decisions on how (or if) to proceed become easier. The recommended steps for a successful pilot improvement program are:

1. Assessment
2. Quantification & Prioritization – decide what to work on
3. Launch the project
4. Provide coaching and training for the project team
5. Communicate and celebrate success
6. Decide on whether to proceed further with Continuous Improvement (CI). If so, develop an implementation plan

Key Steps to Continuous Improvement

The right way to achieve process improvement is through the core activity of identifying, quantifying, and eliminating waste. This activity, when done on a continuous basis by people educated in the use of the tools of process improvement, will bring higher and higher quality at lower and lower costs and can result in a world-class operation.

Success, therefore, involves getting people to develop the right mindset and use the right language and tools every day, in all their activities, as part of the culture-change required in moving to a system of ongoing Continuous Improvement. A series of related steps must then be taken so people can identify problems, causes and fundamental solutions, and prioritize to work on the right things. To ensure success, a follow-up system to assure that processes stay fixed is also required.

Read more...

Root Causes & Elusive Solutions

When seeking solutions to a work-related or process-related problem, people frequently miss opportunities for identifying sustainable solutions because they misunderstand the true root cause or causes associated with their problem.

Root causes are tricky and elusive things, and the most common culprit is an untested conclusion. Once people become convinced that they understand what’s causing a problem and that they know what’s needed to fix it, the search for the root cause stops. Consequently, group-think frequently prevents people from digging into the root of their problem.

Few things are more dangerous than common knowledge – when it is wrong!

Finding Possible Root Causes
Brainstorming and using the “5 Why” approach – a method developed by Toyota founder, Sakichi Toyoda, to identify the root cause by asking ‘why’ five times – is a good way to identify potential root causes, but only if you follow-through all the way to the “root” level.

Conway Management Company will be releasing a white paper on the best ways to identify and test root causes - we'll keep you posted!

Breakthrough Solutions

When trying to improve your work or work processes, have you ever had trouble trying to identify fresh ideas, more innovative approaches or truly breakthrough solutions? If so, have you often wondered where these new ideas that lead to lasting solutions come from?

Here are five different approaches to identifying new ideas and solutions:

1. Studying the work, which often produces new ideas and solutions
2. Classic brainstorming and the 6-3-5 method, which can produce a large quantity of ideas quickly
3. Humor, random association and other techniques that improve the originality and quality of ideas
4. Tools such as the Six Thinking Hats and Heuristic Discovery, which systematically change one’s perspective to open-up new possibilities for solving problems
5. Imagineering perfection, which helps you surface possibilities to leap past incremental improvements

If you would like to read more about each of these steps, click here!

Productivity Poka Yokes?

A poka-yoke is a specially designed feature of a process or a product that either prevents common mistakes or catches them before they cause trouble. "Poka-yoke" comes from the Japanese, meaning "inadvertent error" and "avoidance" and was popularized by the engineer Shigeo Shingo in his crusade to improve quality by eliminating human errors.

Whether our goal is to improve productivity, quality, safety, customer satisfaction, or return on assets, "human error" or failure to follow the process is a usually one of the causes. Since our workforce is made up of people and nobody is perfect, how do we get to a lasting solution? We design a poka-yoke.

We see and use poka-yokes every day. For example, years ago, a dead car battery due to forgetfulness was a common problem. Since then, a poka-yoke was designed to sound a warning bell if the lights are left on. A "warning" poka-yoke is a big help, but not fool proof. I know from parental experience that four teenagers can exit a car without one of them pausing to wonder why the alarm is ringing. A more powerful poka-yoke is built into newer cars and turns the lights on and off automatically. You must make a special effort to leave the lights on in these cars.

Read more about "poka yokes..."

Are You Serious About Improvement?

When we talk about Improvement, it is with a capital I. True Improvement is more than just a project here or there. It is a system where people work together within, throughout and across departments, divisions, product lines and supply chains, looking for better, faster, cheaper, more innovative or more reliable ways to achieve organizational goals.

Improvement is both large scale and small. On a macro level, it is looking at how an organization is or should be structured, what its strategy is (could or should be), helping people get ready for change. On a smaller scale, it is providing the help and support individuals need to bring about change and achieve excellence.

At Conway Management Company, we use imagineering - visualizing how things could or should be - and then devise ways to help organizations and individuals move towards perfection. We have developed a rigorous methodology for attacking waste (opportunities for improvement) that helps people to work on projects in a logical sequence. This methodology includes a series of related steps that identifies problems, causes, fundamental solutions and a follow-up system to assure processes stay fixed. It is comprehensive and, we have found, ideal for organizations that are serious about Improvement.

Is your organization serious about improvement? I so, we welcome your thoughts and comments!