WFED451:

Lesson 2: What Are People Saying About Continuous Improvement?

Lesson 2 Overview (1 of 5)
Lesson 2 Overview

Lesson 2 Overview

In this lesson, you will read the journal article that you found in Lesson 1 after your keyword search for continuous improvement articles and you will write your critical review. In your paper, include a summary of the major ideas of the article, what the author(s) did to improve a process, why they improved the process, how they improved the process, and what the results of the improvement were.

This lesson will present applications of process improvement. Often, process improvement is related to production. In the last decade, more focus of process improvement has been applied to service situations. The examples and resources presented in this section will be oriented toward service and training to support organization development and change.

Lesson Objectives

After successfully completing this lesson, you will be able to do the following:

Lesson Readings and Activities

By the end of this lesson, make sure you have completed the readings and activities found in the Lesson 2 Course Schedule.

Applications of Process Improvement (2 of 5)
Applications of Process Improvement

Applications of Process Improvement

In nearly every organization, there has been at least one project related to process improvement. After the first project, the organization usually wants to implement continuous improvement as a means of continuing its organizational development and change. Without a goal of improvement, an organization will become less competitive. Here are a few examples of process improvement that used systematic methods to assess a situation, complete a flowchart analysis of the current process, analyze the aspects of the process, and recommend a solution.

Specific Examples of Process Improvement

Banking Industry Improvement

During a bank's research program, customers provided feedback that they needed a faster and more flexible way to withdraw funds from their accounts. In the past, a person had to stand in line at the bank teller's window, complete a withdrawal form or write a check, present the document to the teller, and receive the funds after the bank teller counted them twice or three times. To address this situation, studies were completed to determine how to automate the process. Now automatic teller machines, commonly called ATMs, are located in convenient places and available for withdrawals, deposits, and balance checking 24 hours a day.

A Doctor's Office Improvement

Upon arrival for a doctor's appointment, patients had to wait to be checked in by the receptionist, who would then proceed to ask a series of questions about address, insurance coverage, and emergency contact. In order to speed the process and reduce lines, self-service kiosks were determined to be a way for patients to complete the check in process privately. With more than one kiosk available, patients can check in for appointments without waiting in long lines. This has helped reduce patient waiting and has helped keep the doctor's visits timelier.

A Business Process Improvement

Another example of a business that improved it processes to save time and money appears in an Example of Business Process Improvement by Martin Smith and is depicted in an article by Bisson, Folk, and Smith (2000). An accounting department of a local telephone company with approximately 500 employees issued about 3.5 million telephone bills monthly to business and residential customers. The process improvement team wanted to reduce expenses by 8–10% in each of the next five years. The company reviewed the cash process for the receipt of the customer's payments, credit of the payment to the customer's account, and deposit of the funds into the company's bank account. The process was flowcharted. The categories of disconnect were determined to be the following (from page 6 of Example of Business Process Improvement):

  1. duplication of effort,
  2. steps that should be performed by other departments,
  3. discrepancies between the two processing centers,
  4. unnecessary steps,
  5. cycle time delays, and
  6. opportunities for automation.

The recommendation categories (from page 6 of Example of Business Process Improvement) were:

  1. automation of manual activities,
  2. work elimination,
  3. transfer of responsibilities and personnel from one department to another,
  4. job redesign,
  5. measurement plan for tracking process performance,
  6. documentation of work procedures,
  7. training to cover the new procedures, and (8) re-arrangement of the work force.

The end results were a 44% reduction in process steps, a 90% reduction in manually processed payments, 43% reduction in unplaced cash that couldn't be credited to any account, a 44% reduction in customer queries about payment processing, 45% fewer employees assigned to the cash process, and a $930,000 reduction in annual expenses.

Reference

Bisson, B., Folk, V., & Smith, M. (2000). Case study: How to do a business process improvement. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 23(1), 58–63. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219151331?accountid=13158

Lean Sigma for Services (3 of 5)
Lean Sigma for Services

Lean Sigma for Services

Think about the service industry. You might be thinking about banking, or hotel and restaurant management, or the training department for an organization. Consider what products these companies produce and their qualities. This list of examples for services is to provide a stimulus for your thinking when you are analyzing your organization. When applying Lean Sigma to services, remember that services have qualities that are not the same as the qualities for a measurable product from a manufacturing process.

Lean Sigma Service Examples and Traits

Let's look at hospitality and customer service. These services are intangible in that good hospitality and customer service cannot be quantified. A smile, a courteous gesture, and a good-tasting meal are all examples of intangibles. Each is based upon a perception by the customer or client, a perception that cannot be seen, felt, or touched, yet it can be measured in return customers and customer satisfaction.

The banking industry produces services that are consumed immediately: A customer writes a check, and it clears the customer's bank account. This type of transaction is inseparable, meaning that the production and consumption of the service are simultaneous. The education industry provides services that are produced and consumed simultaneously: A teacher interacts with a class, and the class listens or responds to questions.

The restaurant industry has services that are perishable. Consumption of the service (which in this case refers to the food being served) is completed when the service is offered, and this type of service cannot be stored for later consumption and retain its original level of service. Synchronous teaching could be labeled as a perishable service due to being completed when offered and lack of storage for later consumption; the interaction in the class is not the same in the asynchronous environment. The level of engagement in a synchronous class can be perishable because it not likely to be stored for later review and consumption in the form where it occurred in the synchronous class.

The application of a service is variable and dependent upon the person delivering the service and the person receiving the service. The same service is also perceived differently by different people; one person may think the service is exceptional, while another thinks that same level of service is poor. Consider the healthcare industry, where the same procedure and protocols might result in complete recovery for one patient and loss of life for another patient.

Lean Sigma Resources (4 of 5)
Lean Sigma Resources

Lean Sigma Resources

A search of the Internet will result in thousands of sites dedicated to Lean, Six Sigma, Lean Sigma, quality, process improvement, and other related key words. The American Society of Quality publishes a journal, Journal for Quality and Participation, that is available in full text within the University Libraries in the ABI Inform database or within the e-Journals.

Bookboon.com publishes free e-books on a variety of subjects. A search for "Lean Sigma" results in more than 15 free books. The availability of books changes as books are published. Complete a search and select the books that seem the most informative for you.

Lean Sigma has a focus on reducing variability and waste in processes. There are a few models for lean sigma and a common model in Six Sigma, an aspect of Lean Sigma, for identifying and managing processes is the DMAIC model to help guide researchers and practitioners. The following are the steps in the DMAIC model:

The following are some books available to support you on your journey toward a better understanding of Lean Sigma:

Lesson Activities (5 of 5)
Lesson Activities

Lesson Activities

Lesson 2 Discussion: Resources to Share

Overview

The discussion helps students expand the resources on Lean Sigma.

Instructions

Your instructor provided you with a list of resources at the beginning of the course. The availability of Lean Sigma resources expands every year as practitioners achieve success when applying the processes and tools within their organizations and as additional industries embrace the practices to eliminate waste and practice continuous improvement. Post any resources that you find online and would like to share with your classmates pertaining to Lean Sigma. For example, provide the links and briefly describe articles in the University Libraries databases, free Internet resources on Lean Sigma, books available for free from Bookboon.com, or other resources that you think would help your classmates' understanding of Lean Sigma.

Posting Timelines
DayTask
Monday–ThursdayPost initial reply.
Friday–SundayReview fellow learners' posts and respond to at least two.

Note: To ensure that everyone can receive feedback and engage in discussion, if two responses have been made to one peer, try to choose another peer's post to respond to. Posts and responses will be evaluated on their quantity and quality.

Article Critique Paper

Article Critique

Overview

This critique provides an opportunity to critically read a journal article.

Reading a Journal Article Critically

To critically read a journal article, the reader must first understand the purpose of each of the sections of the article.

The first aspect of the journal article to review carefully is the title. The title communicates the major ideas of the paper, the participants in the study, and the organization in which the study took place. The second aspect of the article is the abstract. The abstract should provide the theoretical motivation for the paper, the major results, and a brief discussion. The introduction of the paper states the rationale for the study or implementation and includes a review of literature to give the reader an overview of what is known about the topic. The method section describes the research or implementation techniques. The evidence for the support of the research or implementation hypothesis is presented in the results section. The discussion section and conclusion section should be two separate sections. The discussion section is a summary of the main findings of the paper, how they are interpreted, and their implications. The conclusion of the paper should summarize the most important findings and highlight their significance. The conclusion should set the stage for future research based upon the outcomes of the study or implementation.

Instructions

Select an article that discusses how an organization used Lean Sigma, continuous improvement, or process improvement principles in their organization and write a 3-page critique paper.

Be sure that the article you select is something that identifies the merits or drawbacks of using Lean Sigma in an organization.

Deliverable

The 3-page critique paper should include the following information:

  • Begin the paper with a complete bibliographic citation (using the current edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association).
  • Summarize the article, including the major of ideas of the article what the author(s) did to improve a process, why they improved the process, how they improved the process, and what the results of the improvement were.
  • Identify how this applies to your organization.

Lesson 2 Personal Journal Blog Post

Overview

As indicated in the syllabus, the blog reflection assignments may require you to reflect on how the readings and assignments can be applied to your personal professional development. Please see How to Write a Blog Entry under the Student Resources module for your reference.

Note: Resource removed. You will have access to the resource in the actual course.
Instructions

In your personal journal blog, write and post a reflection of two paragraphs in length on the following prompt.

Your blog posts will be evaluated on quantity, quality, and how well they relate to the materials for the lesson.

Deliverable

Once you post, please submit your blog URL to inform the instructor that your Lesson 2 blog post is available.

Lean Sigma Improvement Project Discussion

Overview

In this course, you will need to complete a Lean Sigma process improvement project that may be completed by you individually or in partnership with another class member of your choice. This discussion will get you started to explore and to share your choice with your peers, to get feedback from your peers, and then to determine your choice.

Instructions

Look around your work area, in an organization where you worked or where you do volunteer work, in your place of worship, or in your house, and so on. Think about the followings questions for the improvement opportunities:

Based on your observations and thinking, select a project with enough scope that you can test-drive the tools we will learn about and apply in this course. But, don't select a project that you become overwhelmed or frustrated.

Your initial post should include:

In this discussion, please post your initial reply no later than the end of Lesson 2, and respond to at least two posts from your peers in Lesson 3.

With this continuous discussions with your peer, you are expected to make your final decision and start to apply the Lean Sigma tools to your selected project in Lesson 4.

Posting Timelines
DayTask
Weeks of Lessons 1 and 2Post initial reply.
Week of Lesson 3Review fellow learners' posts and respond to at least two.

Note: To ensure that everyone can receive feedback and engage in discussion, if two responses have been made to one peer, try to choose another peer's post to respond to. Posts and responses will be evaluated on their quantity and quality.


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