Lean Process Excellence

Question 1

Operational excellence (what is it)

Answer 1

Operational excellence is the alignment of people, technology & data to optimize decision making and drive continuous value to our members.

Question 2

Five Lean Principles

Answer 2

1. Identify member value
2. Identify and Map the Process
3. Create flow by eliminating waste
4. Respond to member pull
5. Pursue perfection

Question 3

Lean Process Rules

Answer 3

1. Everything we do is a process, and we want value to flow through our processes.
2. All processes have variation and waste
3. All variation and waste have a root cause
4. Known root causes should be eliminated, reduced or controlled

5.All customers have suppliers and all suppliers have customers.

Question 4

Metrics Based Process Map (MBPM)
What is the purpose?

Answer 4

Immediate feedback on potential waste, bottlenecks or possible improvements.

Allows for a person to walk, interview, document and measure all steps in a process.

Not recommended to discuss improvements, only document them.

Question 5

Metrics Based Process Map (MBPM) - headers

Answer 5

From left to right:
1. Role (person)
2. Function (what needs to be done)
3. System(s)
4. Time (mins)
5. Result (deliverable)
6. Dependency (what is required to do this step)

Question 6

What is a Lean Process - A process which produces

Answer 6

1. What the customer wants value
2. In the quantity the customer wants demand
3. When the customer wants it schedule

Question 7

What is a Lean Process?
While using minimum resources (hint tempo)

Answer 7

Time
Equipment
Materials
People
Operations

Question 8

What is a Lean Process - eliminate Bottlenecks

Answer 8

Can only go as fast as your slowest process step

Question 9

Process Improvement by PDCA
Combining Lean and PDCA/A3 for process Improvement

Lean Methodology

Answer 9

1. Identify Value
2. Map the Process
3. Create the flow by eliminating waste
4. respond to customer pull
5. Purse continuous improvement

Question 10

Process Improvement by PDCA
Combining Lean and PDCA/A3 for process Improvement

PDCA - A3 Template - Plan

Answer 10

Plan - 1. Define problem statement
Plan - 2. Measure the current state
Plan - 3. Set Target Goals
Plan - 4. Analyze the root cause

Question 11

Process Improvement by PDCA
Combining Lean and PDCA/A3 for process Improvement

PDCA - A3 Template - Do

Answer 11

Do - 1 - propose solution
Do - 2 - implement Solutions

Question 12

Process Improvement by PDCA
Combining Lean and PDCA/A3 for process Improvement

PDCA - A3 Template - check

Answer 12

Evaluate results and processes

Question 13

Process Improvement by PDCA
Combining Lean and PDCA/A3 for process Improvement

PDCA - A3 Template - Act

Answer 13

Act - 1- Follow up Actions

Question 14

Explain what is an implementation plan

Answer 14

How your recommended countermeasures will impact the root cause to change the current situation and achieve the target.

1. List of all relevant countermeasures with focus on the most impactful solution.
2. Communicate proposed solution to stakeholders

Question 15

Implementation Plan Template

Answer 15

Problem Statement:

8 items below - 3 large horizontal 5 vertical

1.) Root Cause (why) - large horizontal

2.) countermeasure / proposed solutions (what) - large horizontal

3.) feasibility - small vertical

4.) Specific Actions (how?) Large horizontal

5. Effectiveness - small vertical
6. Overall - small vertical
7. Action - (who?) small vertical
8. Value ($/period)

Question 16

Explain what is a SIPOC

Answer 16

A diagram used in Lean methodology to identify key stakeholders and the current state of a process from a high-level view of the workflow.

( Key component to understanding a process in order to create a problem statement in your A3 template)

Question 17

SIPOC Map Template

Answer 17

Supplier
Input
Process
Output
Customer

UNDER PROCESS
1. RFI /RFP / RFQ process completed >
2. Business lead submits a project intake request and business case >

3. Process excellence and Executive team reviews >
4. Vendor due diligence performed >
5. Vendor Selected

Question 18

A3 / Kaizen problem solving template
(Plan)

Answer 18

Define problem statement
Explain what issue you want to solve.
How is it impacting org?
Provide relevant background

Measure the current State
What is the current process
Include a SIPOC diagram
Provide any metrics regarding the issue

Target(s)/Goal(s) of the future state
What is the specific change you want to accomplish now.
Diagram the desired state.
Include measurable targets -how will you measure success?

Root Cause Analysis
The root cause(s) of the problem.
-Why are we experiencing the symptom?
-whay constraints prevent us from the goal?

Choose the simplest problem solving tool for this issue:
-5 Whys
-fishbone
-QC Tools

Question 19

A3 / Kaizen Problem Solving Template (Do)

Answer 19

Proposed Solution/ Implementation Plan
How your recommended countermeasures will impact the root cause to change the current situation and achieve the target.

Provide an implementation plan for your solution
-What is being changed?
-Who will do the work?
-When will this take place?

Question 20

A3 / Kaizen Problem Solving Template (Check)

Answer 20

Effect Confirmation
-Provide measurable results of what the solution achieved.
-Define KPI’s of the new performance/ impact
-Identify the sources of the data
-Who is responsible for the ongoing measurement of the new process?

Question 21

A3 / Kaizen Problem Solving Template (ACT)

Answer 21

Follow up Actions
How do you plan to:
Standardize the new process.
Communicate the process to other teams.