Improvment Processes Flashcards
Draw and describe the “extended PDCA -cycle” note which tools are suitable to use in each stage
Plan
- Set theme
- Collect Data: Pareto diagram, 7 QC, Fish-bone, old fashion research, qualitative, quantitative
- Root- Cause analysis: AIM, 5 why, Inter-relationship chart
Do
- Plan the effort: GANT-chart, choose team members,
- Do: tools may and will vary depending on the task at hand. E.g. CAD, Excel, six sigma, Lean.
Check
- Check: tools will vary but should aim to validate that no errors have been left unsolved, AIM
Act
- Reflect: make time for self reflection, was the issue at hand approached in the best way?
- Standardize: Make information public and implement solutions.
Describe “the new paradigm” when it comes to
Goals
Goals:
- To make everyone use their creativity in order
to satisfy or exceed customer expectations
- The task is to do the job, but also to try to find
ways of improving the way the job is done - This puts new demands on leadership - to
provide direction but not detailed instruction,
i.e. hands-off management
Describe “the new paradigm” when it comes to
Practices
- Customer focus
- Visible leadership ( they will follow your acts not your words )
- Total approach ( avoid sub-optimizing, everyone committed, all dept., entire value chain )
- Continuous learning ( personal, group, organization. Make TIME)
- Process orientation ( Analysed based on the principle of only keeping those activities that adds value to the customer)
- Standardization for creativity ( standardize to make time for creativity)
Which are the 7QC tools?
· Ishikawa diagram ( fishbone) · Check sheet · Control chart · Histogram · Pareto chart · Scatter diagram · Stratification (flow chart)
Which are the 7 Mgm tools?
· KJ method (AIM) · Interrelationship Diagram · Tree diagram · Prioritization matrix · Matrix diagram · Process decision program chart · Activity network diagram
Reflect upon the practical use of tools such as the 7 QC tools, 7 management tools and AIM. Elaborate upon potential critical areas and what can be done in order to remedy potential weaknesses
7QC tools: They are primarily intended for structuring and analyzing numerical material. Important to get reliable and correct data. (Garbage in = garbage out.)
7 management tools: Toolbox for structural and analysis of verbal information. Important to understand why the tools should be used. ( ask the right questions)
AIM: The problem will not be solved but rather get a root cause analysis of the problem. You can use cross functional teams to get better results. ( the cancer doctor will see cancer everywhere)
Elaborate upon what is meant by anxiety and why it is considered important to be aware of and deal with different aspects of anxiety.
The Basic Principle: Learning only happens when survival anxiety is greater than learning anxiety
Increase of survival anxiety – easier but creates strong resistance to learning
Decrease of learning anxiety – harder
- Leaders have to educate their workers to make their message credible, when they gain credibility they can create an anxiety that leads to a safer learning environment
- See the need to change or find it questionable
Real change does not begin until the organization experiences real threat
What results do you expect to reach by using AIM – and what are the next steps that you would suggest?
AIM aims to find the root cause
next step could be to create a team of people with the competences required to solve the problem
The value of qualitative tools such as the AIM-method depends on the way they are applied. Elaborate on the different steps in the AIM-method – what are the purposes with different steps? Which steps are critical in order guarantee the quality of the analysis, and why?
The ten steps that need to be conducted are:
0. Preparation of team and space – Prepare material, room design, choose a leader etc.
- Formulating question – It should not be too narrow or too wide. (critical)
- Warm up-aligning – Everybody has to say something about the question, and make sure no criticism occurs.
- Collecting data – All participants write their own thoughts of important issues related to the question on post-its. Based on own experience and observations. Facts,not opinions! (critical) (rubbish in = rubbish out)
- Clarifying the meaning – All post-its should be discussed one by one and clarified if necessary. This step is important.
- Grouping- affinity steps – The next step is to group the post-its together in different groups without speaking to each other.
- Higher level grouping – Add headings to the groups and group the groups. Continue grouping until 3-5 main groups + lone wolfs. No speaking.
- Show connections – Arrows should be drawn between groups that affect each other.
- Final layout – Organize the layout to make it easier to understand the connection to the question.
- Evaluation – The groups are voted by each group member and the three groups with highest point should be marked.
- Concluding – Summarize the result on the top right of the paper in one sentence,and all group members should sign it.
Critical steps/areas:
· cross functional teams,
· quality control (rubbish in = rubbish out),
· to see the interrelations (arrows),
· announce the question in advance to get better input,
· voting at the same time to not get affected by others
Elaborate upon the strengths and weaknesses of cyclic vs. linear change models when it comes to improvement work.
Cyclic: PDCA
Strength: Continuous improvement
Weakness: Time- and resource demanding
Linear: current state → transition state→ future state
Strength: Easier, does not demand so many resources
Weakness: No reflection phase, might fall back to first state if there is no standardization
There are various reasons why group work does not follow an ideal learning cycle.Use a learning cycle (e.g. PDCA) and elaborate upon what kind of reasons can exist why groups do not always follow an ideal cycle. How can groups improve their work through the means of a learning cycle?
Want to do it fast so you skip some parts (Check, Act) - firefighting
A small sized consultancy firm has been acquired by a larger firm. You have been asked by the new president to assist in implementing a structured way of working, where the consultants are supposed to follow a “best practice approach” developed by senior consultants from the larger firm.
Earlier the individual consultants in the smaller firm have been used to choose their own approach and in addition, the existing incentive scheme motivates the consultants to use their own creativity to create customer specific solutions.
Now, the new president instead wants the consultants to work according to a more standardized “best practice approach”: What kind of recommendation would you provide based on your knowledge of change models and change theory? Base your suggestion on a model(s) presented and used during the course. (5 points)
No Clear answer, Free bais
Use Nadler and Tush though
Discuss the three problems of implementing organizational change, and what methods to use to mitigate each the problems
- The problem of power → Shape the political dynamics
Any change inevitably creates room for repositioning and manifesting of power for formal and informal entities. And these groups will therefore try to influence the structure of the future state. individuals and groups may engage in politics due to ideological reasons as well as inconsistency of vision and values. But also purely to enhance power.
- The problem of anxiety → Motivate constructive behaviour
Main reasons to anxiety are, Will I be needed/ valued/ copeing. The Uncertainty might lead to stress which in turn lead to resisting transition, lower work performance and irrational self-destructive behaviour. Mitigation through anxiety of surviving > anxiety of learning, plus “motivating constructive behaviour”
- The problem of organizational control → Managing the transition stage
The issue at hand relates to how we maintain business as usual during the transition stage, and how we measure performance in a way that reflects the actual picture, such that we don’t take decisions on faulty information.
Managing transition: Action, purpose and technique
Actions; Purpose; Tech
Clear vision of future stage; Reduce ambiguity; Stable communication, complete “design” for the beginning
Multiple and consistent leverage points; don’t create new problems; Anticipate problems; Sequence change
Transition devices; Create structures that handles the change specifically; Transition manager, dual back-up of systems,Plan
Obtain feedback about transition state; Know the status of the organization and its performance; create channels for information sharing, correct information is important so be sure to encourage bad news, Quantitative and qualitative tools of data collection
Motivating constructive behaviour: Action, purpose and technique
Action; Purpose; Tech
Create dissatisfaction; Unfreeze; Present information
Obtain employee participation in planing; manage anxiety by letting people speaking their mind; Conferences
Reward desired behavior; Create support and lower anxiety; Formal (Money/Promotion) and informal (Recognition) rewards
Provide time to disengage from current state; a known threat is less scary; Kick offs and cake to celebrate both previous and new relationships
