Lean Six Sigma for the Office

by Brian J. Carroll

ISBN: 0-8493-0532-2

Basics of Supply Chain Management

by Lawrence D. Fredendall and Ed Hill

ISBN: 1-57444-120-5

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comLean Six Sigma

for the Office

James William Martin

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comCrystal Ball® is a registered trademark of Oracle® Software Corporation.

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approach or particular use of the MATLAB® software.

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Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data

Martin, James W. (James William), 1952‑

Lean six sigma for the office / James William Martin.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978‑1‑4200‑6879‑5 (alk. paper)

1. Total quality management. 2. Six sigma (Quality control standard) 3. Office

management. 4. Service industries‑‑Quality control. I. Title.

HD62.15.M3744 2008

658.4’013‑‑dc22

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2008011862

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comContents

Foreword.........................................................................................................xi

About.the.Author........................................................................................... xv

Introduction.................................................................................................xvii

Step 1: Align improvement opportunitieS

1

Strategy.Alignment.................................................................................3

Overview......................................................................................................3

What.Is.Kaizen?............................................................................................4

Strategic.Alignment......................................................................................8

General.Deployment.Strategies...................................................................10

Reducing.System.Complexity.....................................................................17

Outsourcing.Processes................................................................................18

How.to.Deploy.Lean.in.Three.Steps...........................................................22

Step.1:. Align.Improvement.Opportunities.......................................23

Step.2:. Plan.and.Conduct.the.Kaizen.Event.....................................24

Step.3:. Implement.Solutions.and.Change.Behaviors.........................25

Important.Elements.of.a.Lean.System.........................................................26

Understand.the.VOC........................................................................26

Reduce.Product.and.Process.Complexity...........................................28

Deploy.Lean.Six.Sigma.Teams...........................................................29

Implement.Performance.Measurements.............................................29

Create.Value.Stream.Maps.................................................................29

Eliminate.Unnecessary.Operations....................................................30

Implement.Just-in-Time.(JIT)...........................................................30

Develop.Supplier.Networks...............................................................31

Implement.Visual.Controls.and.Pull.Systems....................................32

.Continuously.Update.Process.Technologies.......................................32

Summary....................................................................................................32

Suggested.Reading......................................................................................33

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comi  ◾  Contents

2

3

Project.Identification.............................................................................35

Overview....................................................................................................35

Lean.Supply.Chain.....................................................................................36

Conducting.a.Lean.Assessment...................................................................39

Breaking.Down.High-Level.Goals.and.Objectives.....................................41

Project.Identification—Process.Analysis.....................................................43

Typical.Project.Examples............................................................................45

Key.Metric.Definitions.............................................................................. 46

Project.Charter.Example.............................................................................50

Prioritizing.Projects....................................................................................51

Summary....................................................................................................55

Suggested.Reading......................................................................................56

Lean.Six.Sigma.Basics...........................................................................57

Overview....................................................................................................57

Understand.the.Voice.of.the.Customer.(VOC)...........................................61

Create.Robust.Product.and.Process.Designs.to.Reduce.Complexity.......... 64

Deploy.Lean.Six.Sigma.Teams....................................................................67

Performance.Measurements........................................................................69

Create.Value.Stream.Maps.(VSMs).............................................................70

Eliminate.Unnecessary.Operations.............................................................74

Implement.Just-in-Time.(JIT).Systems.......................................................76

Reorganize.Physical.Configurations..................................................78

5S.and.Standardized.Work............................................................... 80

Link.Operations................................................................................82

Balance.Material.Flow...................................................................... 84

Bottleneck.Management........................................................85

Transfer.Batches.....................................................................87

Mistake.Proofing...............................................................................87

High.Quality.....................................................................................89

Reduce.Setup.Time.(SMED)............................................................ 90

Total.Preventive.Maintenance...........................................................92

Level.Demand...................................................................................94

Reduce.Lot.Sizes................................................................................96

Mixed-Model.Scheduling.......................................................98

Supplier.Networks.and.Support..................................................................98

Implement.Visual.Control.and.Pull.Systems—Kanban............................100

Continually.Update.Process.Technologies................................................102

Summary..................................................................................................105

Suggested.Reading....................................................................................106

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comContents  ◾  ii

Step 2: plAn And ConduCt the KAizen event

4 Kaizen.Event.Planning........................................................................ 111

Overview.................................................................................................. 111

Prepare.for.the.Kaizen.Event.....................................................................113

Select.a.Project.Charter................................................................... 116

Assign.a.Project.Leader.and.Team.Members.................................... 116

Reserve.a.Conference.Room............................................................ 117

Obtain.Supplies.and.Equipment...................................................... 118

Ensure.Facilities.Are.Available,.Including.Breakout.Rooms............. 118

Ensure.Support.Personnel.Are.Available.to.Assist.the.Team............ 118

Collect.Process.Information.of.Floor.Layouts,.Workflows,.and.

Procedures............................................................................ 119

Collect.Information.on.Operational.Cycle.Times............................120

Taking.Pictures.of.the.Area.to.Be.Improved....................................121

Obtaining.Examples.of.Process.Breakdowns...................................122

Obtaining.Examples.of.Best-in-Class.Process.Conditions...............122

Developing.a.Schedule.for.the.Kaizen.Event....................................123

Communicating.the.Event...............................................................124

Marking.Areas.for.the.Event............................................................124

Setting.Up.Flip.Charts.and.Organizing.Other.Materials................124

Kaizen.Event.Communication.Letter.......................................................125

Kaizen.Event.Kickoff.Agenda...................................................................126

Conducting.the.Event...............................................................................127

Bring.Team.Together.to.Discuss.Roles.and.Responsibilities............127

Discuss.Operational.and.Financial.Objectives.of.the.

Kaizen.Event........................................................................128

Conduct.Team.Training.as.Required...............................................128

Create.Detailed.Value.Stream.Maps.and.Layouts.of.the.

Process.Workflow.................................................................129

Facilitate.to.Ensure.Full.Participation.of.Team................................129

Collect.Data.at.Every.Operation......................................................131

Analyze.Data.and.Develop.Prioritized.Improvements.....................136

Change.the.Process..........................................................................137

Apply.5S.and.Mistake-Proofing.Methods........................................137

Evaluate.the.Kaizen.Event........................................................................138

Summary..................................................................................................139

Suggested.Reading....................................................................................140

5 Data.Collection.and.Analysis..............................................................141

Overview..................................................................................................141

Value.Stream.Mapping.............................................................................143

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comiii  ◾  Contents

Brown-Paper.Exercise...............................................................................149

Process.Characterization........................................................................... 151

Simple.Analysis.of.Process.Data................................................................160

Process.Mapping—SIPOC.......................................................................163

Cause-and-Effect.(C&E).Diagrams..........................................................164

Five-Why.Analysis....................................................................................165

Histogram................................................................................................167

Pareto.Chart.............................................................................................168

Box.Plot....................................................................................................169

Scatter.Plot...............................................................................................170

Time.Series.Graph....................................................................................170

Control.Charts.........................................................................................172

Example:.Analyzing.Job.Shadowing.Data.................................................175

Example:.Inventory.Analysis.and.Reduction.............................................177

Summary..................................................................................................182

Suggested.Reading....................................................................................184

Process.Improvement..........................................................................185

Overview..................................................................................................185

Common.Process.Changes.......................................................................185

Control.Tool.Effectiveness.and.Sustainability...........................................194

Root.Cause.Analysis.and.Improvement.Strategies.....................................196

Examples.Using.Common.Process.Workflows..........................................199

Example.1:. Financial.Forecasting.................................................. 200

Example.2:. Accounts.Receivable....................................................202

Example.3:. New.Product.Market.Research................................... 204

Example.4:. New.Product.Development..........................................205

Example.5:. Hiring.Employees....................................................... 208

Example.6:. Supplier.Performance.Management.............................210

Identifying.and.Prioritizing.Improvement.Opportunities.........................212

Summary..................................................................................................213

Suggested.Reading.................................................................................... 215

6

Step 3: implementing SolutionS

7

Building.a.Business.Case.for.Change..................................................219

Overview.................................................................................................. 219

Change.Readiness.....................................................................................223

Project.Transition.....................................................................................225

Building.a.Business.Case.for.Change....................................................... 226

Cost–Benefit.Analysis...............................................................................227

Key.Stakeholder.Analysis..........................................................................229

Infrastructure.Analysis.............................................................................233

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comContents  ◾

ix

8

Scheduling.Process.Change.Activities...................................................... 234

Communication.......................................................................................235

Summary..................................................................................................236

Suggested.Reading....................................................................................237

Implementing.Solutions......................................................................239

Overview..................................................................................................239

Key.Questions..........................................................................................240

Control.Plan.Requirements......................................................................241

Important.Control.Tools......................................................................... 242

Statistical.Process.Controls...................................................................... 244

Measurement.System.Improvements.........................................................254

Failure.Mode.and.Effects.Analysis.(FMEA).............................................255

Other.Control.Tools.................................................................................258

Quality.Control.Plan................................................................................259

Communicating.the.Proposed.Changes.to.Management..........................259

Follow-Up.Activities.................................................................................261

Creating.Metric.Dashboards.....................................................................263

Summary..................................................................................................263

Suggested.Reading....................................................................................265

9

Reinforcing.New.Behaviors.and.Organizational.Change...................267

Overview..................................................................................................267

Process.Change.across.Global.Supply.Chains...........................................269

Summary..................................................................................................274

Suggested.Reading....................................................................................275

Conclusion...................................................................................................277

Appendix.1:. Crystal.Ball®.Software............................................................285

Appendix.2:. Minitab®.Statistical.Software.and.Quality.Companion.

by.Minitab..............................................................................295

Appendix.3:. Figures.and.Tables..................................................................299

Glossary.......................................................................................................305

Index............................................................................................................321

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comwww.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comForeword

My.goal.in.writing.this.book.is.to.provide.a.simple.reference.to.plan.and.conduct.

Kaizen. or. rapid. improvement. events. in. service. systems. and. office. environments.

in.particular..Although.no.one.book.could.possibly.contain.every.tool,.method,.

and.concept.currently.used.to.improve.operational.performance.and.productivity,.

I.have.brought.together.in.Lean Six Sigma for the Office.a.practical.reference.of.tools,.

methods,. and. concepts. that. have. been. developed. specifically. for. service. environ-

ments.to.enable.a.reader.to.quickly.understand.Lean.Six.Sigma.concepts.to.rapidly.

improve.his.or.her.process.using.Kaizen.events..Kaizen.means.to.“to.take.apart”.

and. “to. make. good.”. In. our. discussion. we. will. use. the. terms. Kaizen. and. rapid

improvement.synonymously.because.rapid.improvement.is.our.focus..These.rapid.

improvement.events.usually.span.just.several.days.but.have.as.their.objective.imme-

diate.process.improvement.by.local.work.teams.

The.key.tools,.methods,.and.concepts.that.are.contained.in.this.book.have.been.

condensed.from.my.Lean.Six.Sigma.consulting.and.graduate.teaching.assignments.

over.the.past.30.years..These.assignments.were.in.diverse.service.industries.across.

the. world,. such. as. banking,. insurance,. procurement,. research. and. development,.

accounting,.sales.and.marketing,.finance,.food.and.retail.distribution,.and.logistics..

Extensive.research.was.also.conducted.to.develop.new.ways.to.collect.and.analyze.

information.from.dynamic.process.workflows.that.are.virtual.and.widely.geograph-

ically. dispersed. across. the. world.. This. new. and. expanded. process. improvement.

information.will.help.your.team.identify.and.execute.Kaizen.projects.to.increase.

your.organization’s.operational.efficiency.and.customer.satisfaction.

Service.systems.have.unique.operational.characteristics.that.are.different.from.

those.found.in.manufacturing..As.an.example,.in.service.industries,.the.flow.of.infor-

mation.in.various.formats,.as.opposed.to.materials.or.physical.objects,.is.measured.

and.analyzed.by.a.Kaizen.team..This.does.not.imply.that.the.flow.of.information.

and.materials.is.not.measured.within.both.types.of.systems,.but.only.that.the.flow.

of.information,.in.the.form.of.transactions,.predominates.within.service.systems..

As.an.example,.in.service.industries,.most.of.the.work.is.virtually.contained.within.

information.technology.(IT).systems..Or.if.it.is.in.physical.form,.then.it.appears.in.

the.form.of.data.collection.forms,.exception.lists,.requests.for.information,.orders,.

xi

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comxii  ◾  Foreword

invoices,.and.other.summarized.informational.formats.processed.or.transformed.by.

a.system..As.a.result,.data.collection.and.analysis.methods.must.be.highly.modified.

in.some.systems.to.capture.essential.operational.information.when.it.occurs.

In. summary,. a. major. focus. of. this. book. is. a. discussion. of. methods. to. effi-

ciently.collect.and.analyze.operational.data.to.improve.service.system.operations..

However,.the.activities.required.to.do.this.work.are.usually.very.difficult.because.a.

process.workflow.may.span.several.locations.across.the.world..This.greatly.compli-

cates.a.team’s.improvement.efforts.in.globally.dispersed.work.environments..As.an.

example,.operational.information.may.be.gathered.across.several.globally.dispersed.

organizational.functions.using.disparate.IT.systems.and.platforms..Common.exam-

ples. of. these. IT. systems. include. business. process. management. (BPM),. business.

.modeling.and.analyses.(BMAs),.business.intelligence.(BI),.business.activity.moni-

toring.(BAM),.enterprise.application.integration.(EAI),.and.workflow.management.

(WM).systems..Each.of.these.systems.varies.in.its.ability.to.measure,.monitor,.and.

control.process.workflows..As.an.example,.there.is.a.hierarchal.relationship.between.

these.systems.because.business.process.management.(BPM).systems.integrate.sev-

eral.IT.platforms.or.systems,.as.opposed.to.business.activity.(BAM).monitoring,.

which.monitors.the.flow.of.transactions.across.several.workflows,.but.not.normally.

between. different. IT. platforms.. As. an. example,. BPM. systems. manage. business.

modeling.specifications.such.as.business.design.goals.and.objectives,.middleware.

specifications. such. as. hardware. components,. software,. telecommunications,. and.

the.structuring.mechanisms.for.data.collection.management.and.object.location..

Also,.BMA.platforms.are.lower-level.systems.that.specify.rules.to.model.a.process.

workflow..The.other.IT.systems.discussed.above.are.useful.in.analyzing,.monitor-

ing,.and.controlling.specific.process.workflows.and.functions..A.major.goal.of.this.

book.will.be.to.show.how.data.can.be.collected.across.disparate.IT.platforms.and.

similar.hierarchal.systems.

A.common.approach.taken.by.some.manufacturing.consultants,.when.deployed.

within.a.service.system,.is.to.integrate.manufacturing.methodologies.with.a.few.

modifications.relevant.for.system.analysis.and.improvement..As.part.of.these.opera-

tional. assessments,. modified. tools. and. methods. are. used. to. collect. and. analyze.

process.data.to.identify.improvement.opportunities..However,.the.resultant.system.

improvements.may.be.unwieldy,.and.in.some.situations.somewhat.embarrassing..

As.an.example,.I.have.seen.process.improvements.degenerate.into.a.set.of.inconse-

quential.controls..Examples.include.applying.a.pull.system.to.drinks.in.a.refrigera-

tor.or.marking.off.where.flip.charts.should.be.positioned.and.similar.minor.and.

even. annoying. activities.. The. same. situation. can. occur. in. manufacturing. where.

improvements.require.a.high.level.of.manual.intervention.for.their.maintenance..

In.these.types.of.situations,.the.resultant.impression.made.on.professional.service.

workers.is.that.organizational.effort.and.resources.have.been.applied.to.a.process.

without.significant.business.benefits..These.actions.tend.to.detract.from.the.use-

fulness.of.Lean.Six.Sigma.when.it.is.applied.within.an.office.environment..Also,.

office. cultures. are. different. than. those. found. in. manufacturing. because. process.

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comForeword  ◾  xiii

.workflows.may.be.globally.dispersed.and.rely.heavily.on.IT..As.a.result,.more.ele-

gant.and.practical.methods.are.required.to.improve.and.sustain.the.productivity.

of.service.systems..In.other.words,.the.work.done.by.service.professionals.must.be.

measured.differently.than.that.in.manufacturing.environments.

As.a.result.of.these.observations.and.opinions,.a.major.goal.of.writing.this.book.

is.to.document.the.lessons.I.have.learned.deploying.Lean.Six.Sigma.in.industries.

such.as.banking,.insurance,.mutual.funds,.manufacturing,.and.retail.operations,.

as.well.as.many.other.service.systems.to.create.a.practical.and.hands-on.reference.

written.for.people.who.need.a.concise.and.practical.source.of.information.to.rapidly.

improve.their.service.operations.anywhere.in.the.world..The.nine.chapters.com-

prising.this.book.contain.more.than.150.figures,.tables,.and.road.maps.covering.

a.range.of.practical.topics,.such.as.project.identification.and.alignment,.cultural.

transformation.and.team.building,.data.collection.activities,.and.the.application.of.

simple.tools.and.methods.to.analyze.the.data.collected.from.dynamic.and.virtual.

systems. that. may. contain. numerous. integrated. process. workflows.. Understand-

ing.these.topics.will.help.ensure.that.your.organization’s.operational.systems.meet.

.customer.needs.and.expectations..Each.of.the.nine.chapters.also.contains.checklists.

and. evaluation. tools.. These. are. provided. in. the. form. of. Excel. templates. to. help.

your.organization.identify.areas.for.operational.improvement..In.this.context,.the.

book.also.emphasizes.the.importance.of.strategic.alignment.of.Kaizen.events.and.

improvement.projects.as.well.as.considering.the.impact.of.organizational.culture.

on.process.improvement.activities..In.later.chapters.of.the.book,.key.elements.of.

a.change.model.are.also.discussed.in.the.context.of.transitional.improvements.to.

the.process.owner.and.local.work.team..In.summary,.this.book.has.been.written.

from.a.viewpoint.that.people.and.the.cultural.aspects.of.process.improvement.are.

as.important.as.the.Lean.and.Six.Sigma.tools.and.methods.that.are.used.to.identify.

and. execute. process. improvements.. It. is. my. opinion. that. effective. and. sustain-

able.organizational.change.can.be.accomplished.by.applying.the.proven.principles.

found.in.this.book.

I.must.thank.Raymond.O’Connell,.my.Auerbach.senior.editor,.for.encouraging.

me.to.write.this.book..Also,.I.thank.Jeff.Ozarski.of.Minitab®.Statistical.Software.

and.Quality.Companion.by.Minitab™.as.well.as.Lawrence.Goldman,.senior.man-

ager.of.product.marketing.of.Oracle’s.Crystal.Ball®.software.for.complimentary.cop-

ies.of.their.software..Finally,.I.thank.my.family,.my.clients.and.Providence.College.

graduate.students.who.have.provided.the.inspiration.for.this.book.as.well.as.Elaine.

Kowansky,.president.of.Gelrad.Consulting,.and.her.husband,.Ram.Josyula,.for.their.

support.this.past.year.

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comwww.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comAbout the Author

James.W..Martin.is.president.of.Six.Sigma.Integra-

tion,.Inc.,.a.Lean.Six.Sigma.consulting.firm.located.

south.of.Boston,.and.the.author.of.the.books.Opera-

tional Excellence: Using Lean Six Sigma to Translate

Customer Value through Global Supply Chains. and.

Lean Six Sigma for Supply Chain Management: The

10-Step Solution Process..As.a.Lean.Six.Sigma.con-

sultant. and. master. black. belt. for. more. than. ten.

years,.Mr..Martin.has.trained.and.mentored.more.

than. 1,500. black. belts,. executives,. deployment.

champions,. and. green. belts. in. Lean. Six. Sigma.

methods,. including. supply. chain. applications,.

and.has.led.successful.Lean.Six.Sigma.assessments.

across. Japan,. China,. Korea,. Singapore,. Malaysia,.

.Thailand,.Australia,.North.America,.and.Europe..

This.work.included.organizations.in.retail.sales,.residential.and.commercial.service,.

banking,.insurance,.financial.services,.measurement.systems,.aerospace.component.

manufacturing,.electronic.manufacturing,.controls,.building.products,.industrial.

equipment,. and. consumer. products.. He. has. also. served. as. an. instructor. at. the.

Providence. College. Graduate. School. of. Business. since. 1988.. He. teaches. courses.

in.operations.research,.operations.management,.and.economic.forecasting.as.well.

as. related. quantitative. subjects,. and. counsels. MBA. candidates. from. government.

organizations.and.leading.corporations..He.holds.an.MS.in.mechanical.engineer-

ing,.Northeastern.University;.an.MBA,.Providence.College;.and.a.BS.in.industrial.

engineering,. University. of. Rhode. Island.. He. also. holds. several. patents. and. has.

written.numerous.articles.on.quality.and.process.improvement..He.is.a.member.of.

APICS.and.has.certifications.in.production.and.inventory.management.(CPIM).

and.integrated.resource.management.(CIRM)..He.is.a.member.of.the.American.

Society.for.Quality.(ASQ).and.is.a.certified.quality.engineer.(CQE).

x

www.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comwww.EngineeringEbooksPdf.comintroduction

Over.the.past.several.years,.the.tools,.methods,.and.concepts.of.Lean.manufacturing.

have.been.increasingly.applied.to.the.characterization.and.improvement.of.service.

process.workflows..Although.this.information.is.generally.useful,.it.is.usually.a.fact.

that.data.collection.and.analysis.activities.are.more.difficult.in.service.applications..

Also,.it.is.generally.found.that.process.improvements.in.service.systems.rely.to.a.

great.extent.on.implementation.of.information.technology.(IT).countermeasures.

to.eliminate.the.root.causes.related.to.high.cycle.time,.low.yields,.and.high.trans-

action.cost..As.an.example,.in.a.manufacturing.system,.a.Lean.assessment.team.

will.work.in.a.coordinated.manner.to.obtain.quantifiable.information.relative.to.

operational.metrics.such.as.cycle.time,.uptime,.yield,.inventory,.setup.time,.and.

similar.metrics..In.this.assessment.work,.teams.are.deployed.across.several.manu-

facturing.process.workflows.to.physically.count.materials.and.collect.operational.

information.from.the.workflows..In.these.applications,.data.collection.is.challeng-

ing. but. straightforward.. This. is. because. machine. operations. are. very. repeatable.

hour.to.hour.and.day.to.day,.which.enables.operational.data.to.be.gathered.over.

several.machine.cycles.to.improve.its.accuracy..Also,.auditors.can.usually.return.

to.a.manufacturing.process.to.obtain.confirmatory.data.to.support.their.analysis.

and.recommendations.

In.contrast,.service.systems.are.heavily.dependent.on.a.combination.of.manual.

and. computerized. work. tasks.. This. makes. it. difficult. to. directly. observe. process.

transactions.within.these.systems.without.using.modified.data.collec...