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Praxis Solutions

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Praxis Solutions

Category Archives: Lean training

Lean training and facilitation intentionally designed for government, education, and nonprofits.

Mapping Strategy and Capturing Hearts

15 Thursday Dec 2016

Posted by Dan Edds in Balanced Scorecard, Baldrige, Lean training

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DanEdds

lovemyjobI have seen it happen often enough that I should not be surprised but I always am. Do a lean kaizen event or a strategy mapping workshop and front line staff become intensely engaged in the process and the outcome. Yesterday we were working with a regional hospital district and developing a leadership model that will guide leadership development, on-boarding, training, and performance expectations. In the process, the COO mentioned that she had just seen 4 front line staff, standing in the hallway where the strategy map we had created several weeks ago, is displayed. We enlisted the help of their graphic designer in its development and I must say, it is visually – stunning. The staff were studying and discussing it, along with the performance data that goes with it. Just how awesome is this?
We feel that when anyone goes to work in the morning, there is a deep seated desire to know that our work is important, that it counts, that it matters, and that we long to work for an organization that exhibits excellence. We also feel that front line staff want to know where they fit in the larger execution of mission and vision. This is where strategy maps, lean kaizen events and incorporating Baldrige Quality Criteria into organizational performance can provide enormous value. They empower! They communicate to the rank and file where they fit in the broader misison of their employer. What a shame so many never help their staff connect the dots. It’s a simple thing really, but what happens when we understand our place in fulfilling the sacred missions of our public, nonprofit, and healthcare organizations? The COO of this very fine healthcare organization may have said it best. “When our people come to work, they give us their hands and their brains. But if we treat them with respect they will give us their hearts as well”. The great thing is, when staff give their hearts as well, there is no additional cost.

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Financial Aid Offices

23 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by Dan Edds in Lean training, Praxis Solutions

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DanEdds, Featured, Financial Aid, FinancialAidStudents, Lean Government, LeanTraining

Can lean principles change the working culture and work processes in an Office of Financial Aid. In the spring of 2014 a local community college engaged Praxis to conduct a lean kaizen event. A four day event that turned their core process (award application process) into visual value stream map. At this time it was taking 10 weeks to process an application and they phones were not being answered. Today the phones are being answered and it takes 2-3 weeks to process an application during the high volume season of June – July.

These offices are important functions of any college or university. They are often the first point of contact with a prospective student. This means the perception of the school can be set into stone before the student ever walks on campus. Students will often enroll into the school that first offers them financial aid. Thus the experience with office staff and the speed of award can be vital.

A lean engagement is a staff friendly function that creates a shared vision of the Office and how to maximize value to the student.

 

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Translating Muda Into Government Speak

05 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by Dan Edds in Baldrige, Lean training, Praxis Solutions

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DanEdds, LeanInGovernment, LeanTraining

Does the types of waste or muda identified in lean training such as inventory, over production, and over processing translate into government “speak”? Of course they do but some translation work must be done.

When James Womack and Daniel Jones published their landmark book, Lean Thinking, they introduced a Japanese word into the manufacturing lexicon. The word is muda or what we would call waste in modern English. There are seven types of muda enumerated by the authors and the founders of lean principles. Each type of muda makes perfectly good sense in a manufacturing environment but may require some translation for a government application.

What we observe in much of lean training in government is that the language is so different that government leaders just tune out. This is not a negative hit on government leaders and workers. It is just the reality that all organizations have a unique language. So let’s look at those types of muda and see if we can make the translation. The specific example we will use in a government environment is payment of invoices and the awarding of financial aid in a college or university. Government does a lot of this. Let’s also remember the definition of muda = any activity that consumes resources but creates no value.

Over production

Producing too many parts for an assembly line is clear waste. But it also applies in a payment to grantees. Think of regulations as parts of an assembly line. If a process is designed that goes beyond what is required by a regulatory body, it has the same effect as producing too many engines for the assembly line. A State transportation agency providing federal funding to local municipalities for public transit must meet certain regulatory requirements. If errors are made penalties are the usual result. But in one agency the tendency was to error on the side of over regulation. There were so good at it, that when the feds were not sure of their own regulations, they just asked the State transportation group.

Waiting

A part sitting in inventory, waiting for installation creates no value for the customer. But does the same concept apply to paying invoices for grantees. Think of a single invoice, sitting on not one desk for a review but five desks. One school district found that it was taking up to 6 months to pay staff for the extra work they did like driving students to the debate tournament. Once they figured out all the points of waiting they figured out how to get it done in 10 days.

Transport

Transporting a single part to multiple warehouses clearly creates no value. But moving paper documents around an office has the same impact. In one of our lean engagements it was discovered that every invoice passed the desk of the same person 6-7 times. And this was just one person, this happened with multiple people. So do the math. Assume every invoice must pass 3 people 6 times. That is 18 touch points at a minimum! That is also 18 points where invoices get lost. Clearly, this is muda.

Over processing

Manufacturing parts for an airplane that goes beyond the design specifications is clear waste. In the same way, many government processes are designed for the once in a million event. A workers compensation insurance trust sets up the same invoice payment review process for a $25 invoice as it does for a $2,500 invoice. The smallest invoices must go through three levels of review just like the largest invoices. While there is clear value in a comprehensive review of large invoices applying the same review requirements to very small invoices means the cost of paying the invoice is more than the invoice itself. One government workers compensation trust dramatically improved their speed of payment by setting up simple business rules. Smaller invoices went through one review process, larger ones went through a different one. The result was faster payment, stronger negotiating power with medical providers and better business intelligence to serve their ultimate customer.

Inventories

A warehouse full of parts clearly creates no value for the customer. In the same way, money sitting in a bank can be inventory. If it is not put to immediate use building roads, paying medical claims, or getting a student off to university it is creating no value for the ultimate customer. When an Office of Financial Aid cuts in half the time it takes to process an application, money is going to work for the benefit of the intended student – faster.

Movement

The constant movement of parts is something that manufacturing organizations are just now understanding as muda. Parts get lost, parts don’t arrive on time, and parts get broken. In the same way, invoices and paper documentation that moves around has the same problems. They get lost, issues are not resolved on time, and there are multiple points in the process that will cause late payment. One office of financial aid stopped the movement merry go round but only giving 10 application packets for financial aid to each processor at a time. They could not get more until the 10 were completed. The results were fewer errors, no lost files, and staff were happier – they could see progress on a daily basis.

Defective Parts

We understand that buying anything that has to be returned because some small part is defective is irritating and expensive. The same applies for an invoice payment operations. Errors in coding and data are just as expensive. A simple error in data entry is a small thing to fix early in the process. But towards the end it can be catastrophic. On Office of Financial Aid designed two simple check lists. Much like airline pilots go through a check list for every takeoff and landing, this Office designed two check lists to catch errors before they had catastrophic impact. Besides fewer errors, they also realized that the check lists resulted in more standardized work because every knew the process.

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Hidden Power of Check Lists

09 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by Dan Edds in Lean training

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CheckLists, FinancialAidStudents, Lean Government, LeanInGovernment, LeanTraining

We have been working with an Office of Financial Aid for a local college. Annually they process nearly 20,000 financial aid applications. It is a highly regulated organization that is high stress. Turnover has been high. Students want their applications awarded – fast. Administrators want maximum award because this impacts enrollment. They are often the first touch point with the college for students so the experience reflects on the entire college.

As part of a lean, kaizen event we determined that a way of reducing errors in the award process was to develop a check list. The aviation industry has been using them for years and surgeons are just starting to use them and lives are being saved. So we spent a few hours identifying what data points should be on the list. Then we organized the list according to order in the process.

Then the lights went on. Staff realized almost instantly that there was more value that just removing errors (as if this is not value enough). With high staff turnover consistency in processing has been difficult. The check list solves this dilemma because the check list organizes the process for them. Also, training has been a consistent issue. Never enough training and never enough time to do it. Again, the lights went on as we realized the check list just became the outline for training.

So we found two additional value added benefits for a simple check list: process control and training.

Fabulous.

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