for improvement · version 1.0 23/02/2015 people directorate adult services driving performance and...
TRANSCRIPT
Version 1.0 23/02/2015
People Directorate
Adult Services
Driving Performance and
Continuous Improvement
For Improvement
Implementation Guide
Version 1.0 23/02/2015
DRIVER, REFLECT, INSPIRE, ADVANCE, VISION and the four triangle
logo are trademarks of Angus Council.
Version 1.0 23/02/2015
Contents
1 What is ADVANCE for Improvement? ........................................................................... 1
1.1 What do we mean by improvement? ................................................................... 1
1.1.1 Putting Customers First ...................................................................................... 2
1.1.2 Balancing the Three Voices ............................................................................. 3
1.1.3 Understanding Business Processes .................................................................. 4
1.1.4 Eliminating Waste .............................................................................................. 5
1.1.5 Rethinking what we do and why we do it ..................................................... 7
1.1.6 The cost of poor quality and the cost of improvement ............................... 9
2 Overview of the ADVANCE Improvement Process ................................................... 10
2.1 The Improvement Cycle ........................................................................................ 10
2.2 Structure and Roles ................................................................................................. 10
2.2.1 The Guiding Team ........................................................................................... 11
2.2.2 ADVANCE Teams ............................................................................................. 11
2.2.3 Sprint Teams ...................................................................................................... 11
2.2.4 The Change and Improvement Team ......................................................... 12
3 Leading Improvement: The Guiding Team ................................................................ 13
3.1 Setting the Strategic Context ................................................................................ 13
3.2 Communicating the Vision .................................................................................... 14
3.3 Developing a Programme for Improvement ...................................................... 14
3.4 Chartering Improvement Projects ........................................................................ 15
3.4.1 The Roles of Sponsor and Process Owner .................................................... 16
3.5 Celebrating Success............................................................................................... 16
4 Preparation for an Improvement Project ................................................................... 17
4.1 Improvement Project Proposal ............................................................................. 17
4.2 Process Metrics ........................................................................................................ 17
4.3 Voice of the Customer (VOC) .............................................................................. 18
4.4 Practical Arrangements for the ADVANCE Team .............................................. 19
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4.4.1 The programme ............................................................................................... 19
4.4.2 The venue ......................................................................................................... 20
4.4.3 Visits to process workplace ............................................................................ 20
4.4.4 Equipment and resources .............................................................................. 20
4.4.5 Facilitator preparation .................................................................................... 21
5 DEFINE Phase .................................................................................................................. 22
5.1 Forming the Team ................................................................................................... 22
5.2 Defining the Goals .................................................................................................. 22
5.3 Preparation for the MEASURE Phase .................................................................... 23
5.4 Update the Project Logs and Ideas Bank ........................................................... 23
6 MEASURE Phase .............................................................................................................. 24
6.1 Selecting the Key Measurements ......................................................................... 24
6.2 Walking the Process ................................................................................................ 25
6.2.1 Value Stream Walk Observation Sheet ........................................................ 25
6.2.2 Value Stream Walk Cycle Time Record ....................................................... 25
6.3 Mapping the Current Value Stream .................................................................... 26
6.4 Walking the Process Backwards ........................................................................... 27
6.4.1 Value Stream Walk Voice of the Process ..................................................... 28
6.4.2 6S Evaluation Sheet ......................................................................................... 28
6.4.3 Updating the map ........................................................................................... 28
6.5 Update the Project Logs and Ideas Bank ........................................................... 28
7 ANALYSE Phase ............................................................................................................... 29
7.1 Applying and evaluating the metrics .................................................................. 29
7.1.1 Lead time (LT) ................................................................................................... 29
7.1.2 Process time (PT) .............................................................................................. 29
7.1.3 Activity ratio (AR) ............................................................................................. 30
7.1.4 Customer demand rate (CDR) ...................................................................... 30
7.1.5 Takt rate (TR) ..................................................................................................... 30
7.1.6 Percentage complete and accurate (%C&A) ........................................... 31
7.1.7 Work in process (WIP) ...................................................................................... 31
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7.1.8 Backlog Rate (BR) ............................................................................................ 31
7.1.9 Process cycle efficiency (PCE) ...................................................................... 32
7.2 Identifying Waste and the Root Causes of Waste ............................................. 32
7.3 Identifying Solutions ................................................................................................ 33
7.4 Prioritising Improvement Actions ........................................................................... 34
7.5 Mapping the Future Value Stream ....................................................................... 35
7.6 Creating an Improvement Plan ............................................................................ 35
7.7 Commissioning SPRINT Teams................................................................................ 36
7.8 Update the Project Logs and Ideas Bank ........................................................... 36
8 IMPROVE Phase .............................................................................................................. 37
8.1 Why SPRINT? ............................................................................................................. 37
8.2 SPRINT Rapid Improvement Process ..................................................................... 37
8.2.1 PLAN .................................................................................................................. 37
8.2.2 DO ...................................................................................................................... 38
8.2.3 STUDY ................................................................................................................. 38
8.2.4 ADJUST............................................................................................................... 39
8.3 Shifting the culture .................................................................................................. 40
9 CONTROL Phase ............................................................................................................. 41
9.1 Reviewing the Results of the SPRINTs .................................................................... 41
9.2 Securing the Gains ................................................................................................. 41
9.2.1 The Habit of Excellence .................................................................................. 41
9.2.2 Error Proofing .................................................................................................... 42
9.3 Project Logs and Lessons Learnt ........................................................................... 43
9.4 Ideas Bank ............................................................................................................... 43
10 Project Closure ............................................................................................................ 44
ADVANCE for Improvement: Implementation Guide 1
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1 What is ADVANCE for Improvement?
ADVANCE is part of the DRIVER performance and improvement programme
developed for Angus Council Adult Services.
ADVANCE aims to develop a culture of continuous improvement at all levels of
Adult Services and deliver tangible improvements for our customers.
ADVANCE builds on the DRIVER philosophy of continuous improvement.
ADVANCE is about how the services we
deliver and the way that we deliver them
can be continuously improved to deliver
better outcomes for customers at lower cost
by eliminating waste and designing quality into
our processes.
The philosophy is built around six principles: the
customer is front and centre in everything we
do; our decisions should be based on
evidence; all staff should be respected for
their contribution to service improvement;
improvement outcomes should always be SMART; everyone in the process is
accountability for delivery; we aim for excellence in all that we do.
Throughout this guide reference is made to a number of tools which can be
accessed by Angus Council staff from the following link:
TBC
1.1 What do we mean by improvement?
Firstly let’s be clear what improvement is not. It is not about reducing staff numbers,
it is not about making staff work harder, and it is not about meeting corporate
targets.
Improvement is about doing the best we can for our customers every time,
continuously refining the services we deliver and the way we deliver them so that as
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little effort is wasted on things that are unimportant to the customer and more effort
on things which delight our customers.
1.1.1 Putting Customers First
In most cases the people who use our services are our primary customers.
Everything we do should be built around what our customers tell is important to
them.
This does not take away from the skills and professional expertise of our staff; those
remain critical to getting the right service for our customers. But only customers
know what matters to them in the way the service is delivered, how they are
treated, and the outcomes they value.
There is no point in delivering services that people don’t need, don’t want, or which
are ineffective in delivering positive outcomes for our customers.
Just because council services are public services it does not mean that they should
be any less customer focused and customer led than services in the private sector.
In fact they should be more focused on the customer as local authorities are there
to improve the public good rather than narrow private profit.
In general what the customer wants can be easily expressed in the following
formula:
Public services tend to focus on accuracy, cost and effectiveness but do not pay
so much attention to timeliness, accessibility or respectfulness.
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Our customers expect that all of these aspects of a service to be as much a priority
for us as they are to them.
Part of the purpose of continuous improvement is to make that a reality.
1.1.2 Balancing the Three Voices
There are three voices which determine what we do in our work and how we do it.
There is a natural tendency within any organisation for the voice of the organisation
to take precedence over the other two voices. This is understandable when the
voice of the organisation is to shape work around legal, regulatory and budgetary
requirements. But often, particularly in respect of corporate support services such
as HR or IT, it can often seem that our work is more determined by the limits of IT
systems or human resources policies than the needs of our customers.
In any hierarchical system teams working at the operational “coal face” expect to
be directed in what to do by higher layers of management. However, when the
requirements placed on front line service teams come to seem onerous or to get in
the way of their work there is a natural backlash. People who work at the front line
delivering services to customers consider themselves best placed to decide how
the work needs to be done and consider their voice, the voice of the process, to
be more important than the voice of the organisation. This is particularly true where
front line staff have professional, para-professional or technical expertise which is
possessed by neither the organisation nor the customer.
Neither situation (where the voice of the organisation or the voice of the process
take precedence) is effective nor will either result in quality service to customers.
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Both are important in shaping services but it is the voice of the customer which
determines what the service needs to be and how it is delivered. Quality, like
beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, and in a service industry like adult services
only the view of the customer ultimately matters.
The secret to continuous improvement which is sustained is to get the right balance
between the three voices, one which accords equal weight to the voices of
organisation and process and a much greater weight to the voice of the customer.
1.1.3 Understanding Business Processes
A business process is any sequence of activities or tasks which begin with a
customer request for a service and end with the customer receiving that service.
Business processes look very different depending on your perspective.
Processes rarely work in the way we planned or in the way the customer expects.
Typically they are in reality much more complex and consist of tasks and steps
which add nothing of value to the customer, nor contribute to the organisation’s
requirements or the needs those involved in carrying out the process.
There are basically three types of work which we do in providing services; work
which is valuable to the customer, work which is not of value to the customer but
we have to do for other reasons, and work which we don’t need to do.
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To improve a service process we need to maximise value added work, minimise
required non-value added work and eliminate waste.
In the service sector including local government the proportion of time between
the start and end of the process which is value added work can be under 10% of
the total process time and waste can account for over 70% of the total process
time.
Business processes can be viewed as a stream which carries value to the customer,
a value stream in which customer value is frequently diluted by non-value added
activity.
This way of looking at a process, in terms of value rather than function, is particularly
helpful in understanding what parts really matter from the customer’s perspective
rather than from an operational or organisational perspective.
1.1.4 Eliminating Waste
Viewed from the point of view of what the customer values our processes are full of
wasteful activity and delay.
The table below shows the eight main causes of types of waste and provides some
examples of these in an office context. The eight wastes are often referred to
under the acronym “Downtime”:
Eight Wastes (Downtime)
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Defects / Errors
Forwarding incomplete documentation
Returning documents / forms due to
incomplete data
Entering wrong / inaccurate data
Missing information due to poorly specified
information requirements
Over Production
Emailing / faxing the same document
multiple times
Entering repetitive information on multiple
documents
Producing reports that are not used by
anyone
Performing more analysis than is required
Waiting
Requiring excessive signatures or approvals
Having no priority level for someone to
complete a work assignment
Delaying in obtaining feedback / approvals /
decisions
Delaying responding to emails
Non-Utilized Talent
Not involving employees in improvement
ideas and teams
Assigning employees two jobs due to
understaffing
Providing no cross-training when people are
sitting ‘idle’ due to bottleneck in upstream
process
Back-up / cover staff with insufficient training
Transportation
Travelling to meetings which could be held as
teleconferences or which are unproductive
Travel to visit service users to collect
information / deliver information which could
have been obtained on the previous visit
Filing same work documents in different
locations (e.g., keeping hardcopy while also
having it available electronically)
Hand-carrying paper to another process
Inventory
Having to sort through obsolete files
Filing documents which will never be used
again
Keeping multiple copies of reports
Keeping unused ‘required fields’ that will not
be used in any reports
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Motion
Searching for electronic files
Searching for documents in file cabinets and
file folders
Having cross-departmental resource
commitments without proper
communications
Presenting data that is not easy-to-read or
not ‘user friendly’ to support decision-making
Excess Processing
Duplicating reports or information or
providing more detailed information than is
requested
Entering same data in different systems
Entering data into ‘stand-alone’ spreadsheets
for reporting purposes
Attending or conducing ineffective meetings
We can all think of examples of these types of waste in relation to our team or the
work we are required to do. The challenge is to find ways to eliminate this waste
and release capacity.
ADVANCE for Improvement provides a method and tools for doing just that in a
systematic and sustainable way.
1.1.5 Rethinking what we do and why we do it
In general we tend to think of the work that we do, we do because we have been
instructed to do so by management. From that perspective every step in a business
process is carried out because that is the way management expect it to be done.
This hierarchical understanding of business processes is particularly difficult for front
line staff who actually deal directly with customers, understand their needs, but are
unable to respond in the way the customer wants because they have been told
that is not the way to carry out the task.
But if we put customers first we need to rethink what we do and why we do it. It is
the customer who tells us what they need from the person at the front line. In turn
they are best placed to tell their line management what they need in order to
meet the customer’s requirements and so on through the process to its starting
point – the customer request.
Any service begins and ends with the customer and the process of delivering the
service should be determined primarily by the customer.
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This applies equally to each stage of a process. For example, who is better placed
to determine what is required from a manager dictating a letter than the clerical
officer who has to type it up accurately. Or who is best placed to determine how a
computer system is set up than the person who has to use it efficiently and
effectively in their work.
So in thinking about business processes it is the person downstream who is most
likely to be the best person to determine what is required from the person upstream
from whom they get their work. Everyone who carries out a task in the process is an
internal customer and also an internal supplier to the next internal customer
downstream.
Of course there are aspect of any process which are determined by organisational
requirements (required non-value added work). For example, it might be necessary
to complete a certain form for financial audit purposes when commissioning a
service. This is of no value to the customer but is important for the organisation.
These are the sorts of things in our work which are determined by management
rather than the customer.
In general, however, the most important person in any business process is the
customer, and the internal customer at each step in the process.
From this it is clear that if we wish our business processes to deliver value to our
customers then everyone involved in the process has a vital role in identifying how
the process can be continuously improved.
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1.1.6 The cost of poor quality and the cost of improvement
Making and sustaining improvements require effort and resources. Delivering real
improvements takes a significant commitment of staff time, attention to detail,
development of documentation, training materials, new ways of working, and new
tools.
Cost of Quality Cost of Poor Quality
Prevention Costs
Quality by design
Internal failure costs
Failures identified in the process
Training
Documentation
Error proofing
Time to do it right
Rework
Delay
Poor communication
Other wastes
Appraisal Cost
Proportionate quality assurance
External failure costs
Failures identified by the customer
Audit
Coaching and appraisal
Quality metrics collection and analysis
Customer dissatisfaction
Complaints investigation and resolution
Failure to meet needs and deliver outcomes
leading to additional service demand
Costs incurred as a result of the
improvement process
Costs recovered as a result of the
improvement process
But this needs to be balanced against the cost of poor quality in business processes
which the improvement action is intended to rectify. These costs include rework,
delay, poor communication, customer dissatisfaction, complaints investigation, and
additional avoidable service demand.
Carrying through an improvement project can seem a daunting and sometimes
onerous task. However, if given sufficient commitment and effort the rewards in
terms of released capacity, reduction in waste, cost savings, quality, and customer
satisfaction will far outweigh and costs and effort in carrying out the improvement
project.
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2 Overview of the ADVANCE Improvement Process
2.1 The Improvement Cycle
ADVANCE follows an improvement cycle called DMAIC from the names for the five
stages of the cycle – define, measure, analyse, improve and control.
DMAIC is a logical scientific process which leads from defining what process is to be
improved, measuring that process to get a baseline on the current situation,
analysing where waste and other problems are occurring and finding solutions,
implementing those solutions, and putting in place controls to ensure the
improvements are sustained.
The DMAIC process is intensive, requiring a commitment from management and
staff to commit time and energy to rapid improvement over a period of up to three
months.
2.2 Structure and Roles
The ADVANCE improvement process has three levels.
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2.2.1 The Guiding Team
The guiding team are responsible for setting the overall strategy, prioritising and
selecting improvement projects, and providing governance for the selected
projects.
In Adult Services the management team function as the Guiding Team.
2.2.2 ADVANCE Teams
ADVANCE teams are established and chartered by the Guiding Team. The role of
an ADVANCE team is to undertake the analysis of the process to be improved,
identify the required improvement actions, commission Sprint Teams to implement
the improvement actions, and ensure the improvements are controlled and
monitored.
The team should typically be composed of no more than nine members – a third
being staff who undertake aspects of the process, a third from outside the process
who can act as critical friends, and a third who are customers of the process
internal and external. The team will also have an external facilitator.
An ADVANCE project should be capable of being completed within no more than
three months.
2.2.3 Sprint Teams
Sprint teams are responsible for testing and implementing improvement actions
using a rapid improvement methodology.
They should be no more than four members, ideally a person directly responsible for
the process task to be improved, a customer of that process task, a person
Improvement Actions
Improvement Projects
Improvement Strategy
Guiding Team
Advance Team
Sprint Team
Sprint Team
Advance Team
Sprint Team
Sprint Team
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responsible for overseeing or managing the process or segment of the process, and
a person outside the process who can act as a critical friend.
A Sprint should be capable of completion within no more than two weeks.
2.2.4 The Change and Improvement Team
The role of the Change and Improvement Team is to support and facilitate
improvement activity. This includes providing training and coaching, assisting in
the collection and analysis of data, facilitating events and meetings, and
supporting teams to adopt and embed a culture of continuous improvement.
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3 Leading Improvement: The Guiding Team
The ADVANCE approach to service improvement is neither “top-down” nor
“bottom-up” but includes the contribution and commitment of everyone involved
in delivering the service and, most importantly, the voice of the customer.
The Guiding Team have a key role in leading and championing continuous
improvement, and providing staff at all levels with the confidence and support to
be proactive about improvement.
This section describes the part the Guiding Team plays in ADVANCE, and the
sidebars provide a brief description of some of the tools to support the team.
3.1 Setting the Strategic Context
One of the key roles of the Guiding Team is to maintain an overview of the strategic
context in which the programme of continuous improvement takes place.
The strategic context includes the political and
policy drivers at national and local level, legislative
and regulatory requirements, economic and
budgetary factors, and corporate priorities and
objectives.
Taken together these drivers and factors “voice of
the organisation” (VOO) as they define the things
that are important to the organisation, its reputation,
stability, and corporate governance.
Some of these drivers are enablers of change and
some are resistant to the delivery of change. The
Guiding Team needs to be able to evaluate how
these forces impact on services and their
improvement.
In particular the Guiding Team need to identify how
services can become more proactive in seizing
opportunities and resilient in confronting threats.
Tools
PESTLE
This tool is useful to get an
overview of the key drivers or
priorities which make up the
voice of the organisation (VOO).
Force Field Analysis
This simple tool is useful in
identifying enabling and
restraining forces impacting on
improvement.
SWOT2
The tool helps analyse the inter-
relationship between our
strengths and weaknesses, and
external threats and
opportunities.
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3.2 Communicating the Vision
Getting staff and stakeholders to buy into a shared
vision of continuous improvement is critical to
ensuring improvements are sustained and a culture
of improvement becomes embedded through the
organisation.
It is important from the start to get that vision right.
Gap analysis can help to begin formulating the vision
by comparing how we want things to be in the
future with how things are now.
The vision needs to be articulated in a clear and
simple statement which staff, customers and
stakeholders can understand. The vision also needs
to express what the measure of success will be so
that everyone can assess what progress is being
made.
The purpose of developing and communicating a
vision for continuous improvement is to gain buy-in
from staff, customers and other stakeholders for
change. As an improvement programme kicks off
stakeholders will have different levels of commitment
or resistance to the programme and the vision will
need to be communicated to each group of
stakeholders in a way which is most likely to gain their
commitment to the programme of improvement.
Analysing the perspective of each stakeholder group, their influence on other
stakeholders, and their reasons for supporting or resisting change and improvement
before launching an improvement programme, will greatly improve the prospects
for success.
3.3 Developing a Programme for Improvement
Sustainable improvement cannot be imposed on a service area. It has to be
generated from within the process by the people engaged in the process.
Having set the strategic context and communicated the vision, the main role of the
Guiding Team is to encourage and solicit service teams to come forward with their
own improvement ideas.
Tools
Gap Analysis
Gap analysis helps to organise
thinking around the gaps
between the current and future
states for people, processes and
services.
15 Words Vision Tool
This tool is useful to help distil a
complex vision into a brief, clear
vision statement.
Stakeholder Diagnostic
This useful tool helps map out
who the stakeholders are, their
influence, their level of support
and any reasons for resistance.
Programme Communications
Plan
Building on the stakeholder
diagnostic the communications
plan sets out how, what, when
and purpose of communication
with each stakeholder group.
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Through self-evaluation and regular analysis of the management information,
teams will be increasingly aware of where improvement is needed in the processes
within their service area.
Any member of staff, customer or stakeholder should
be encouraged to come forward with improvement
suggestions. These should be review by the relevant
service manager and compiled into formal
improvement proposals using the ICAP tool, and
presented to the Guiding Team. It is important the
proposal is endorsed by both the service manager and
the owner of the process to be improved.
For each improvement project proposal the Guiding
Team will need to consider whether the proposal:
is consistent with the programme objectives and
the strategic vision
represents an unacceptable risk
can be improved to deliver better results
can be combined with other proposals to deliver
better results
conflicts with previously approved proposals
will deliver minimal gains
will require disproportionate effort
represents a reasonable return on investment of
any project delivery costs
On the basis of this analysis the Guiding Team can either reject the proposal, ask for
the proposal to be amended or combined with another proposal, or approve the
proposed project.
3.4 Chartering Improvement Projects
Once an improvement project has been selected the guiding team are responsible
for establishing and chartering an ADVANCE team to undertake the project. The
project charter sets out the scope of the project and provides the authority to the
ADVANCE team to take whatever actions are required to deliver the improvement.
Selection of the ADVANCE team is critical to the success of the project. The
Guiding team needs to ensure there is a balance between the voices of the
customer, organisation, and process and that the team has an experienced leader
and / or experience facilitation.
Tools
ICAP
A standard form for analysing
improvement issues and
recording formal improvement
proposals.
Implemento
This is a scenario based tool for
testing a project proposal for risk
and opportunity.
Project Prioritisation Tool
This tool is designed to help the
Guiding Team to prioritise
improvement projects.
Improvement Programme
The improvement programme
logs the improvement projects
which have been approved,
their timetable and their current
status. It is a live document.
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3.4.1 The Roles of Sponsor and Process Owner
The charter is signed off by the person responsible for the process (the Process
Owner) which is to be improved and the service manager with budgetary
accountability for the service area (The Sponsor).
For larger projects, or projects which cut across a number of services, the project
Sponsor should be the Head of Service.
3.5 Celebrating Success
Developing a quality service means developing a culture of continuous
improvement, and this requires leadership and a workforce committed to
improvement.
The business of improvement rests with front line teams. The role of the guiding
team is to set the strategic context but more importantly to encourage, empower,
and support front line staff to lead improvement and to celebrate their
achievements.
The Guiding Team needs to be visible to the ADVANCE and SPRINT teams,
encouraging their efforts, celebrating their success, and communicating their
achievements to other teams and to senior management and elected members.
Staff who are rewarded and praised for their efforts and achievements are more
likely to develop and sustain a culture of continuous improvement and take pride
achieving excellence in service delivery.
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4 Preparation for an Improvement Project
4.1 Improvement Project Proposal
Improvement projects are generated by front
line teams and should naturally emerge from
their ongoing REFLECT self-evaluation process.
The identification of opportunities for
improvement is a good indicator of the heath
of a team and the quality of its self-evaluation.
Once a team has identified an area for
improvement the team should pull together a
summary of the issues and how they might be
addressed. A useful tool for doing this is the
ICAP tool, a two sided A4 summary based
around the four themes – Issue, Context,
Analysis and Proposed solution.
This is the model used to propose ADVANCE improvement projects to the Guiding
Team.
An improvement project should be submitted to the Guiding Team by the person
responsible for the area for improvement (the process owner), usually a team
manager, and sponsored by a member of the Guiding Team, usually the relevant
service manager.
It will then be for the Guiding Team to prioritise the project in the context of the
overall strategic improvement plan.
4.2 Process Metrics
Even before the project is given approval, it is important to begin to collect high
level data to form a baseline for the project.
These metrics will include, wherever possible, the lead time, process time, customer
demand rate, work in progress, and customer demand rate. These are described in
detail in section 7.1.
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4.3 Voice of the Customer (VOC)
Core to any improvement project is the Voice of the Customer. Any business needs
to continually capturing the voice of the customer in order to be effective and
maintain quality, so this part of the preparation is very important to the success of
an improvement project.
There are many ways to capture the voice of the customer including questionnaires,
focus groups, semi-structured interviews, as well as complaints, compliments and
customer feedback.
The main thing is to identify what is important to customers about the service they
receive.
One tried and tested approach is to use the RATER model. The model uses five
domains – Reliability, Assurance, Tangibles, Empathy, and Responsiveness – to
analyse customer expectations and requirements.
RATER Model
Domain Description Specific Criteria used by Customers
Reliability Our ability to perform
the promised service
dependably and
accurately
Timeliness
Consistency
Regularity
Accuracy
Assurance The knowledge and
courtesy of our staff,
their ability to inspire
trust and confidence
Staff competence
Respect for customers and other stakeholders
Credibility
Probity and confidentiality
Safety and security
Tangibles The physical
representations of the
service
Physical facilities
Equipment
Technology
Employees
Communication materials
Empathy The caring
individualised attention
we provide to our
customers
Access (to staff, services, information)
Communication (clear, appropriate, timely)
Understanding the customer or other stakeholder
Services appropriate for customer’s individual needs
Individual attention
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Domain Description Specific Criteria used by Customers
Responsiveness Our willingness to help
customers and to
provide prompt service
Willingness to help
Prompt attention to requests, questions
Problem resolution
Complaint handling
Flexibility
Reviewing existing customer feedback information and, where necessary,
commissioning new customer research prior to the project being approved will
ensure that the project team has a firm understanding of customer value when the
project begins.
4.4 Practical Arrangements for the ADVANCE Team
The preparation for an ADVANCE project mainly rests on the Team Leader. The
following preparatory work should be carried out in order to ensure the team gets
maximum value from the project.
4.4.1 The programme
The work of the ADVANCE Team typically takes place over five full days, though in
complex processes this might extend to up to eight days. The programme takes
place over no longer than a three month period.
The first three stages (Define, Measure, and Analyse) should be carried out as close
together as possible, preferably over consecutive working days.
Define runs over two days and takes place in a dedicated meeting space. The first
day of Define is a training day. Measure normally takes place over one day with
half the time spent in the meeting room and the rest of the time in the workplace(s)
where the process is carried out.
Analyse takes place over one or more days in the meeting room.
At the end of the Improve stage the team meets again for the Control stage which
again takes place over one or more days in a dedicated meeting space.
Define Measure Analyse Improve Control
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 (up to 3 months) Day 5
Training Morning and
afternoon
workplace
visits
SPRINT Teams
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In planning a project you should allow at least two, and preferably, four weeks’
notice to participants and ensure they can attend on all planned dates.
4.4.2 The venue
The meeting room should be large enough for up to 10 people and suitable for
powerpoint projection. The should be enough wall space to hang two 1.2m by 3m
sheets of frieze paper for the value stream maps.
The room should also have appropriate table space for all participants to work on
and to hold up to four table-top flip charts.
Wherever possible the meeting room should be near the main workplace where
the process is carried out to limit travel to and from the value stream walks.
4.4.3 Visits to process workplace
At the same time you should ensure that is suitable for the team to visit the
workplace throughout the MEASURE day or day(s).
The process owner needs to be advised of the number of people on the team who
will be carrying out the workplace visits and give their staff advanced warning of
the visits and their purpose.
4.4.4 Equipment and resources
At least two weeks before the project starts you should make sure you have the
following items ready for use:
Frieze paper – white 1.2m by 15m Bleed proof flipchart markers – at least
four colours, four of each
Table top flip charts - four Pads of post-it notes in various pastel
and neon colours – 3x5 inch and 3x3
inch
Blu-tak Sellotape – two rolls
Glue stick - four Sufficient pens and rulled A4 pads for
participants
A4 clipboards – sufficient for participants Digital stop watches - four
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You should also ensure you have booked a Laptop, Projector, and Digital Camera
for each of the days of the programme.
4.4.5 Facilitator preparation
The facilitator should ensure that all presentations and training materials are
prepared well in advance, and ensure they have sufficient copies of the tools
prepared in advance along with copies of the implementation guides.
They should also have signed copies of the Project Charter and completed copied
of the training certificates before the first day and completion certificates for the
final day.
Prior to the first day the facilitator and ADVANCE Team leader should meet to go
through the process and ensure they both understand the programme and
approach, especially if the team leader has not previously participated in an
ADVANCE team.
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5 DEFINE Phase
The objective of the Define phase is to establish the ADVANCE team, collect and
analyse the voice of the customer (VOC), define the customer requirements which
are critical to quality factors (CTQs) and define
how the CTQs relate to the technical requirements
of the process.
5.1 Forming the Team
The Define phase starts with a full day training and
team forming session. This allows the team to form
and understand the ADVANCE improvement
process and tools.
The main output from this training and team
forming event is the Team Charter, a document
which sets down who is in the team and their roles,
how they will work together, when they will meet
and where, and is signed by all the team members.
5.2 Defining the Goals
The second day of the DEFINE stage takes as its
starting point the Project Charter which sets out
the purpose of the team and what it is expected
to achieve by when.
The first task is to turn the voice of the customer
evidence into specific requirements that are
critical to quality (CTQs).
For example, customers might express a need for
good customer service. We then need to break
that down to those things which constitute good
customer service for customers, for example
waiting times or politeness of staff. These are the
quality drivers, the things customers will judge us by.
But for the purposes of improvement we need to
identify something which is measurable, for
example answering calls within 3 rings or always
Tools
SIPOC Diagnostic
This diagnostic tool is used to get a
high level overview of the process
under five headings: suppliers,
inputs, process, outputs, and
customers.
CTQ Tree
This tool is useful for deriving CTQs
from voice of the customer data.
House of Quality
This tool, also known as the quality
function deployment tool, helps to
understand how CTQs relate to the
technical requirements of the
process and changes to the
process.
Tools
Team Charter
Project Logs
Three logs which are used to record
the progress on agreed actions, any
risks associated with the project,
and any issues or opportunities
arising during the project
Ideas Bank
Don’t throw any ideas away.
Anything you don’t use but might
be useful in future should be
recorded in the Ideas bank.
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greeting customers with a genuine smile. These measurable requirements are the
CTQs.
We then need to be clear about how the CTQs relate to the operational or
technical aspects of the process. For example if customers expect staff to be polite
we need to build in training for staff in how to treat people with genuine empathy.
If customers expect their phone calls to be answered within three rings we need to
ensure that there are sufficient staff available to answer calls within 3 rings and that
we have some method of recording how fast we answer calls.
This will give us a clear understanding of what parts of the process add value from a
customer’s perspective and the extent to which each part of the process is aligned
to customer requirements.
5.3 Preparation for the MEASURE Phase
The final work to be done in the DEFINE stage is to plan how the MEASURE stage is to
be carried out so that the most can be made of the hands on observation walks.
This involves being clear about the order of tasks in the process and which members
of the ADVANCE team will use which tools and interview questions at each point in
the process.
It is important to make sure that the process owner is aware of the dates and times
you will be visiting to map the value stream and that they have informed their staff
in advance.
5.4 Update the Project Logs and Ideas Bank
During this phase remember to update the project logs and the Ideas Bank. These
tools are important to get the most out of ADVANCE.
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6 MEASURE Phase
To understand a process we need to go to where it happens and observe what
really happens. The MEASURE phase is carried out over one or two days,
depending on the scale or complexity of the process, and involves two visits to the
places where the stages of the process are carried out to see what actually takes
place and to interview the people working in the process.
People are at the heart of the process and it is important that the MEASURE phase is
carried out sensitively. People may find having the ADVANCE team drop in to ask
lots of probing questions a bit threatening and disorientating. It is important to
emphasise to people that you are measuring the process and not their individual
work and that you have come to seek their expertise and understanding of the
process and their individual tasks so that the process can be improved.
Walking the value stream is intrusive and you should take steps to ensure that you
make best use of the time and are as unobtrusive as possible.
The MEASURE phase will usually take a whole day, or more if the process is complex
or spread over multiple sites.
6.1 Selecting the Key Measurements
Most of the key measurements will be about time and waste.
You should always collect the following:
The cycle time of the process and for each task or step.
The actual process work time for the process and each task or step.
Any waiting time between steps.
The average number of items queued at each task.
The average number of items of work in process at each task or task step.
The percentage of items leaving each task in the process complete and
accurate.
Depending on the process other measures may be necessary especially in complex
processes which are dependent on the output of external processes (e.g. approval
by senior managers or committee).
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6.2 Walking the Process
During the first value stream walk you will follow the process forwards through each
task and step from the initiating event (e.g. a customer request) to the closing
event (e.g. the customer receiving the service).
The purpose of the first walk is to see the process as it really happens on the ground,
speak to the people who actually do the work to get their perspective on what
they do and how it could be improved, and to measure and evaluate the various
tasks which make up the process.
During the walk some of the team should focus on gathering overall metrics and
evidence of waste while the rest of the team should focus on the finer detail of
each step in the task.
This stage is about gathering information on the steps in the process and the key
metrics. Two tools are useful at this stage to make sure we collect the information
you need.
6.2.1 Value Stream Walk Observation Sheet
The first part of the tool helps you collect key information about a specific task in
the process from the staff who are responsible for that task. This includes lead time,
process time, percentage complete and accurate from the previous task,
available work hours, work in progress, work waiting to be worked on, and
completion rate.
The second part covers waste in all its forms. This is an opportunity for you to identify
waste as well as asking the staff what waste they can see in their work.
6.2.2 Value Stream Walk Cycle Time Record
While some of the ADVANCE team members are using the observation tool, the rest
should concentrate on the more detailed cycle time record. For each task you
should observe the task, describe each step, and measure the time each step
takes (using a stopwatch where possible). How detailed you need to be will
depend on the complexity of the task. In some situations you may need to break
the task down into sub-tasks.
It is important to include communication steps including communication with
upstream suppliers, downstream customers, and external customers as well as
inputting data into IT systems or spreadsheets and viewing or extracting data from
those systems.
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You should then identify which of the steps you have recorded is adding value for
the customer.
6.3 Mapping the Current Value Stream
Once the team has collected the data for each task in the process it’s time to map
the process to identify where value is added in the process for the customer and
where waste exists in the process.
This is best done using 1.2m wide frieze paper and 76mm x 127mm post-it notes.
There are three main types of information you need to record on the map:
Type Purpose Suggested Colour
Tasks This is used to record all the key metrics of each task e.g.
cycle time, process time, %C&A.
Yellow
In Trays This is used to record the number of pieces of work
waiting to be worked on at each task. You should
distinguish these post-it notes with a triangle.
Pink
Data Systems One for each system or spreadsheet you use. Green
Complete each “task” and “in tray” post-it and arrange them sequentially from left
to right across the middle of the frieze paper. Start with the “in tray” for the first task
then the “task” then the “in tray” for the next task followed by the “task” post-it and
so forth.
Leave some space between the post-its to allow for further information and branch
processes if there are any.
Next place the completed “data systems” post-its widely spaced in the upper part
of the map.
At the very top of the map write “Customer” in a box or a circle.
The next step is to show the information flows. To do this, use an arrow from a task
pointing to the relevant data system for inputting data, and use an arrow from the
data system pointing to the task for data retrieval. You should also distinguish
information which requires manual input (use a straight line or dark colour) from
information which is automatically updated (use a zig-zag line or bright colour).
Finally, if the communication is not electronic but is, for example, a letter to the
customer or a fax to another department, use a dotted straight line.
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Once you are finished you should have a map something like this:
This map will graphically illustrate all the information you need to understand the
value stream, areas of waste, and the parts of the process which need
improvement.
6.4 Walking the Process Backwards
As we noted earlier, an efficient process is constructed backwards with each
downstream task defining what it needs from the next process upstream in order for
the task to be undertaken efficiently and to a consistent quality.
Having completed the initial work on the current value stream map it is time to go
back and walk the process for a second time, but this time from the end to the
beginning.
The purpose of the second value stream walk is to focus on the people involved in
each task as a customer in the process. The aim is to capture what matters to them
and what improvements they would like to see to assist them in their work.
At the same time it gives the ADVANCE team an opportunity to evaluate the
working environment and ways in which it might be preventing efficient and
consistent quality of work on a particular task or tasks.
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6.4.1 Value Stream Walk Voice of the Process
This tool is intended to capture that “customer” perspective from the staff within in
the process. The tool sets out some key questions for a more informal interview with
each member of staff about their work.
6.4.2 6S Evaluation Sheet
The work environment can have a major impact on the efficiency and quality of
work.
This tool provides a framework for assessing the work environment – its safety, how
organised it is, how clean and clear of clutter, how organised and standardised
work processes are, and how well staff are empowered and enabled to maintain
high standards in these areas.
6.4.3 Updating the map
Having completed the second walk you will have a lot of additional information to
add to the current value stream map which will help you when you come to
analyse the waste in the process, identify its causes, and plan improvements to the
process.
Finally it is helpful at this stage is to draw a timeline at the bottom of the frieze
showing the value added, required non-value added, and wasted time in the
process under each task and “in-tray”.
6.5 Update the Project Logs and Ideas Bank
During this phase remember to update the project logs and the Ideas Bank. These
tools are important to get the most out of ADVANCE.
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7 ANALYSE Phase
The purpose of the ANALYSE phase is to identify waste and its causes, clarify flow
issues such as bottlenecks, evaluate process capacity, and develop solutions to
these issues.
Most of the metric will be on the current value stream map and the timeline of the
process you produced in the MEASURE phase.
7.1 Applying and evaluating the metrics
During MEASURE you will have collected a number of metrics which will enable you
to analyse capacity and flow in the process.
The following are amongst the most important, although there are many others
which are of use in particular situations.
7.1.1 Lead time (LT)
Lead Time
Lead time, also known as Process Cycle Time, is the average amount of time it
takes from the customer request being received and the time their request is
fulfilled and they receive the service. The measure takes account of the amount of
time a request waits in the queue before it begins to be processed.
It is important to note that lead time is measured in terms of available time, i.e. the
time when work could be done on the customer request whether or not it is. So if
the working week is 9-5 Monday to Friday then the evenings and weekends are
excluded from the calculation and work is not done during these periods.
It may, of course, turn out that the analysis show, that in order to meet demand
within a reasonable lead time it is necessary to expand available working time to
include some or all of these evening and weekend periods.
You should evaluate this metric for each task as well as for the process overall.
7.1.2 Process time (PT)
Process Time = Actual activity time spent on one unit of work
This measure only looks at the time work is actually being done on an individual
customer request. It excludes all waiting time or delays, and excludes time which is
not available for work e.g. weekends.
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You should evaluate this metric for each task as well as for the process overall.
7.1.3 Activity ratio (AR)
Activity Ratio =
x
Putting the two measures above together gives us a picture of the percentage of
the lead time which is actually taken up with process activity on the customer’s
request for service.
Clearly the ideal situation is that the activity ratio is close to 100%. In practice in
service and office settings this is usually under 30%.
This does not, of course, mean that staff are idle for 70% of their working time. The
process under scrutiny is usually only part of their job and while they are not working
on one customer’s request they may be processing others. It just means that, from
the customer’s point of view, having their request met takes longer than necessary.
You should evaluate this metric for each task as well as for the process overall. It will
highlight where the longest delays are which might be caused by poorly designed
workflow, insufficient resources for a particular task, or flow bottlenecks such as
batching work or approval procedures.
7.1.4 Customer demand rate (CDR)
Customer Demand Rate = Average new Referrals in Period
This is the key piece of information for assessing the capacity of the process. Even if
you achieve a 100% activity ratio within the process, if there is more demand that
process capacity (e.g. insufficient staff resources) then you will just have a growing
waiting list at the beginning of the process.
7.1.5 Takt rate (TR)
Takt Rate =
This metric (the name is German for beat or rhythm) tells us how much time we
have to complete a unit of work (a customer request) on average given current
resources and customer demand. In other words how fast do we need to work to
manage customer demand.
This measure should be evaluated for each task as well as the whole process as it
highlights where there are bottlenecks in the process.
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7.1.6 Percentage complete and accurate (%C&A)
Percentage Complete and Accurate =
x 100
A great deal of waste in any process comes from errors or faults which require
reworking before being complete and accurate and ready for the next stage in
the process.
This metric identifies the percentage of work passed to a downstream task which is
complete and accurate and therefore does not disturb the flow of work through
the process. If a piece of work is incomplete or inaccurate when received by a
downstream task it will need to be passed back to the staff responsible for the
upstream task in order to be reworked until it is complete and accurate. For
example, a request for a visit to a client that does not include address and contact
details is incomplete and cannot be processed by the person who needs to carry
out the visit until the person who passed on the request does further work to include
these vital bits of information.
7.1.7 Work in process (WIP)
Work in Process = Total units of work in the process
This is the number of items of work being processed at any one time. It includes
anything waiting in the “in-tray” as well as items currently being worked on.
This snapshot gives a measure of delays in the flow of work as well as whether work
is pushed or pulled through the process.
This metric should be evaluated for each task in the process as well as for the whole
process.
7.1.8 Backlog Rate (BR)
Backlog Rate =
x 100
This is the percentage of all items in the process which are actually being worked
on at any one time. The metric measures the backlog of work at each task and for
the process as a whole. It identifies waste in terms of waiting and helps identify
barriers to flow or tasks where work is pushed rather than pulled.
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7.1.9 Process cycle efficiency (PCE)
Process Cycle Efficiency =
x 100
From the perspective of the customer the only time which is of value is work which
adds value to their service request. Everything else is either both wasted time and
effort, or time and effort spent on things which are only of value to the organisation.
This is the most striking metric of the process and shows the difference between the
process as the customer expects it to be and the way it actually is.
In a service or office setting this can often be as low as 5%-10%.
7.2 Identifying Waste and the Root Causes of Waste
From the metrics above you will already have identified what are likely to be the
major areas of waste – waiting and rework. The other types of waste will be
identified by reviewing the value stream map and evaluating each task in the
process (see section 1.1.4 for an explanation of the 8 wastes).
We do this by challenging each and every task to
determine whether it is necessary or not, or
whether the task can be done more efficiently.
A lot of the waste which is inherent in any process
is only revealed once we understand the reason
for each task and how it contributes to customer
value. By asking why a particular task or step is
part of the process we can quickly identify
whether the root cause of the task or step is
important or trivial from the customer perspective
and whether the task or step is proportionate to
what it is intended to achieve.
For example, the reason for requiring authorisation
of a particular task may be to ensure expenditure
is scrutinised. However, if the amount of
expenditure is small and the delay caused by the
authorisation process may lead to deterioration of
the customer’s situation, the authorisation
procedure is clearly disproportionate. And if the
likelihood of the expenditure being inappropriate
is also small then the authorisation procedure is an
unnecessary and wasteful bottleneck in the process.
Tools
Five Whys
This is a simple but effective tool for
getting at the underlying reasons for
a task or step in the process to see if
it is really necessary.
Fishbone Analysis
This tool helps to categorise the
causes of a problem, e.g. a
bottleneck, in the process.
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
(FMEA)
The purpose of this tool is to clarify
risk by considering what could go
wrong, its likelihood, and potential
impact to determine whether the
existing controls are excessive,
sufficient or insufficient to manage
the risk.
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It is important to evaluate the possible point of failure which each task is supposed
to address to ensure that throughout the process risk is managed proportionally.
There are many tools which are useful in this analysis but the three tools described in
the side bar on the previous page will be sufficient for most situations.
Finally, once you have considered the metrics and the waste exposed in the
process you need to establish where to focus your improvement action.
Consider each area of waste and establish what percentage of the total waste
(defined as unnecessary non-value added time) each area of waste accounts for.
You can then rank the areas of waste from the largest to the smallest and create a
pareto chart to show where you should focus your attention first.
In the graph above 80% of the waste in the process is due to the first four issues so
that is where the bulk of the improvement needs to be focused.
7.3 Identifying Solutions
Solutions to many of the waste and inefficiency problems in the process will be
obvious once the waste has been identified. For example, if a form serves no
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purpose, stop filling it in or if information is asked for on multiple occasions set up a
system to gather that information once and make it available at all stages in the
process.
Sometimes solutions are difficult to see and evaluate and sometimes they may
appear too major a change or to pose uncertain levels of risk. These include such
things as new IT systems, co-location of staff, or changes in staff terms and
conditions.
This is point where creative thinking comes into play. Traditional idea generating
techniques are very useful at this stage including 6 hats thinking, reverse,
brainstorming, provocation, and star bursting.
The scamper and slide tool is particularly useful in getting the team thinking laterally.
The tool provides 12 different options for rethinking a task which often generates
other creative approaches.
When a particular solution seems too extreme or risky the Implemento tool can be
very useful. This helps you think through the worst case scenario if the proposed
solution went wrong and to think through how the failure could be mediated or
turned to advantage. This gives a sound basis for exploring what would be required
to implement the solution successfully and whether there are ways to improve on it.
Use the tools to generate ideas for solutions, however wild or extreme they seem,
but do not spend time evaluating or challenging each suggestion until you are all
agreed you have enough ideas generated and can think of nothing else you could
do.
7.4 Prioritising Improvement Actions
The next stage is to pare the list of possible solutions down to a manageable
number – a short list of those which seem practical, achievable and likely to be
effective.
There is likely to be a lot of duplications and overlap between suggestions so the
first task is to reduce the list into themes and gradually eliminate duplicates and
remove overlap between proposed solutions.
A good way to do this is to create an affinity chart. Write down each idea on
separate post-it’s and place it on a large piece of frieze paper, then work together
to identify ideas with a common theme and arrange them together under the
various themes.
You can then develop a simplified single idea to describe each of the themes. If
you are struggling with this the “DRIVER 15 Words Vision Tool” can be helpful.
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Once you have your short list you need to establish which are the priority actions.
You already know from your pareto chart which areas of waste are the most
significant and it is likely that solutions to those problems will yield the greatest
improvement impact. However, this needs to be balanced by how difficult or
costly the proposed solution is.
The “ADVANCE Improvement Prioritisation Tool” is designed to help you record the
team’s judgement on the impact and difficulty of each proposal and to plot it on a
prioritisation matrix.
7.5 Mapping the Future Value Stream
The next task is to map out how the value stream should look if all the priority
improvements are implemented successfully – the Future Value Stream Map.
Constructing the future map is done in the same way as the current value stream
map you completed in the MEASURE phase. Estimate the anticipated future
metrics based on the evidence in the current map less the impact of you planned
improvements and show that in a revised timeline for the future process.
This will give you target metrics for the IMPROVE Phase.
7.6 Creating an Improvement Plan
You now have your ranked list of priority improvement actions. Some of these will
require action to be taken at a strategic level, for example the procurement of
mobile technology or changes to staff terms and conditions. These major changes
to the process should be passed back to the Guiding Team as they will typically
require separate project management and corporate buy-in.
The remaining priority actions will be ones which can be implemented and tested
by the staff within the process with the authority given in the project charter. These
will be carried out using the SPRINT methodology described in the IMPROVE section.
It is important at this stage to create an Improvement Test and Deployment Plan to
log what is to be done, who is responsible, any preparatory actions ad data
collection, and a timeline of no more than 12 weeks.
For some projects it may be necessary to create a Gantt chart showing the
timelines for each SPRINT and their interdependencies.
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7.7 Commissioning SPRINT Teams
With the exception of major strategic improvements, each improvement action
should be developed, tested and implemented by a SPRINT team made up of
people who actually carry out tasks within the process on a day to day basis.
The SPRINT document is used to commission and record the SPRINT. It sets out the
scope and purpose of the improvement action and provides fields to record all of
the main data and information on the SPRINT.
The SPRINTs should be named and numbered on the Improvement Test and
Deployment Plan.
7.8 Update the Project Logs and Ideas Bank
During this phase remember to update the project logs and the Ideas Bank. These
tools are important to get the most out of ADVANCE.
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8 IMPROVE Phase
The IMPROVE phase is about two things – rapid design, testing and deployment of
an improvement, and engaging staff in a developing culture of continuous
improvement.
8.1 Why SPRINT?
SPRINT is a methodology for achieving rapid improvements by empowering those
involved in the process to make the improvements themselves.
A SPRINT lasts a maximum of 10 working days. The 10 days will normally be a
continuous burst of activity over a two week period.
In some cases the results of the test phase cannot be measured immediately.
Where a longer period of time is required then the 10 days can be spread out over
a period of no more than 12 weeks but the actual work of the SPRINT team should
never exceed 10 days in total.
The benefits of this rapid improvement approach are that it keeps the SPRINT team
focussed, it prevents the team getting tied up in side issues, it is done within the
daily work routine, and it is short enough not to significantly disrupt the day-to-day
work of the team.
8.2 SPRINT Rapid Improvement Process
The method is built around the four stage approach initially developed by William
Edwards Deming in the 1960s. The four stages are Plan, Do, Study and Adjust
(PDSA), although you may encounter some variant versions of the PDSA approach.
The other feature of the SPRINT method is the daily “Huddle”; a meeting of the
team strictly limited to 15 minutes to monitor progress and iron out problems.
Huddles are always conducted standing up which helps people stay focussed and
brief.
The SPRINT document is designed to hold all the essential information on the
progress of the SPRINT and reflects the PDSA structure.
8.2.1 PLAN
The PLAN stage is kicked off with a team meeting of no longer than two hours. The
purpose of the meeting is to get agreement on the scope of the improvement, how
the improvement action is to be carried out, any preparatory tasks and who will do
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them, and the value of any baseline metrics which will be used to demonstrate
impact.
The SPRINT Document contains fields to summarise the PLAN stage.
8.2.2 DO
The next stage is the designing and testing of the improvement.
Depending on the type of improvement it may take the first two or three days to do
the design and preparation work, for example, if you are combining forms into a
simplified procedure. However, if the improvement is simply eliminating a
procedure such as an approval or inspection then you may be able to proceed
directly to testing the impact of the change.
Once the change is designed and prepared for it is time to test it to determine its
impact on the process. This means carrying out the task or tasks in the new way
and measuring the metrics again to see if there has been any improvement.
The SPRINT document provides three columns to record daily progress. The first is for
recording the previous day’s progress, the second to identify any problems or
unanticipated opportunities for further improvement, and the third to record the
key objectives for that day.
You should keep the SPRINT document pinned to a noticeboard where the SPRINT
team and other staff can see it to generate new ideas and celebrate progress.
8.2.3 STUDY
Once the change has been tested the team needs to meet again for a period of
no more than 2 hours to study the results of the test.
The purpose of the STUDY stage is to establish the difference the improvement
action has made.
You should agree a description of how the test went and record the baseline and
actual metrics. It is very important that the improvement can be measured so that
the benefit gained can be sustained as the improvement is implemented across
the service.
You should also record any barriers or challenges you encountered as this will be
helpful for the ADVANCE team and the Guiding team in getting an overview of
recurrent problems or difficulties.
Finally you should record any unexpected consequences of the improvement such
as the improvement impacting other tasks or revealing further opportunities for
improvement.
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8.2.4 ADJUST
Having completed the STUDY stage the last stage is to decide what to do in the
light of the test results.
In some cases this can be done at the same time as STUDY, but in most cases it is
best to have a separate meeting of no more than 2 hours to fully explore future
action.
There are five options:
1. Abandon
If the results of the test indicate the change is impractical or did not deliver the
expected improvement you might wish to recommend abandoning the
improvement action.
2. More work required
You may conclude that the improvement action shows promise but needs a
further SPRINT to refine it further before it is ready for implementation.
3. Refer back
Sometimes the test will reveal that the proposed change is too complex to
implement with the SPRINT methodology. In this case you might decide to refer
it back to the ADVANCE team to consider as a major change project.
4. Implement on a phased basis
You might be happy with the test results but feel implementing the change will
take time to “bed in”. In this case you may recommend that the improvement is
implemented one team at a time.
5. Spread across organisation
If you are happy with the test results and think the change can be implemented
with minimal disruption then you should recommend immediate implementation
of the improvement across the service.
If you have identified further refinements or improvements as a result of the test
then these should also be recorded on the SPRINT document.
Once the SPRINT is completed a copy of the document should be sent to the
ADVANCE Team Leader.
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8.3 Shifting the culture
The SPRINT may be over by improvement needs to continuous, and the PDSA cycle
should not stop at one cycle but should be the basis of a further cycle of
improvement and so on.
One of the benefits of a SPRINT is that it gives staff within the process an experience
of what can be achieved by adopting a continuous improvement approach to
their work. It gives staff a sense of ownership of the process and empowers them to
take control of the work, constantly looking for ways to improve what they do and
how they do it – to deliver better customer value.
A SPRINT is a good way to kick start a change in culture where quality and
improvement become part of the way every member of staff approaches their
work both individually and collaboratively.
To encourage this shift of culture it is very important to celebrate success and
acknowledge the contribution of the SPRINT team members. The process owner
and sponsor should take time to congratulate and thank each team member
individually and their participation marked by a certificate of achievement.
Encourage the team to share their experience and continue to take the initiative in
seizing opportunities to improve the process and the customer’s experience.
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9 CONTROL Phase
Once the SPRINT teams have completed their work the ADVANCE Team should
meet for a final day to review the outcomes and put in place controls to ensure the
gains are sustained.
This final phase of the DMAIC process is extremely important as there is no point in
carrying out an improvement project if the momentum is not sustained and the
improvement gains are quickly lost.
9.1 Reviewing the Results of the SPRINTs
The first part of the day should focus on collating the gains achieved by each
SPRINT into an overall “Project Review and Closure Report”.
The review should focus on the extent to which the original objectives have been
achieved, any work which still requires to be done including any major actions
which need to be run as strategic projects, and any lessons learnt which can inform
future improvement projects.
The report should include a summary of the metrics and an estimation of the
capacity released, process efficiency improvement, and cost savings achieved
overall compared with the initial project expectations. The report should also show
the extent to which the new process conforms to the future value stream map
produced during ANALYSE and highlight any areas for future improvement.
The Project Review and Closure Report will form part of the project closure report
back to the Guiding Team.
9.2 Securing the Gains
How do we ensure that the improvements achieved during the project are
sustained?
9.2.1 The Habit of Excellence
Earlier we discussed the idea of rethinking the tasks within the process in terms of
internal customers and suppliers. This way of thinking is critical to sustaining
continuous improvement and securing the gains made through ADVANCE
improvement projects.
If we understand that the person downstream in the process is our customer then
we should always strive to meet their expectations, in other words, provide them
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with what they need to complete their work. This means taking the time to not only
get things right first time every time but also to ensure your internal customer has a
positive customer experience.
The Habit of Excellence
Getting this message across and embedded and embedded in the way staff at all
levels approach their work goes a long way to error proofing the process. The
diagram above should be issued to all staff and prominently placed in all offices.
9.2.2 Error Proofing
There are a range of other things which will help in securing the gains.
The “Error Proofing Options Chart” provides a selection of ways to error proof a task
or the whole process. The important thing to remember in selecting error proofing
controls is that you need to address three aspects of the process together to get
effective control. These are the process itself, the people who undertake the tasks
in the process, and the service the process is designed to deliver.
In most circumstances there will also be metrics which will support staff to sustain
the improvements. For example, if the improvement has focused on the time it
takes to complete and process a referral then you will be able to specify the range
of time which is within the new acceptable limits. You can then monitor the time
each referral takes and plot it on a run chart against the lower and upper control
Never accept incomplete or
inaccurate work from your suppliers,
internal and external.
Get it right first time every time
and audit your own work to ensure
it is always complete and
accurate.
Never pass on incomplete or
inaccurate work to your customers,
internal and external.
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limits (the shortest and longest acceptable time). This will help identify when
performance begins to slip and enable the team manager to take swift remedial
action.
Once you have agreed on relevant statistical control metrics the ADVANCE Team
leader should request the Change and Improvement Team to incorporate the
metrics into the GYRO performance framework for the service.
These statistical measures will then become part of a package of key performance
indicators (KPIs) for the service to measure continuous improvement over the long
term.
9.3 Project Logs and Lessons Learnt
During this phase remember to update the project logs. This is the end of the
DMAIC cycle and the logs will form a key source of learning from the project so it is
important to finalise all the logs.
The issues and opportunities logs should provide you with all the information you
need to complete the “Lessons Learnt” section of the “Project Review and Closure
Report”. This will contribute to improving the ADVANCE process for future projects
and the development of strategic support for improvement by the Guiding Team.
9.4 Ideas Bank
Finally, you should pull together all the ideas which you have banked during the
project in the “Ideas Bank” section of the report. These will be used to generate
further improvement projects and redesign of services. Don’t forget to capture any
ideas generated by the SPRINTs or opportunities identified in the “issues and
opportunities” log which have not been implemented during the project.
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10 Project Closure
The final step is to close the project.
The ADVANCE and SPRINT teams have worked hard to deliver the project
outcomes and objectives successfully, often when continuing to carry their normal
workload.
It is time to celebrate and acknowledge their contribution and this should be done
by the Guiding Team at a specially convened project closure event. It is often best
to hold this at lunchtime when most of the participants can be present and can
relax together over some refreshments.
The Guiding Team should take the opportunity to individually thank the teams and
award certificates to the team members recording their participation in the project.
Finally, the Executive Sponsor and Process Owner should sign the Project Review
and Closure Report to mark the end of the Project.