increasing overall effectiveness of laboratory operations ncsli annual conference national harbor,...

Increasing overall effectiveness of laboratory operations

NCSLI Annual Conference

National Harbor, Maryland

Presented by Dean S. Williams

© 2011 Effective Focus Insights. All Rights Reserved

How?

Knowledge&

Motivation

KnowledgeTough to do what you don’t know

how to do

Effectiveness

can be

Very Simple

Motivation’cause it just won’t happen on its own

Effectiveness

is like

Staying in Shape

You can do it

Once upon a time …

10Woke up facing a BIG problem

Instrument Backlog

12

13

Chain – talk about underlying principle - system level – everything is part of a system

and church illustration

real effectiveness is about

SYSTEM Effectiveness

EffectiveFocus(simple)

Insights

Principles• Focus – Goal + a Simple Plan• Improve – address the constraint• Evaluate – Measure your progress

Pragmatics• Problems – What to change• Conflicts – What to change to• Resistance – How to change

Practices• Simplify – Creating efficiency • Prioritize – Planning success• Execute – Getting results

Principles• Focus – Goal + a Simple Plan• Improve – address the constraint• Evaluate – Measure your progress

1st Principle - You need to have Focus

Focus = a goal and a simple plan

“You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."

-Yogi Berra

Our Goal

Ensure the Right Measurement Resource is in the Right Place at the Right

Time.

1st Principle - You need to have Focus

Focus = a goal and a simple plan

“Enthusiasm without knowledge is like running in the dark.”

- unknown

Our Goal and Simple Plan

2nd Principle – To Improve, address the Constraint

“It’s possible to spend your time working efficiently on unimportant problems which, when solved, will bring no glory to you and no profit to the company.”

- Robert H. Henry

System view of M&TE operations

Plants

2500

2500

2500

500

Receiving

500 after

350 before

10 Labs

Total

Production

250

Approval

600

Shipping

Capabilities of each function

350 before

500 after

3rd Principle – Measure to improve effectiveness

“Tell me how you will measure me and I’ll tell you how I will behave.”

- Eli Goldratt

Throughput

Three Measuresfor greater effectiveness

Inventory

Operating Expenses

Principles• Focus – Goal + a Simple Plan• Improve – address the constraint• Evaluate – Measure your progress

Practices• Simplify – Creating efficiency • Prioritize – Planning success• Execute – Getting results

31

32

1st Practice – Simplify for greater effectiveness

“Almost every well-established organization has a coral reef of procedures that were laid down to achieve some long forgotten objective.”

- John W. Gardner

What don’t you need?

David?

Get rid of everything that doesn’t look like David.

It’s OK to…

38

3

1

2nd Practice – Prioritize for greater effectiveness

It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. 

The question is:  What are we busy about?

-Henry David Thoreau

Focus on Quadrant 2, the “green” zone

Not

Im

port

ant

/

I

mpo

rtan

t

Urgent / Not Urgent

1

3 4

PRIORITY GRID

2

IMPORTANTAnd you let then become

URGENT

NOT IMPORTANTbut they actURGENT

IMPORTANTAnd not yetURGENT

NOT IMPORTANTAnd not

URGENT

41

3rd Practice – Execute with singleness of mind for greater effectiveness

“Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.”

- Peter Drucker

Multi-tasking

"To do two things at once, is to do neither.“ - Publilius Syrus

Learn from the Gerbil

Be the Relay Runner

Eat the Frog

Practices• Simplify – Creating efficiency • Prioritize – Planning success• Execute – Getting results

31

Pragmatics• Problems – What to change• Conflicts – What to change to• Resistance – How to change

Goal

Need

Need

Want

Want

Conflict

Type and nature of the problem

Direction of the solution

The complete solution

Negative side effects

Obstacles

Un-verbalized fears

Effective Change

Symptom

Cause

Symptom

Symptom

Cause

Root Cause

Symptom

Cause

SymptomSymptom

Cause

Root Cause

1st Pragmatic– Problemsgetting beyond the symptoms to find lasting solutions

“When we find and work at removing the actual cause of the problem we will never find it repeating.”

- Brahma Kumaris

52

Go beyond dealing with symptoms and start

addressing the underlying causes.

2nd Pragmatic– Conflictsbreaking the barriers to greater effectiveness

Goal

Need

Need

Want

Want

Conflict

“We are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when we discuss it freely.”

- Thomas Babington

55

Move from arguing about wantsand start talking about needs and common goals

Type and nature of the problem

Direction of the solution

The complete solution

Negative side effects

Obstacles

Un-verbalized fears

Effective Change

3rd Pragmatic– Resistance planning for more effectiveness solutions

6 Laye

rs o

f

Resist

ance

“There are no problems we cannot solve together and very few we can solve by ourselves.”

– Lyndon Johnson

58

Overcome resistance to changeby effectively engaging the stakeholders – determine and address their concerns

Pragmatics• Problems – What to change• Conflicts – What to change to• Resistance – How to change

Goal

Need

Need

Want

Want

Conflict

Type and nature of the problem

Direction of the solution

The complete solution

Negative side effects

Obstacles

Un-verbalized fears

Effective Change

Symptom

Cause

Symptom

Symptom

Cause

Root Cause

Principles• Focus – Goal + a Simple Plan• Improve – address the constraint• Evaluate – Measure your progress

Pragmatics• Problems – What to change• Conflicts – What to change to• Resistance – How to change

Practices• Simplify – Creating efficiency • Prioritize – Planning success• Execute – Getting results

Recommended Reading

• 7 Habits – Stephen Covey• The Goal – Eliyahu Goldratt• Finally Focused – Dean Williams• Switch – Chip & Dan Heath• Strengths Finder – Rath• Well Being Finder – Rath &

Harter

What’s your next step?

EffectiveFocusInsights

Questions? Comments

Principles• Focus – Goal + a Simple Plan• Improve – address the constraint• Evaluate – Measure your progress

Practices• Simplify – Creating efficiency • Prioritize – Planning success• Execute – Getting results

Pragmatics• Problems – What to change• Conflicts – What to change to• Resistance – How to change