lean six sigma manual

Lean Six Sigma

for Colleges

A team based approach for process

improvement in Colleges

P a g e 1 ©Scott-Jardine 2012


Table of Contents

Background ............................................................................................................................. 5

Introduction to Deploying Lean Six Sigma Projects In Colleges

Using this Manual ................................................................................................................... 8

What are LSS Projects? ........................................................................................................... 9

What are the different types of Project? ............................................................................. 10

The DMAIC process structure .............................................................................................. 12

Commonly asked questions about LSS ................................................................................. 14

Management of Lean Six Sigma Projects within Colleges

Process Management Structure ........................................................................................... 16

Communication and Timing of Projects ............................................................................... 17

Role of the Principal and VP’s .............................................................................................. 18

Role of the College Champion .............................................................................................. 19

Role of the Project Manager ................................................................................................ 20

Project steering committee.................................................................................................. 20

Selection of College Champions and Project Managers ...................................................... 22

Project Team Selection and Make Up .................................................................................. 24

Project Selection and Strategic Alignment ........................................................................... 25

Project Sequence and Timelines .......................................................................................... 27

Project Charters

Using Project Charters .......................................................................................................... 30

How to Prepare LSS Projects

Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 37

Potential Pitfalls ................................................................................................................... 37

Facilities and Project Logistics .............................................................................................. 40

Collection of initial supporting data ..................................................................................... 42

Initial Training

Purpose................................................................................................................................. 44

Content ................................................................................................................................. 45


Delivery ................................................................................................................................. 46

Running Project Meetings

Using the DMAIC Process to Structure Meetings ................................................................ 49

Generating and Testing Ideas............................................................................................... 52

Safety Issues ......................................................................................................................... 53

Team Rules ........................................................................................................................... 54

Recording Activities and Actions .......................................................................................... 55

Keeping the Team on Track .................................................................................................. 56

Example Meeting Agenda .................................................................................................... 57

Process Mapping

Introduction to Process Mapping......................................................................................... 59

Purpose................................................................................................................................. 60

Using Current and Future State Maps.................................................................................. 61

Manual Process Mapping as a Tool ...................................................................................... 63

Basic Flowcharting Symbols ................................................................................................. 64

Using Bizagi Software ........................................................................................................... 66

Examples of Process Maps ................................................................................................... 68

The Final Presentation

Purpose................................................................................................................................. 71

Structure ............................................................................................................................... 72

Who Should Attend? ............................................................................................................ 73

Celebrating Success .............................................................................................................. 74

Sustainment and Project Follow Up

Measuring Success ............................................................................................................... 76

Using RAG Reporting ............................................................................................................ 77

Example RAG Report ............................................................................................................ 78

Project Close-Out ................................................................................................................. 79

Roles and Responsibilities .................................................................................................... 80

Follow up Communications .................................................................................................. 81

Glossary of Terms

Glossary of terms ................................................................................................................. 83


© 2012 Scott-Jardine

Limit of use

The use of this publication is limited to Bromley, Bexley and John Ruskin College. Permission is granted to

these bodies to use, reproduce and transmit this manual for use within the confines of the named colleges.

However, outside of the named colleges, no part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage

and retrieval system without permission in writing from the authors.

The AoC, as the overseeing body of the project, is also granted permission to use this manual within the same

limits of permission

Limit of Liability

Individuals using and/ or reading this manual are responsible for their use of the information contained. The

authors make no guarantees with regard as to the accuracy or completeness of the book and specifically

disclaim all warranties of fitness for a particular purpose.

The manual does not constitute professional or legal advice and the reader is advised to seek competent

advice in any particular matter in relation to any matters regarding the reader’s business or personal affairs.

No responsibilities or liabilities are assumed by the Authors whatsoever


Background Colleges are faced with an increasingly difficult task: improving the outcomes for students

despite reduced budgets and against a backdrop of continued economic uncertainty.

Achieving maximum value for money from existing resources while improving quality and

performance is critical to success.

As with other parts of the economy Colleges can harness the benefits of Lean and Six Sigma

to streamline their internal processes.

Lean and Six Sigma have been found to be very successful approaches to improving quality

and increasing efficiency in a wide range of processes. They use the skills and experience of

staff in the organisation and use a structured team based approach to deliver the benefits.

Through the AoC shared services initiative a Lean and Six Sigma programme was undertaken

with Warwickshire and Coventry Colleges in 2011. Significant benefits were seen from this

programme across the processes studied which covered pre-enrolment, enrolment,

examinations, and registration.

Following on from the success of this programme, a further programme funded by the FE

Innovation Fund agreed with the AoC was implemented called ‘Embedding process

efficiency gains using Lean and Six Sigma’. This programme was deployed in Bromley College

(including Orpington Campus), Bexley College and John Ruskin College.

The programme commenced with an initial trainings session for the staff across all the

Colleges. The training focused on the basic tools and techniques of Lean and Six Sigma also

the removal of waste and improvement in the reliability of College processes. This was

followed up by the practical application of the tools and techniques within four projects that

were identified by the Steering Committee.

Cross College teams were formed and the structured DMAIC process was used to progress

the projects and identify improvements in the relevant processes. The processes studied in

this programme were enrolment, fee collection, payroll and student services.

At the end of the projects, final presentations were made to College leadership and staff.

Also the key actions that would be undertaken to secure the improvements were identified.

As part of the overall programme it was agreed a toolkit would be developed to help College

Managers and Leaders to undertake their own improvement projects.

This manual is the result of that work and is designed to help you to introduce

improvements into your College through team based improvement following the DMAIC

roadmap that is defined later in this manual.


Introduction to Deploying

Lean Six Sigma Projects

In Colleges


Introduction to Lean Six Sigma You have embarked, or are about to embark, on an exciting journey within your College.

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a team based process improvement tool that, when deployed

correctly, will not only generate savings and improve customer quality, but will also

generate excitement with those people and departments who are involved.

The fundamental concept you should always keep in mind is that Lean Six Sigma is a process

of continuous improvement. It’s a ‘journey’ and not something that is undertaken once.

As on any journey, along the way you will see ups and downs. You will be met with a whole

series of challenges, but again by its very nature Lean Six Sigma is exciting and most of all,

fun.

Waste exists in its various forms in every part of day to day working. Lean Six Sigma is a

framework that provides structure to the process of identifying and eliminating that waste

and puts in place measures to continually strive to look for mare opportunities to improve.

We don’t know what we don’t know.

We can’t act on what we don’t know.

We won’t know until we search.

We won’t search for what we don’t question.

We don’t question what we don’t measure.

Hence, we just don’t know.”

Dr. Mikel Harry


Using this Manual Although many of the tools and techniques are similar to those used in other sectors, the deployment process within the College environment is different. This manual draws upon the leanings from the Lean Six Sigma project run with Bromley, Bexley and John Ruskin Colleges(2012) and a similar project run with Warwickshire, Coventry Henley and Stratford Colleges (2011).

This manual is aimed at those who are involved with the implementation of Lean Six Sigma

(LSS) within the College environment. Its aim is to act as a guide to assist in the smooth

running of the complete process and explains the set-up, planning, execution and follow up

phases of a Lean Six Sigma project.

This manual is not meant to be a complete guide to the ‘ins and outs’ of Lean Six Sigma. This

is not something that can be learnt from a book or a manual, because every project is

different. Each process on each campus will have its own nuances meaning the route to

improvement will be different each time.

Knowing which tools to use and at what time comes with experience. Put simply the more

improvement activity you do the more you will start to see and, by default, the better the

results.

It is strongly advised, before you start using this manual to deploy the Lean Six Sigma

process, that you have been involved in and experienced at least one Lean Six Sigma project

to help you understand the DMAIC process and also the cultural change processes that take

place within the project group and your wider College audience.

This manual can also serve as a guide to Principals and those involved in the steering group

and governance process of Lean Six Sigma deployment. Its seeks to help them better

understand their roles in improving their Colleges processes though the effective

deployment of the Lean Six Sigma methodology at a senior level.

Most importantly, the manual also identifies some of the lessons learnt and some of the

pitfalls to be aware of as you move through the process.


What are Lean Six Sigma Projects?

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a structured approach that helps manage and improve the quality, performance and cost of a process.

Lean Six Sigma Projects are essentially planned interventions to look at how a specific College process is performing.

Every process has 2 types of activity.

Value Added activity

These are the parts of the process that transform something closer to what the customer wants. I.e. if a student walks into the student services area, asks a question and is given an immediate correct answer. This would be deemed as Value Added.

Non Value Added activity

These are the parts of the process that do not transform something closer to what the customer wants. i.e. if a student walks into the student services area, asks a question and the Student services adviser has to get up, move to a computer, log on, look through 3 screens of data to find the answer, all of this additional activity would be deemed as Non Value Added.

Non value added activities are in effect waste; and make up between 95% and 99% of all process time. However in day to day life, people simply get used to this type of activity and it becomes the norm. It becomes hard to see.

LSS projects are designed to focus of the identification and removal of waste for the process in question. Not all waste can be removed quickly, but we have seen in all the Colleges’ projects to date that a very large number of small changes can be made quickly, easily and at little or no cost, to improve the process in question, both in terms of quality and efficiency.

LSS projects should focus on one specific process with clear start and finish points. The project should have clear goals that are aligned to the overall business improvement plan of the College and each project should follow a prescribed set of steps.

P a g e 1 0 ©Scott-Jardine 2012

What are the different types of Project? Although the majority of this manual focuses on larger scale LSS projects, we should not lose

sight of the bigger picture.

The longer term goal is to support a marked shift in the culture of the College. The goal is to

move away from the ‘Silo’ mentality that can be seen in certain parts of Colleges and move

toward more self-directing work teams.

This means that we need to consider how LSS activity over the longer term needs to look.

Lean Six Sigma is dynamic. Its deployment needs to be adapted over time to match the

maturity level of the ‘acceptance of change’ within the College.

Initial LSS projects

Initially LSS projects using cross functional teams are by far the best way to start the LSS

journey. This is because normally the improvements that we are trying to make tend to be

in processes that affect more than one department and tend to be quite complex and

require consideration from all areas concerned. Also the longer timescales involved (6 to 12

weeks) tend to match the pace of change at the starting point of the LSS programme.

Colleges (like most other organisations) tend to be quite bureaucratic with slow-downs in

the change process.

However as more projects are undertaken, the organisation will start to become more

accustomed to the culture of change and the timescales involved will start to reduce.

Interim LSS projects

Once a good proportion of the staff have been through the process a number of times they

will become more accustomed to the process. This provides a number of opportunities to

change the dynamics of the LSS projects.

Timescales can be challenged and reduced.

Local teams can start making smaller local improvements.

This will set the ground for the final stages of the cultural change process.

Team based LSS activity

Team projects are short, narrow focused improvement projects that are aimed at making

small incremental changes to local processes.

This type of LSS activity is primarily run by staff within the team who are familiar with the

change process.


Although the DMAIC structure is used, it becomes much more relaxed. However the project

charter is still vitally important to the process since is allows the project to be correctly

focused, checked and confirmed.

Typically in order for a local team to reach the point where it can successfully manage its

own LSS project, the team will have in place its own performance metrics and the team

would have the capability analysing and deciding where its own issues lie.

Quick wins

From the very start of the programme, small quick gains will be identified. These are

typically known as ‘quick wins’ and represent the simplest and quickest way to make quick

gains for the benefits of the customer, the College and the area concerned.

Many of these ‘quick wins’ will be identified by the project team aside from the main

project. It is key that these are captured and acted upon in addition to the main project

goals.

Quick wins normally by definition should be just that, quick and easy to accomplish, with

minimum effort. As a guide no more than 2 hours work involving no more than 2 or 3

people.

Quick wins normally fall outside the full structure of the DMAIC process, since they can be

undertaken quickly with a low risk factor.


The DMAIC process structure The method used most widely in a College environment for structuring the improvement project is based on the Six Sigma DMAIC approach.

The benefit of this approach for a College is that it allows the project to be broken into sensible chunks of work that can be progressed alongside normal day to day activities.

The DMAIC structure provides a visible framework for the project phases that enables the best chance of success.

DMAIC is the project phases DEFINE, MEASURE, ANALYSE, IMPROVE and CONTROL.

All process improvement projects with some degree of complexity and impact go through these phases and it is best practice to adopt this approach when introducing an improvement project.

The team can use this structure for each meeting and in principle have one session per phase as the project moves forward.

DEFINE

The DEFINE phase is critical to the success of the project as it sets out the nature of the project, the scope of the work, objectives, key performance indicators, timetable and team members to deliver the project. The Project Charter is the key output from the define phase.

It is critical that the project is aligned with the College strategy and that clear benefits can be identified.

See Project Charter Chapter 4 for full details

MEASURE

The MEASURE phase is about how the process is assessed.

What has happened in the past and what happens now?

What data do we have from the key performance indicators about the current process and how it is performing?

The critical part in a College for this phase is the mapping of the process being studied as defined in the project charter. The process map should be created by the team based on the actual process and highlight issues, concerns and opportunities within the current process. Each process step is identified and mapped in sequence and allocated within the appropriate area of responsibility so that the full complexity of the process can be assessed.

See Process Mapping Chapter 8 for full details.


ANALYSE

The ANALYSE phase is about understanding the current process and identifying opportunities to eliminate unnecessary steps and handoffs. The team work together to develop a clear understanding of the existing process, along with the limitations, constraints and delays that occur when the existing process is employed.

The team generate ideas on how the process could be improved and start to assess the effect an alternative may have.

The team review any data collected about the process and establish if these are the best and most appropriate key performance indicators for the process being studied.

IMPROVE

The IMPROVE phase is about selecting a new and improved method which addresses the issues raised with the current process. Through process mapping a new better process is designed which provides a more robust, reliable and efficient process. A new standard procedure is established and the correct performance measures identified.

The risks with the new process should be assessed and if practical the new method should be trialled to make sure that the new process works as expected. Any further improvements should be identified at this stage.

CONTROL

The CONTROL phase is about ensuring the new process is introduced correctly and monitored to ensure the improvement is sustained. The new standard method of working should be introduced with the appropriate training of the staff using the new process.

The key performance measures that have been identified for the process need to be monitored regularly to ensure the new process is working well and any issues raised are quickly addressed.


Commonly asked questions about LSS These are a few of the ‘stock questions’ that are commonly asked by staff during projects – and the stock answers:

What is Lean Six Sigma?

LSS is the blending together of two toolsets, Lean and Six Sigma.

The Lean part of the process provides to tools for the identification and removal of waste.

The Six Sigma part of the process provides the structure to the project by the use of the DMAIC process.

Do I have to fit this into my already busy day?

The simple answer is yes, but if the additional workload becomes too much, explain this to your line manager, Project Manager or College Champion, who will work with you to find a solution.

What’s in it for me?

Generally most people find the opportunity to get involved in change very rewarding. The chance to have your say and fix those small niggles is something that the LSS process gives you that you would not normally get in day-to-day College life.

It is also far better to be involved with change than have change imposed on you.

I thought this only worked in automotive and manufacturing?

Absolutely not, this approach has been used in almost every business sector including the NHS, the courts of justice, local councils and increasingly even in central Government.

Colleges are different, our problems are unique.

Like every other business, Colleges have waste in all processes. The focus of LSS is to remove waste, so in reality Colleges have the same opportunity to improve as every other organisation.


Management of

Lean Six Sigma Projects

Within Colleges


Process Management Structure The process management structure to support a Lean and Six Sigma (LSS) programme in a College consists of the Steering Committee a College Champion a Project Manager or Managers and Team Members.

In order that the LSS programme delivers the maximum benefits, it is vital that the LSS structure it fully integrated with the Senior Management Team. This will allow the LSS toolset to be deployed far more strategically and breakdown silos within the organisation

The Steering Committee is the College leadership team that provides the direction and support for the programme. The programme should consist of a number of individual process improvement projects that support the College goals.

A College Champion is a senior College leader who has the respect and authority of staff and is able to sponsor projects and is a key member of the Steering Committee.

The Project Manager is the College expert on Lean and Six Sigma who has been trained to deliver improvement projects using the DMAIC structure.

The Team Members are a cross section of College staff formed as a team to undertake the project. Team Members should be trained in basic Lean and Six Sigma tools by the Project Manager at the start of the project to enable them to contribute fully to the process.

A College can have a number of Project Managers undertaking a project each or one Project Manager undertaking several projects. The projects will vary in time, resource and complexity and the Project Charter is used to set out the details and scope of the project.


Communication and Timing of Projects Consideration must be given as to the best time to launch a Lean Six Sigma Programme before starting any form of communication with the general populous of the college.

This is because LSS is, as we have mentioned before, a cultural tool. The success of the programme to a large extent will be judged by the level of engagement of the staff and their willingness to get involved with an initiative that will invoke change across the College. Some of that change will involve changes to staff roles, to a greater or lesser extent as waste is removed from the processes and workloads need to be rebalanced.

In the current climate, staff are understandably, fearful of job losses. So any change programme if not launched correctly will be viewed very negatively and will evoke high levels of emotion.

Experience shows that this will be very damaging for any LSS work going forwards.

So the launch of LSS activity needs to be set against the correct backdrop and the initial message needs to be very clear and strong.

The ideal launch timing the start of LSS activity is at a time of relative stability. No significant restructuring should be planned at the same time as a LSS project is running. Consideration should be given to the risk of any planned staff changes being linked to LSS activity.

Once the timing has been agreed, the message as to what LSS is and its role in the College needs to consistent from all sources - SMT, governors, LSS Steering committee and line mangers.

The explanation must be simple and tangible, not conceptual and abstract.

The more directly a person of department is going to be effected by a project, the more personal the communication should be.

Where possible the message about job security must be clear.

Nobody will lose their job as a direct result of a Lean Six Sigma project.

Of course this statement needs to be set against the backdrop of the rest of the activity in the College. If there is a cut in funding, a merger or a change in the College’s course offering that’s different, and no guarantees can be made about those situations. But people generally understand this so long as the message is fair and clear.

Every communication should emphasise the benefits of LSS activity. Focus on the long term benefits to the College, rather than the short term disruption that running the project brings. If the staff understand the bigger picture, the more likely they are to understand the benefits.

So in summary, assess the best time to launch the LSS activity, allow time for effective communication and plan the message.


Role of the Principal and VP’s Although it is recognised that College Principals and VP’s are very busy, time must be put

aside to demonstrate support of the Lean and Six Sigma process.

Lean and Six Sigma by its very nature is a cultural transformation tool and that is designed to

harness the power of teamwork to provide solutions to process issues. With this in mind, it

is important that top level support for the process is both seen and demonstrated. This way

the project teams will feel valued and ultimately produce better results.

The key roles in the process are as follows:

• Being the ultimate lead for the programme

• Ensure that the required resources and priority are given to the programme

• Deliver the message that the process is seen as an integral part of the way forward

• Review progress on a regular basis

• Support Project Managers, who are responsible for the success of a project

• Remove barriers to progress

The most powerful tool is ‘Go and See’. If possible the Principal or nominated VP’s should

‘drop in’ on the occasional team meeting for a short while and lend support.

Another vital part of the process is the final report out presentation. This meeting is where

the teams present their findings and actions to a wider audience.

This meeting should be attended by the Principal and VP’s and should be used as an

opportunity to both thank and praise the team for all their hard work. This presentation

should also be used to gain commitment from the team to make the changes work going

forward and challenge further improvements to the process.


Role of the College Champion The College Champion (CC) is responsible for ensuring that the LSS process runs smoothly in

the College. They are also responsible for promoting Lean Six Sigma across the College at all

levels.

Normally the College Champion is a member of the Senior Management Team reporting

directly to the Principal.

The College Champion should assess and agree all projects prior to their start and check that

any potential projects are aligned strategically to the College business plan. They should also

check that a project will not cause any conflict with other planned initiatives such as

planned IT changes or planned changes in departmental roles of structures.

Other responsibilities include.

To work across all of the projects with their College to ensure no issues exist.

Be the centre of communication for all project activity within their College

To help facilitate the process locally with The Project Managers

To work with the Project Managers to provide the Principals regular updates

Assist in the removal of barriers within the College

Chairing the Project Steering committee


Role of the Project Manager The Project Manager (PM) has a pivotal role in the entire process. They should be viewed as

the internal leader of the process right from the outset through to the end of the process.

Their task is to be one step ahead at all times, guide the team, but not direct.

The PM should be involved right from the conception of the project and should assist in the

definition of the project and be involved in the completion of the Project Charter. Once

agreed, the PM then becomes responsible for the maintenance and delivery of the charters

contents.

Where Initial training is required in Lean Six Sigma tools a techniques, the Project Manager

is responsible for either providing the training or arranging for the training from another

source.

As the Project leader The PM is also responsible for the following parts of the process:

Being the centre of communication for their project

o Day to day communication with the team members

o Arranging for the actions of the team to be documented and distributed in a timely manner

o Providing the Principal and the College Champion with regular updates

Facilitating the process locally, arranging rooms and equipment

Assisting in the removal of barriers with the College Champion.

Ensure actions are followed up between sessions

Become the local expert, lead from the front

Other smaller but equally important tasks include:

Assist group to find solution – not providing solution

Challenge assumptions, Remain subjective

Maintain credibility of process

Pick up on and diffuse conflict within / outside of the team

Keep team on track, maintain the focus

Make sure all contribute, and make it enjoyable for team, maintain team morale and ensure that the team is empowered.

Being “one Step” ahead at all times


Project Steering Committee In a College the management direction and support for the LSS programme is provided by the Project Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee is made up of the senior leadership team of the College including the Principal and Vice Principals with other senior staff from the cross College functional areas. The size of the Committee would typically be between 5 and 8 and meet on a monthly basis. The Steering Committee should be chaired by the College Champion who is responsible for the overall process.

The role of the Steering Committee is to drive the improvement programme, recognise the need for change and be committed to the use of Lean and Six Sigma to bring about the change.

The Steering Committee appoints and supports the Project Managers who are responsible for the delivery of the improvement projects.

They also approve new projects ensuring they are aligned with the objectives of the College and the potential benefits are worthy of the time and resource to be spent on the project.

The Steering Committee must also review the progress of projects on a regular basis and help remove barriers to progress.

The Steering Committee will ensure that at completion projects are correctly closed out and the benefits are identified, measures put in place and a plan available to ensure improvements are sustained.

The chair of the Steering Committee would be expected to act as the ‘College Champion’ who would actively sponsor projects and directly support Project Managers with the issues and obstacles that may arise during the course of the project between formal reviews with the Steering Committee

The Project Manager or managers would be expected to present their project progress at a slot during the Steering Committee meeting.


Selection of College Champions and Project Managers

The correct selection of College Champions and Project Managers is critical to the success of

the LSS improvement programme. It is vital that the College leadership team carefully

consider these appointments and consider the candidates against the criteria described

below.

Candidates for College Champions should be:

In a leadership position

Involved in strategic planning for the College

Able to remove roadblocks such as time, resources, and personnel

Committed to using LSS as a tool to drive improvement and cultural change

Have enough capacity to undertake the role and the responsibilities that go with

it

Some of the ideal personal qualities for the College Champions are:

Excellent communicator across all levels of the College

Well organised and structured approach

Strategic and creates a clear vision of the future

Resolving- good at resolving problems

Positive- takes an optimistic view

Change Orientation- readily accepts new challenges

Reliable- conscientious about meeting deadlines and honouring commitments

Candidates for Project Managers should be:

Respected within the College at all levels

Able to be the lead person on LSS in the College

Committed to using LSS as a tool to drive improvement and cultural change

Have enough capacity to undertake the role and the responsibilities that go with

it

Some of the ideal personal qualities for the Project Manager are:

Insightful-quick at getting to the core of a problem, good at identifying ways to

improve things

Analytical- seeks solutions to problems, asks probing questions


Empowering- good at finding ways to motivate people, inspiring and encouraging

to others

Interactive- engaging and a good communicator

Resolving- good at resolving disagreements

Positive- quickly recovers from setbacks

Change Orientation- readily accepts change

Organised- plans well and is focused on hitting deadlines

Both the College Champion and the Project Mangers need to have the drive, determination

and the passion to drive change. Both roles should not be underestimated. Done well, the

roles will take up considerably more time than first thought. Do not compromise on the

selection process. Consider carefully all aspects of the role, not just a person’s availability.


Project Team Selection and Make Up

Total team size, including the Project Manager, should be between 6 and 10 people.

Because a good mix of team members facilitates creativity, idea generation, and fresh

viewpoints, it is suggested that the rule of thirds is applied when defining the team and

selecting the team members.

One third of the team should be directly related to the process that it to be worked upon.

One third of the team should be related to the process in some way, such as IT, teaching

staff or a ‘customer’ or the process.

One third should be ‘fresh pairs of eyes’. That is to say they are not closely related to the

process (although they may have some knowledge of it). Their role is to question the norm

and look at the process from an outsiders view point.

Each project team must have at least one member who is very familiar with the process.

This will assist the team in process mapping and also allow answers to questions to be

quickly gained. Ideally, he or she should have spent some time working on or supervising

the process. Such people are extremely valuable resources because their detailed

knowledge facilitates making changes.


Project Selection and Strategic Alignment There are a number of reasons that a project can be selected. Typically a College tends to

select projects at the point where the College is experiencing some problems with a

bottleneck process such as the enrolment of students at peak periods or problems with the

balancing of staff hours. This is perfectly acceptable since the Lean Six Sigma process will

assist in addressing these issues.

However the best way of selecting projects is to link them to the overall strategic plan for

the College. For example as the business plan is developed to the next academic year there

is a problem foreseen with rooming or the register creation process. Using the Lean Six

Sigma approach these can be looked at measured and improved ahead of time.

The main objective when selecting a project to be undertaken is that it will produce tangible

results. That is to say that the College staff and the Customers (students) will see a marked

improvement in the quality of the service, the ease at which a process is performed, or a

financial benefit.

The project gains ideally must be measurable.

Other criteria to consider

Linkage to overall strategy

Have a cross reference to College objectives

Have a positive Impact on the customer experience

Improve overall service quality levels

Demonstrate bottom line savings

Improve system synchronization across functional silos

Creation of a model processes

The project must have measurable outcomes

The project is designed to address particular performance issues

Are we processing in line with customer requirements?

Does the process incur a lot of additional cost (overtime)

Is there a lot of stress in the process

Does the process visually looked disorganized when you walk through it

Can someone from the area easily describe the process to you

Does the process have a record of high customer dissatisfaction

The delivery performance is off target

Does the process have a continuing history of backlogs

People resource

Realistically achievable


When scoping the project, it is better if the overall objectives are smart, narrow and deep.

This way the process will be investigated more fully and the end result will be more

complete.

Selecting a project that is too broad will result in ‘scope creep’ and it is likely that the team

will struggle to identify the true start and finish point of the project.

The best way to test if the project has been well defined it to complete a Project Charter.

The project charter will assist in discussing and agreeing the start and finish points, the

overall objectives and the key milestones of the project.

Project areas that can be considered within a College environment include:

Pre-Enrolment / Marketing

Enrolment

Registers and attendance record processes

Examinations

Fee collection

Student Services

Curriculum Planning, Timetabling and Course Set-up

Room Utilisation and Room Allocation


Project Sequence and Timelines The main input to the programme is from the College strategic and annual goals and targets.

The sequence to be followed is:

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

SELECT THE RIGHT PROJECTS

Clarify the big picture using the strategic plan

Identify the need and formulate goals

Agree the budget

Establish potential improvement areas gather data on current performance

Prioritise projects based on the benefits, resources required and timing

Select key projects with buy-in from College leadership

Put in place effective Key Performance Indicators

SELECT AND TRAIN THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Ensure the right leadership and project ownership is in place

Recruitment if required

Develop training plan for those involved

Ensure the right support structure and resources are available

Ensure suitable communication plan is developed

IMPLEMENTATION

IMPLEMENT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

Kick off workshops

Staff Training

Project Charter to define the process

Measure process

Analyse the process

Identify waste

Improve process

Implement solutions

Control process


PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT

Frequently review progress and remove barriers

Check impact and benefits

Continuously communicate progress

MAINTENANCE AND DEVELOPMENT

SUSTAIN THE GAINS

Implement effective control plans

Conduct training in the new process

Ensure the right measures are in place

Assess results

Review the benefits and effectiveness regularly

Communicate success

Transfer learning to other departments

It is important to close the loop and assess the gains. If more gains can be seen, consider

planning another project.


Project Charters


Using Project Charters The Lean Six Sigma project charter is a document that details the improvement opportunity to both the team and top management of the College. It should explain why the project is important and how it supports the goals of the College. The initial charter detailing the scoping and expectations of the project should be completed ahead of any work commencing with the team. This document is then studied in detail and finalised during the define phase of the project.

It is very important to understand that it is a living document, that is, it may be revised as needed during the course of your improvement opportunity

The statements in the project charter should describe the anticipated improvement that is expected from the team. It should be worded in concise terms.

Completing the form

Clearly define the project title, Ensure that the Project Manager is appointed (3) and in fully involved in the creation of the project charter.

Enter the process and project description box (1 & 2). Try to keep the language common and unambiguous. What is the opportunity being addressed? Why is the project important? What is the problem? What is the effect of the problem? What is the effect of the solution?

Creating an outstanding project objective statement (3) is easy if you follow 5 simple concepts. The acronym for a good project objective statement is SMART:

Specific- do not use confusing or ambiguous language anywhere within the project charter. Clearly describe the process, together with clear start and finish points.

Measurable- define in terms of percentage improvement or reduction, monetary gains, throughput, productivity, etc. This gives the team an objective to reach... and a basis for comparison after completion of the project.

Attainable- attempting to set too high of a goal is the beginning of a poor plan. Set a goal that is achievable within 3-4 months. If the overall goal cannot be reached within that timeframe, set an interim goal. This will help keep your team motivated.

Relevant- the team's goal should correspond to the problem at hand, business objectives, or perhaps Critical to Quality elements that have been identified.

Time-bound- list when the team expects to achieve this improvement goal

A good objective statement always begins with a verb. Use terms like increase, reduce, or improve to begin your statement.

Outline the results expected in the results box (4), again quantify the expectations.


In completing the Team members box (5), who is on the team and who else is involved? The team members should be discussed and identified as early as possible to ensure that the team is balanced. The Project Manager should then work with the College department managers to ensure that the people identified can be released to join the team. The final team members should be entered onto the charter at the initial team meetings in the define phase.

In the project scope box (6), what is the scope of the process? What is included and what is excluded? What rules will the team follow? Ensure that both the start point and the end point are entered on to the form and are clearly defined. A Statement like:

‘From the point where the student first contacts the College to the point when the student signs the enrolment form’.

Would be ideal since it is specific and easy to understand at all levels

The benefits to the end customer (7) should be identified since one of the key objectives of any project is that the customer should see a noticeable improvement in Quality, delivery or cost.

Key milestones should be entered into the schedule box (8). These should be either entered at the initial phase of by the team during the define phase. These dates should coincide with the completion of each phase of the project and should be marked by some from of a sense check between the Principals, VP’s and Project Manager. This will ensure that any issues or scope creep are picked up before it is too late. This sense check will also allow any barriers or difficulties to be managed effectively.

The support required box (9) is a thought provoking box that is aimed at considering and special support that may need to be put in place ahead of time. IT support and capacity is a typical issue that needs to be considered as well as covering key members of staff whilst they are working on the team

The Project Manager is responsible to the upkeep of the project charter and should be constantly confirming that the teams direction is in line with the direction set in the charter


TEAM PROJECT CHARTER

Project Title

Project Manager

Start Date Target Completion Date

Element Description Team Charter

1. Process: The process in which

opportunity exists.

2. Project Description: Describe the Project’s Purpose

and scope.

Also the Location of the

project to be improved

3. Objective: What improvement is targeted

and what will be the impact on

key measures

All objectives must be SMART

Specific, Measurable,

Achievable, Relevant and

Time Bound

4. Results:

What is the improvement in

performance are anticipated

and when?

5. Team members:

Who are the full-time members

and support consultants?

6. Project Scope: Which part of the process will

be investigated? Define the

start and finish points

7. Benefit to External

Customers:

Who are the final customers,

what benefits will they see and

what are their most critical

requirements?

8. Schedule: Give the key milestones/dates.

Project Start

M- Measurement “M” Completion

A- Analysis “A” Completion

I- Improvement “I” Completion

C- Control “C” Completion

Note: Schedule appropriate

Safety Reviews if required

Safety Reviews

Project Completion

9. Support Required: Do you anticipate the need for

any special capabilities,

hardware, trials, etc?


Example Project Charters


TEAM PROJECT CHARTER


How to Prepare LSS Projects


Introduction

The Process of running LSS projects should not be under estimated.

By their very nature this type of project is resource hungry, so without the correct level of

up front planning, the resulted will be eroded and the general perception will be that the

LSS project is just another ‘flavour of the month’.

Time spent on upfront planning and getting the support structure in place will pay dividends

in the medium to long term. To the people involved the process must feel well organised

and the perception must be that the whole senior management team is behind the LSS

process and want it to succeed.

As mentioned in other areas of this manual, the Steering committee and the SMT must be

clear on the overall direction of the process and must also have a very clear idea of the

projects that are to be tackled and the expected outcomes.

The purpose of this section of the manual is to identify some of the key issues, potential

pitfalls and also some of the logistical considerations that need to factored into the LSS

planning.


Potential Pitfalls Under planning

Not being prepared ahead of project meetings may well result in time at project meeting

being spend ‘planning’ instead of doing. This will cause slippage against the project plan and

the DMAIC process. The result of this is less time being available in the Improve and Control

phases.

Attendance

Project Managers and team members are expected to attend both the initial training and

also the project meetings. It is therefore vital that during the planning phase the workload

of potential participants is considered. Should a member of the team drop out partway

through the process this will have a negative effect on the rest of the team and also the

project will risk falling behind.

Ownership

The Project Manager should relinquish ownership for the project whilst the project is

running. Although there may be strong characters in the team or senior College staff, the

PM remains directly responsible for the activity and its success. However the PM should

plan for transfer of ownership to the areas and people responsible for the process as the

project draws to a conclusion, since without this ownership being with the area responsible,

sustainment will fail.

Conflict

By the very nature of the process, people may well become a little uncomfortable with the

process. After all it’s about change, something most people find hard. To avoid conflicts, the

PM like all the other members of the team should listen carefully and ask questions when

not clear about something or when not clear about a task assignment. If all the team works

together and sticks to the rules, the risk of conflict should be minimised

The tendency to fear mistakes

‘It sounds like a good idea, but what if it goes wrong?’ This is a comment that is frequently

made in different forms. An experienced PM will be able to guide the team through the

change process without the risk of causing major disruption to a process. If there is a risk

assess the risk and arrange a trial.

Work on the basis, if we try and it works then we have gained. If the change is unsuccessful

then we have learnt something. By doing nothing we will have learnt nothing.


As a senior management team, reward attempts to change; don’t punish failure and don’t

reward clinging to the status quo.

Getting everyone involved.

The team size is really designed to keep the process manageable. Too many people and

some will become detached.

The PM must be aware of people feeling left out, becoming quiet or starting to become

negative. When this happens take action to get the individual ‘back’ into the team.


Facilities and Project Logistics

Training room

The room used for the initial training should be large enough to present the PowerPoint

training material.

The room is best set in a U shape to allow people to interact.

As a minimum the Training room should also have:

A PC and projector (ensure that someone has the password)

1 flip chart / spare paper / pens

Blu tack

Enough tables and chairs to accommodate everyone.

Project meeting rooms

These should be large enough to accommodate the team with space to spare. The project

meeting room also needs to have enough wall space to facilitate the building of a manual

process map.

As a minimum the project meeting room should also have:

A PC and projector (ensure that someone has the password)

1 flip chart / spare paper / pens

Post it notes for process mapping

Blu tack

Sellotape

Enough tables and chairs to accommodate everyone.

Catering

One of the biggest moans during project meetings is the failure to provide drinks and

snacks. Although this is an additional cost, this must be weighed up against the benefits of

saving time and team bonding.

The best balance is to provide tea / coffee / water at the start of the sessions and also again

at break time. Biscuits and occasionally cakes also are welcomed by the teams and make

them feel valued. Normally if the session runs over a lunch period, this is not normally

provided.


Transportation

Consideration must be given to the transportation arrangements of the participants when

project meetings are on differing campus to those they normally work. Participants that

work part time or differing hours also need to be considered.

Experience shows these issues need to be considered in the planning phase of the LSS

project and discussions need to be held with the participants and line managers where

applicable to find the best method of ensuring all participants can attend for the full

duration of the project meetings.

Meeting timings

Generally speaking, project meetings need to be between 3.5 and 4 hours duration in order

that the process can work correctly.

Location for the final presentation

The venue for the final presentation needs to be considered and booked well in advance.

This should be a hall (or similar) that can be laid out theatre style and accommodate all the

participants plus guests. If a celebration buffet is to be offered (recommended) then this

needs to be laid out prior to the presentations of set in an anti room so that the

presentation is not disturbed.

Allow time ahead of the presentation for the project team(s) to see the room and do any

last minute changes they may need.


Collection of initial supporting data

The collection of relevant supporting data is very important all the way through the LSS

project process. Initially when deciding if the project is suitable for application of the LSS

project approach, enough data should be collected to provide evidence that the process is

an opportunity for improvement and the potential benefit justify the time and resource to

be spent on it.

It is important that if there is not a valid data collection method in place, one is put in place

ahead of the start of the project.

Quite often in College data is available, but is not generally used or in the general domain.

The best starting point nearly always is the IT or MIS departments as a lot of data tends to

be captured automatically and stored on various systems.

Once sufficient data has been analysed and the steering committee are happy that the

project is valid, the Project Manager can work with the team to further collect and analyse

data to understand patterns and trends.

The original data should be considered the ‘benchmark’ or starting point. Any

improvements can be validated against this original data.


Initial training


Purpose The purpose of the initial training is to ensure all members of improvement teams have a

basic understanding of the LSS tools that will enable them to work together on the project

and deliver the charter objectives.

The delegates should understand the overall goals of the LSS programme and the process

structure in place to deliver those goals.

It is the opportunity for the Project Manager to demonstrate their competence and

understanding of LSS and build rapport with other members of the team they do not usually

work with.

If initial training is carried out correctly it will ensure all team members are behind the

project, understand why the LSS process is used and can use the tools proactively during

team meetings.


Content A set of initial training slides were generated for the Colleges and these should be used for

the initial training.

The essential content to cover in the initial training is:

Introduction

Agenda

Background to the project

An overview of Lean and Six Sigma

What is Lean

Just in Time

Quality

Smoothing

Value added V’s non value added

The seven classic wastes

Causes of waste

Waste in Colleges

A flow simulation exercise

Workplace organisation and 5S

Standard work

Six Sigma

The project roadmap

Project charters

The workshop process

The College Champions role

The Project Managers role

The Team Members role

Summary and next steps


Delivery The initial training should take between 3 and 4 hours and be delivered to groups of between 8 -16 people.

It is normal to have a break of around 15 minutes about half way through to suit, based on an appropriate place to stop.

Preparing for the Training

Ensure you have practiced the presentation and are fully familiar with the content.

Have examples to explain the slides and make them relevant

Make sure you have considered potential questions and how to handle them

If you are including practical exercises make sure these are well rehearsed and all the materials are complete and available

Check the room is appropriate for the number of delegates

Ensure the overhead projector and screens are working before hand

Suitable table or lectern for your notes

Ensure a flip chart and pens are available

Make sure the environmental factors are right for training, temperature not too high or low, lighting is sufficient, room location is not too noisy

Set up the tables and chairs in U shape if possible, angled rows for large groups

Delivery

Use good vocal techniques, vary the volume and pitch for emphasis

Ensure the pace is appropriate for the audience

Reinforce the message visually with positive arm and hand movements

Establish rapport by good eye contact with delegates, move about do not remain fixed to one spot

With presentation slides remove the slide when not relevant, keep it on if you are talking about it

Use flip charts for added points and questions, write large enough for all to see with dark colour pens

Ask questions to check understanding and engagement


When answering questions from the delegates listen to the entire question, repeat the question so everyone has heard it, clarify if you haven’t understood the question, and verify that your answer has addressed the questioner’s issue

Set up a question board on the flip chart to record questions and then answer them if possible and if not, use them as points to find out about and get back to the questioner or group as appropriate.

Quite often participants request hand-outs of the slides. It is suggested that these are made available AFTER the training session as this stops people reading ahead and allows the trainer to take the opportunity of asking questions without the participants having the answers in front of them!

It is also suggested that any hand-outs are in electronic form to reduce printing time and cost.


Running Project Meetings


Using the DMAIC Process to Structure Meetings

The DMAIC process helps provide a logical structure to your meetings. Each meeting can be

held as a stage in the process, which will help the team to focus and avoid too much

diversion and procrastination.

In practice each stage of the process may not take an equal amount of time, so some steps

may require two meetings or one meeting may be able to work on more than one step.

Clearly it depends on the size and scope of the project, but the Principal of a meeting per

step is a good starting point.

DEFINE MEETING

The first meeting will be about forming the team, getting to know each other and working

on the project charter to ensure it is agreed and finalised.

The meeting should start with an introduction by the Project Manager to the project and

background to it. Each team member should then have the opportunity to introduce

themselves and explain their role in the College and what is their previous experience of LSS

is if any, what are their expectations and what are they are looking to gain from the project.

Then the team should agree the team rules on how they are going to work together.

After agreeing the rules the team should go through the draft charter supplied by the

Project Manager and complete all the sections ensuring buy in from the team.

The Project Manager should allocate a team member to be responsible for capturing the

activities and actions for the team.

The initial measures for the process need to be clarified if not already in place.

Actions before the next meeting should be identified and agreed which will be around

bringing data, information, procedures and forms to enable process mapping to be

undertaken.

MEASURE MEETING

The measure meeting begins by going over the project charter and reviewing the data, information, procedures and forms team members have brought to the meeting.


A good understanding of what happens now with the process needs to be established in the team.

The critical stage for this meeting is the mapping of the process being studied as defined in the project charter. The process map should be created by the team based on the actual process and highlight issues, concerns and opportunities with the current process. Each process step is identified and mapped in sequence and allocated within the appropriate area of responsibility so that the full complexity of the process can be understood by the team.

The process map can be created on flip charts with sticky notes as it is being developed. However, if practical it is helpful to have a team member allocated to transferring the map into the Bizagi software process map during the meeting.

ANALYSE MEETING

The analyse meeting starts by going over the charter and the actions agreed at the last session. The meeting is then about understanding the current process and identifying opportunities to eliminate waste by finding unnecessary steps and handoffs. The team work together now with an understanding of the existing process to examine the limitations, constraints and delays that occur when the existing process is employed.

The team should then brainstorm to generate ideas on how the process could be improved and start to assess the effect an alternative method may have. Using the flipchart ideas are captured and reviewed together with the team.

The team review any data collected about the process and establish if these are the best and most appropriate key performance indicators for the process being studied.

IMPROVE MEETING

The actions from the last meeting are reviewed initially. The improve meeting is about selecting a new and improved method which addresses the issues raised with the current process. Through the brainstorming teamwork and process mapping a new better process is designed which provides a more robust and efficient process. A new standard procedure is established and any further or better performance measures identified.

In the improve meeting risks with the new process should be assessed and if practical before the next session the new method should be trialled to make sure that the new process works as expected. Any further improvement opportunities should be identified at this stage.

At this meeting start to consider the final presentation and draft the plan for who is going to say what at the end of project presentation.


CONTROL MEETING

The final meeting should again consider the original charter to ensure the solutions to be introduced achieve the project charter requirements. Outstanding actions are reviewed and the focus of the control meeting is about ensuring the new process is introduced correctly and monitored to ensure the improvement is sustained. The new standard method of working should be written, any relevant forms updated and the appropriate training of the staff using the new process should be organised

A key output from the session is who, how and when, are the key performance measures that have been identified for the new processes, to be monitored to ensure the objectives of the project are delivered.

The final presentation should now be put together by the team to show the work undertaken in the project, the outcomes and follow up actions.

A RAG report should be raised identifying the actions, time scales and who is responsible for delivery of the action. This RAG report is then the used to monitor progress by the Project Manager and should be reported on a regular basis to the steering committee.


Generating and Testing Ideas

One of the benefits of the LSS approach is its ‘bias for action’.

As mentioned before, as we move forward in the process, the expectation is that Staff and

teams across the College start to take ownership of the process, by getting involved in the

change process.

We need to get staff used to the idea of looking at an issue then not only generating ideas

to resolve the issue, but also looking at what they can do as a team to test and implement

solutions.

Clearly we are not going to ask staff without the necessary skills to resolve complex issues.

But the vast majority of issues people face day to day in College life are relatively simple and

quick to fix. These are the problems we would like to encourage staff to take ownership for

and not wait for someone else, somewhere in the College to fix.

With this in mind, throughout the project meetings, every opportunity should be used to get

people used to the idea of working as a team to discuss and generate ideas that are found

using the process map and also though general discussion.

These ideas should be captured by the team and where appropriate actions should be put in

place there and then to ‘move the solution forward ’by a member or members of the team.

For example, this maybe agreeing to discuss an idea with an expert within the College

before the next meeting. Or it maybe is agreeing to ‘mock up’ a change on a document

ready to the rest of the team to see in a week’s time.

Whatever is agreed it should be recorded and summarised at the end of the project

meeting. It should be then reviewed at the start of the next meeting.

The PM is responsible for facilitating this type of discussion. Do not fall into the trap of

providing the solution to the team. Let them discuss the issues and find the solution.


Safety Issues

Safety and the welfare of both College staff and students should be considered at all stages

of the Lean Six Sigma process.

This may appear obvious, but as the leaders of the process it vital that we assess all the risks

involved ahead of starting any activity.

As a guide line the following need to be considered.

Are all the staff familiar with the environment?

Do you have people that are from different Campus or Colleges attending?

Fire drills, are there any planned?

Fire evacuation procedures, do you need to brief the team

Security, do you need to arrange passes?

Car parking, do you need to arrange visitor parking?

Location of toilets, do you need to explain this to visitors

Are there any members of the team with special needs that need to be handled?


Team Rules

At the start of the project during the first meeting it is very helpful to get the team’s

engagement and commitment by developing some team rules that are agreed just for this

team.

This can be played as an ice breaker game, where each rule is put on a card and the team

are asked to put them in order of importance to the team. The team then adopt the first

eight as the rules for this team.

Alternatively they can be reviewed as a group discussion and the flip chart used to identify

the rules to be adopted by the team

Suggested possible team rules are:

Keep an open mind to change

Maintain a positive attitude

Never leave in silent disagreement

Create and maintain a blameless environment

Practice mutual respect every day

Treat others as you want to be treated

Every voice counts equally no position or rank

There’s no such thing as a dumb question

There is no magic wand

Understand the process and then take action

Be enthusiastic about the teams challenge

Meet your commitments to the team

Stick to the team’s problem when we are trying to get work done

Do the ‘little things’ that make teamwork fun

Don’t interrupt; wait until I’m finished talking

Do your fair share of the team’s work

Say ‘Thanks’

Don’t ignore peoples suggestions

Offer help when someone is overloaded; even if they don’t ask

Don’t say it’s not my job

Ask what you can do for the team not just what the team can do for you


Recording Activities and Actions

At the start of the project during the first meeting the Project Manager should allocate one

of the team members to the role of group scribe.

This is an important role as this person is responsible for capturing all the ideas, issues or

questions raised during the team meetings as well as the actions agreed upon.

The items should be put up on to a flip chart for use during and after the meetings.

The session notes and flip charts can be used at the next sessions to ensure a good flow

from one meeting to the next.

The notes from the flip chart need to be recorded to ensure that nothing is missed during

follow on sessions as the project progresses to the next phase.

At the end of each session using the recorded details the Project Manager should send out

to the team the agreed actions to be undertaken prior to the next session.

An example of actions from a meeting:

Actions for next meeting

Review the process maps and look for any further changes or amendments required

Develop an action list for the process, identifying quick improvements, medium and

long term actions ready to present to next meeting

Identify key metrics and data capture methods to monitor improvements and report

to next session

Consider ideas for the final presentation to discuss next time


Keeping the Team on Track

The Project Manager is instrumental in keeping the team on track to deliver the project.

The Project Manager should ensure that they produce a structured agenda for each of the

project meetings and make sure it is available for each session.

It should clearly detail the key areas to be covered in that meeting.

A review of the charter at each meeting should be carried out to ensure the teams activities

remain in alignment with the original objectives.

At the start of each meeting ensure the actions from the previous session are reviewed and

closed out if completed or carried forward if not.

Be mindful of the time allocated to the meeting and the agenda for the session.

Remind the team of the task in hand and keep them focused on the relevant step in the

process.

Call a halt to discussions that are going around in circles or are not relevant to the project

progress.

Keep the team interested and engaged with positive debate, but ensure this is within the

scope of the charter and time allocated.


Example Meeting Agenda

1. Review Actions from previous workshop

2. Review Project Charter Objectives

3. Identify how proposed actions support charter objectives

4. Identify best practice points from project

5. Check process maps starting and improved process

6. Identify metrics and how improvements will be identified for follow up audit

7. Presentation ideas and start preparation


Process Mapping


Introduction to Process Mapping

Before we start mapping any processes, we need to understand what a process actually is.

Processes are simply sequences of actions designed to transform inputs into outputs. For

instance, baking a cake will involve taking various ingredients (inputs) and producing the

cake (output) using the recipe (process), Similarly, the steps required to deal with an

enrolment, from receipt of the initial application, to the student actually being signed up to

a specific course, will involve a process, or series of processes.

Process mapping is an exercise to identify all the steps and decisions in a process in diagrammatic form which -

Describes the flow of information and documents;

Displays the various tasks contained within the process;

Shows that the tasks transform inputs into outputs;

Indicates the decisions that need to be made along the process chain;

Demonstrates the essential inter-relationships and interdependence between the

process steps; and reminds us that the strength of a chain depends upon its weakest

link.

More complex processes have a number of interdependencies that may cloud the issue, so

it is vital to understand the start and finish point of the process to be mapped. Normally the

best reference for this is the Project charter, since if written correctly it will have these

indicated.

It is essential to involve College staff in any process mapping exercise. This may involve the

main project team asking others outside the team for their expert advice and guidance. Only

by asking the people who do the work will you be able capture the information required.

There may be some suspicion from staff about the ultimate aims of a process improvement

exercise and how change will affect individuals. Up front communication is vital as is the

openness about the exercise, its aims and expected outcomes. Communicating this openly

will reassure the staff and securing co-operation.


Purpose

Process mapping is a simple tool that helps all of the team to understand the working of a

process. Most processes within the College environment are relatively complex and few

people will fully understand the complete process from start to finish. So going through the

mapping process as a team will help build a common understanding and will provide a

framework where all of the team can ask questions and make comments.

When process mapping a College process it is important to remember to map what actually

happens not what you think happens or what you would like to happen.

Process mapping enables us to clearly and simply record existing processes, examine them

thoroughly and develop improvements by:

Eliminating unnecessary tasks;

Clarifying roles within the process;

Reducing delays and duplication;

Reducing the number of steps or hand offs in the process

Improve the quality and reliability of a process

It must be remembered that making changes without truly understanding how the process

is working today, and why, can lead to costly mistakes.

If you do not measure a process, you will not be able to manage it effectively and if you

cannot manage a process, you cannot improve it.

It has been estimated that people can waste about 70 – 80% of their time by re-doing things

that are wrong, chasing things without result, querying incomplete instructions, doing other

people’s jobs and so on.

Process mapping enables us to clearly define the current processes in chart form, identifying

problem areas such as bottlenecks, capacity issues, delays or waste. Once identified, this

knowledge provides a solid basis from which to develop solutions and introduce and plan

new improved processes.

.


Using Current and Future State Maps

As mentioned before, process mapping is a simple tool to help us understand a process. The

normal process is to map the current state of the process, warts and all. This map is then

used to generate discussion as to possible improvements.

Once the current state map is completed the team must challenge every part of the process.

The basic questions that should be asked at every step of the process are:

Does the step add value?

Is the step sitting in the correct place

Is the step being undertaken by the correct College department or person?

Is there any delay?

Is there duplication?

During the process mapping process we are looking at:

Work arounds (symptom of a process not working correctly)

Form layout, can it be improved?

Over complicated paperwork and forms

The number of departments involved

The number of hand offs

Correct equipment to undertake the process

Physical movement levels (walking, transportation)

Quality levels

Overall lead time to correct the process

Problems caused by other departments not doing their job correctly first time

Problems caused by staff not following the process

Bottlenecks

Correct levels of data collection

Normally, the questioning of the process map leads to more unanswered questions rather

than answers. All unanswered questions and ideas should be recorded. If they are not, they

will be lost.

Once the team understand the current state map, the next step is to develop a future state

map. This can be one of two types:

Interim future state

Full future state.


For most teams and most College projects the interim future state is the best level of future

state map to use.

This is where the team consider what the future process could look like in a relatively short

time scale (3 to 6 months).

After completing the current state map and looking at the issues within it, the team then

produces a second map detailing the best process that they can envisage working.

In producing this second map the team must challenge all the waste that they can see and

come up with solutions. The interim future state map then serves as a target state for the

project team and the College to work towards.

Full future state

It is possible (depending on how open the team is to blue sky thinking) to build a future

state map. That is, one that is considered the utopia process by all the team.

Normally this vision would take some time to accomplish and may well be outside the scope

of the original project charter. However this type of map can be a very powerful tool to

communicate the long term vision for the process.

In order to build a full future state map the follow sequence of steps is suggested.

Build the current state map

Identify the opportunities

Identify the value added steps in the process

Transfer ONLY VALUE ADDED STEPS to the new future state map

Understand why the process cannot work with only the value added steps

Understand why the process cannot be undertaken by one member of staff

Add back into the future state map, only non-value added steps that are deemed

vital to make the process function safely and at the correct quality level.

Add back hand offs to other members of staff of departments only when they are

required for a specific reason ( lack of skill or training is not a good reason as this can

be fixed)

Once the Future state map in complete, discuss it with all the necessary departments

and staff in the College.


Manual Process Mapping as a Tool

Process mapping is the first stage in the project team really understanding the process that

they are about to work upon. So allow a reasonable period of time for this part of the

project.

Initially process mapping is best done manually on a wall for all the team to see. The best

way is to first cover a wall in paper. If a wall is not available then use tables!

Identify the various departments within the College that are involved with the process and also any external suppliers such as data processing bureaus. For each of the departments and suppliers add a ‘swim lane’.

Starting at the agreed start point (as detailed on the project charter) begin mapping the process using a 'POST-IT'.Each note should represent a 'step' in the process. Using the POST-IT note approach saves a lot of pain when it comes to re-shuffling the sequence to get it right!

Draw the process map to represent the process, as it actually happens - NOT what you might prefer it to be!

Keep it simple to facilitate broad understanding of the OVERALL process. Too much detail early on can be overwhelming and/or lead to confusion. If you agree that more detail is required on a particular action, it is easy to highlight that box and produce a separate chart showing the process taking place within.

Leave the Process map on the wall if possible. This enables reflection and re-thinking. Continue until consensus is reached. Rarely is the process map completed without re-work.


Basic Flowcharting Symbols

The two most important symbols are:

1. A rectangle, representing an activity or task:

2. A diamond, representing a decision:

You may also find it useful, when considering process improvement to label certain actions on your chart to highlight -

Delays

Transport/movement

Filing

Electronic storage

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=661&tbm=isch&tbnid=wAk7xTLxgmhKVM:&imgrefurl=http://www.clker.com/clipart-4792.html&docid=UzPrf3wPxNwBnM&imgurl=http://www.clker.com/cliparts/2/d/f/f/1206577509218878922spidie_Database_Shape.svg.thumb.png&w=100&h=92&ei=zj70T6eMKcLe8APt-qmFBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=377&vpy=375&dur=556&hovh=75&hovw=82&tx=78&ty=32&sig=100039865942111107176&page=2&tbnh=76&tbnw=82&start=20&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:20,i:138


For workflow, simply join the processes up with a line and an arrow to indicate the direction of flow.

For electronic communication use the following symbol.

You may also find it useful, when considering process improvement to label certain parts of the process or ideas on your chart.

For this the best symbol is an opportunity cloud.

Any ideals can be noted in the cloud and stuck to the appropriate part of the process to

ensure that the idea or discussion point is not lost.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=661&tbm=isch&tbnid=wAk7xTLxgmhKVM:&imgrefurl=http://www.clker.com/clipart-4792.html&docid=UzPrf3wPxNwBnM&imgurl=http://www.clker.com/cliparts/2/d/f/f/1206577509218878922spidie_Database_Shape.svg.thumb.png&w=100&h=92&ei=zj70T6eMKcLe8APt-qmFBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=377&vpy=375&dur=556&hovh=75&hovw=82&tx=78&ty=32&sig=100039865942111107176&page=2&tbnh=76&tbnw=82&start=20&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:20,i:138


Using Bizagi Software Once the process has been mapped manually the agreed process needs to be recorded electronically in order that it can be shared.

In order to do this it is recommended that a software package called Bizagi BPMN Process

Modeller is used.

Bizagi Limited is a privately owned UK company established in 1989. Its name stands for

business agility.

The software is used in all types of business sectors including the public sector, financial

services, energy, health, manufacturing, and many more.

Bizagi Limited offers two products:

Bizagi BPMN Process Modeller

Bizagi BPM Suite

For the purpose of process mapping in the College environment it is recommended that the

BPMN Process Modeller software is used

Bizagi BPMN Process Modeller is a freeware application to graphically diagram and

document processes in a standard format known as Business Process Modelling Notation

(BPMN). One of the main advantages of the software is that it allows non-technical users to

build process maps and diagrams by dragging and dropping shapes.

Once the process diagrams and the corresponding documentation have been created they

can be exported to Word, PDF, Visio, the web or SharePoint to be shared with people who

do not have the Modeller installed.

The software can be downloaded from: www.bizagi.com

If you are unsure if you have permission to download this software, please speak to your IT

or MIS department who will advise you. If you have the relevant permissions please follow

the steps below.

1. Select ‘Products’ from the ribbon at the top of the page.

2. Then under the heading of ‘Become a BPM expert’, find step 1 and click on

Download our free Process Modeler.

3. This will take you to a new page where you will see a button to download the

modeller. Click on this button.

4. This will take you to a page that says thank you for downloading Bizagi process

Modeller. The download should start automatically.

http://www.bizagi.com/

http://www.bizagi.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95&Itemid=107&lang=en


5. If you see a yellow security bar appear either at the top or bottom of the screen,

click run or OK. This should start the automatic download.

6. When requested, select the set up language - English (United States)

7. The software should now install.

8. When the download is complete, you should see a ‘InstallShieldWizard welcome

screen’. Click on the Next option.

9. Accept the terms of the licence agreement and click Next

10. On the next screen enter your user name and details click Next.

11. On the next screen you will be asked for the destination folder. Accept the

recommendation and click Next.

12. Click ‘Install’ to begin the final installation. The process should start automatically.

13. Once complete click ‘ Finish’

14. The process should have created a shortcut on your desktop. To start Bizagi Software

use this shortcut.

If you have any problems, please speak to your IT or MIS department who will help you.

Instructions correct July 2012

User video tutorials can be viewed at: http://elearning.bizagi.com/

A quick reference guide can be downloaded from:

www.bizagi.com/docs/BPMN_Quick_Reference_Guide_ENG.pdf

http://elearning.bizagi.com/

http://www.bizagi.com/docs/BPMN_Quick_Reference_Guide_ENG.pdf


Examples of Process Maps

Examples of a manual current state map


Examples of a final Electronic current state map using Bizagi software


The Final Presentation


Purpose

The purpose of the final presentation is not only to share with the steering committee and

other College staff the outcomes from the project along with the lessons learnt, but also it is

also the ideal opportunity celebrate the successful completion of the project.

In presenting the outcome of the project, it is an opportunity for the team members to gain

support and commitment from the rest of the College staff for the new process that is to be

employed.

It is the opportunity to gain wider support for the LSS process and engage other staff that

have not yet been involved in an improvement project themselves.

From the steering committee and SMT point of view, the final presentation should be

looked at as an opportunity to say thank you and put weight behind the suggestions that the

project team has made.


Structure

The Project Manager is responsible for taking the lead in organising and leading the

presentation.

A mixture of flip charts, PowerPoint and other creative means should be used to keep the

presentation lively and interesting for the audience.

The presentation should last around 20 minutes and typically 10 slides would be expected.

Ensure each team member has the opportunity to talk at some stage of the presentation.

The structure of the final presentation should be as follows:

Introduction of the team that worked on the project by the Project Manager

An explanation of the Project Charter by the Project Manager

An explanation of the process being studied using the process map by a team

member

An explanation of any initial or historical data about the process by a team member

The findings regarding the current process by a team member

A description of the ideal process by a team member

An explanation of the improvements to be introduced with the timescales and

measures to be employed by a team member

Details of the expected results from the project by a team member

Summary of the project by the Project Manager

Opportunity to answer questions from the staff attending the presentation

At the end of the presentation and questions the most senior member of staff in attendance

usually the Principal or a Vice Principal should stand up and thank the team for their work

and commit to supporting the implementation of the improved process.

It should be remembered that the Final presentation is quite daunting for a lot of the team

members so the speakers must be comfortable with the content. Do not go into too much

detail and where possible keep the presentation light hearted.


Who Should Attend?

The attendance at the final presentation will be to some extent determined by the nature

and scope of the project.

If more than one project has been running concurrently than the presentation should be

timed such that all of the various teams can attend the same session.

This allows for the process to receive more gravitas and for the teams to view each others

work and presentations.

The Steering Committee and as many staff as practical should attend to show the Colleges

commitment to the project and using the LSS process.


Celebrating Success A key aspect of the final presentation is to celebrate the success of the project and say

thank you for the team for their time and commitment to delivering the results.

The Principal or Vice Principal should give plenty of recognition to those who were involved

in the project and the effort of all involved should be celebrated.

If possible a small buffet is a good idea and should be timed to be either mid-session or after

the final presentation.

All staff involved in the presentation, whether it is as a project team member or as an

invited guest should be invited to the buffet. People should be discouraged from ‘sloping

off’ as this sends the wrong message.

The buffet is a time for the SMT, College Champions, and other invited guests to talk to the

Project teams and listen to their experiences and comments. This aspect is aimed again at

sending the message that the change process that LSS brings to the table is something that

the College as a whole values.


Sustainment

And

Project Follow Up


Measuring Success

In order to be able to understand whether a LSS project has been successful, some form of

measurement process needs to be put in place.

If written correctly, the project charter should define the various expected outcomes of the

project, by using SMART goals and targets.

In the planning phase the steering committee should check that data as to the starting point

is available. If not a measurement process needs to be put in place ahead of the

commencement of the project. Initial data then needs to be used to confirm the validity of

the project assumptions.

This initial data should also be used by the Project Manager and the team in the

measurement phase of the DMAIC process to further analyse the process.

Once the project has been completed the process in question then needs to be assessed

using the same metrics to measure the success.

Another reason to measure the process following the completion of the project is

sustainment. When changes are made to a process, people quite often find it difficult to

accept or get used to the change. If this happens the improvements and changes will start to

slip and the gains made will disappear. So it makes sense to keep monitoring the process

until the new process in embedded.

This is one of the key roles of the steering committee and the College Champions following

the completion of the project. Doing this will keep the focus on the project and reduce

slippage.


Using RAG Reporting

All projects have a number of unfinished or open actions at the end of the formal part of the project. These need to be tracked to ensure that they are closed out in a timely manner.

One of the best ways to do this is to use a RAG report.

The term RAG comes from RED, AMBER, GREEN, the three colours that are used on this type of report to indicate the status of a particular action item at a glance.

RED: there are issues and/or risks that are impacting the project right now = we are not delivering on time/scope/budget

AMBER: there are issues and/or risks that will impact the project if not fixed = we are at risk of not delivering on time/scope/budget.

GREEN: the project is progressing according to plan = we are delivering on time/scope/budget.

It is the Project Manager’s responsibility to decide on how the overall project is going. Make sure you involve the team and discuss it with them.

The steering committee should have in place a process where they regularly review the status of all the projects using this form of report.


Example RAG Report


Project Close-Out

A project can only be closed when all of the objectives on the Project Charter have been

met.

This should be done in a formal way with the Project Manager and the steering committee

holding a review and discussing the project as a whole.

As a guideline the Project close out meeting should discuss

Has the Project met the targets set out in the Project Charter?

Have all the action items on the RAG report been closed out?

Are the correct KPI’s in place and being used?

Are the customers of the process happy?

Is the quality level the same or better?

Feedback from the project team

Feedback from the Project Manager

Learning points

When all points have been satisfied, then the project can be formally closed.


Roles and Responsibilities

During the follow up phase of the project the steering group have the overriding

responsibility for the successful close out of the project.

Working closely with the Project Manager, The steering committee should ensure the RAG

reports are up to date and that the action items contained on them are closed out on or

before the closing date.

Should an action Item turn Amber or red, the steering committee should seek to understand

why and should assist by the timely removal of any barriers that exist stopping the progress

of that item.

The steering committee also have the responsibility for looking at the bigger picture within

the College and where necessary adjusting priorities and communicating the reasoning

behind the decision.


Follow up Communications

Lean Six Sigma projects are designed to generate momentum, get people talking and get things done.

But unless something is put in place, this momentum will dwindle following the final presentation.

The post project communication plan should be split into two parts:

The project team communication plan

College level communication plan.

The project team communication plan

Normally at the end of the allotted project time the team involved has built up good working relationships and on numerous occasions have asked to keep in touch, both at a personal level and also at a working level. It is normal for the team to be interested in the project’s success.

Project follow up communications are key to ensuring that the team working and the continuous improvement thinking process is not lost.

The Project Manager should plan to stay in touch with the team following the project ensuring that they are kept up to speed with the success of the project. If it is possible the team should meet up again on an occasional basis and look at the sustainment aspects of the post project.

Using the project team in this way ensures the passion for the project is not lost and is put to good use to ‘police’ the new process.

College Champions should also not lose sight of their part of this process. Joining the project team to check sustainment will add extra drive and increase the levels of sustainment.

College level communication plan.

A plan should be put in place to share the success of the project with the wider College audience. This can be done by whatever means is deemed the best by the College. Whether it is by discussion in a meeting or by some from of electronic newsletter, is not so important. The key is to recognise all the hard work of the team and communicate the success of the project.

Take the opportunity to invite other staff to get involved with the Lean Six Sigma process, perhaps by volunteering to join a later project team.

Again College Champions have a key role in this process. They should take every opportunity to sing the praises of the process and check that the communication process is reaching all departments in the College.


Glossary of Terms


Glossary of Terms

5S: A process and method for creating and maintaining an organized, clean and high

performance workplace. The 5S’s are taken originally from 5 Japanese words, Seiri,

Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu and Shitsuke.

The main focus of the 5S process is to remove waste from the process and make the

process visual

5 Whys: The 5 why's typically refer to the practice of asking, 5 times, why the failure has

occurred in order to get to the root cause of the problem. There can be more than one

cause to a problem. In an organizational context, generally root cause analysis is carried

out by a team of people related to the problem. No special technique is required.

Abnormality management: The ability to see and respond to an abnormality (any violation

of standard operations) in a timely manner.

Autonomation: English translation of Jidoka. Imparting human intelligence to an Automated

Process so that it automatically stops when a problem arises.

BIZAGI software: is a free industry standard process mapping tool. Downloadable from

www.bizagi.com

Brainstorming: Consensus building about a problem or issue using group discussion. All

ideas are listed without comment or regard to feasibility.

College Champion: The person who Champions the Lean Six Sigma process within the college at every level.

Cost of Quality: is a measure that sums all costs associated with poor quality or Process

failure, including rework or the introduction of work around processes, loss of reputation, legal costs and other costs incurred in preventing or resolving quality problems.

DMAIC: A Six Sigma structured process that the project team follows. The sequence being:

DEFINE, MEASURE, ANALISE, IMPROVE, CONTROL

Final presentation: The presentation by the project teams(s) at the end of the project

where the team presents the outcome of the project to the wider College audience.

Fire fighting: An expression used to describe the process of performing emergency fixes to

problems.


Jidoka: Also known as automonation. The imparting of human intelligence to a machine so

that it automatically stops when a problem arises.

Just in Time (JIT): Defined as ‘giving the customer what they want, when they need it, with

the required Quality, whilst using the minimum amount of resources (labour, space,

equipment and WIP i.e. lowest cost).

Kaizen: (Translated ‘Kai’ – Change, ‘Zen’ – Good,) A continuous improvement vehicle for

driving quick hit value by implementing “Do now” solutions through waste elimination

Lean Six Sigma Breakthrough: a time sensitive rapid deployment methodology that uses a

focused team based approach to continuous improvement.

Lead Time: The total time taken to complete a process from start to finish. I.e. the time

from when a prospective student arrives at the door of the College to enrol, to the point

when the student actually leaves the College.

Lean process: A strategy that uses less of everything compared to the traditional College

process. The focus is on eliminating waste or Non Value Added activities within a process.

Muda: Any activity that adds to cost without adding to value of the product.

Mura: Variations in process quality, cost and delivery

Muri: Unreasonableness; demand exceeds capacity.

Non Value Add: Any activity that does not add form, feature or function to the process.

Non Value Added activities include transportation, process defects, inventory, handling,

queues, MIS issues, etc.

Pareto chart: A graphical technique used to quantify problems so that effort can be

expended in fixing the “vital few” causes, as opposed to the ‘trivial many’.

Pareto principle: 80% of defects come from 20% of the problems (i.e., the vital few

problems).

Poka Yoke: Japanese term meaning error prevention. Ideally this is an ‘engineered method

or solution which makes it very difficult or impossible to produce a defective’. Typically

this will be an IT solution such as a credit card number validity check or a student address

validity cross check.


Problem solving: The process of determining the cause from a symptom and then choosing

an action to improve a process.

Process mapping: The drawing out of the process steps involved in a particular portion of a

process or the totality of a process or work stream.

Project Manger: is the person in charge of a project within the College. Normally the PM is

trained in Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques to allow them to guide the team though

the process. The Project Manager reports to the steering committee and the College

Champion.

Project meeting: A team meeting, lead by the Project Manager, where the team works

though the issues of the project and decides on actions to move the project forward.

RAG Report: a reporting method that uses colours to allow the reader to see the overall

status of a project at a glance. The colours used being: RED, AMBER and GREEN.

Right first time (RFT): The process of carrying out a process without creating defects along

the way.

Root Cause: The reason, or fault from which a chain of effects or failures originate from.

Rework: Non Value Add work performed to correct a defect that has occurred.

Seven Quality tools: Defined by in the late 1960’s by Dr Kaoru Ishikawa, The 7 classic tools are:

Check Sheets,

Scatter Diagrams,

Histograms,

Control Charts,

Pareto,

Fishbone diagrams

Flow Charts.

Six Sigma: Started in Motorola, it is a technique that focuses on improving processes by

reducing variability. Six Sigma refers to a quality level of 3.4 defects per million

opportunities.

SQDC board: Is a visual control board used by a College departmental team to display specific measures relating to SAFEY, QUALITY, COST and DELIVERY.

Standard Deviation: is a statistic that tells you how tightly data points are clustered around the mean (Average) in a set of data.


Steering committee: The body that is charged with co-ordinating the Lean Six Sigma efforts

within the College. The Committee is responsible for checking the strategic alignment of

the various projects and making sure that the projects are completed to a satisfactory

level on time and on budget.

Takt Time: The required rate of a process needed to meet ‘true’ customer demand.

Calculated by dividing the total net daily operating time by the total daily customer

demand.

Value Add Activities: Any effort or operation that transforms a product or service closer to

what the customer requires.

Value Stream: All activities, both Value Added and Non Value Added, required to bring a

product or service from order to the hands of the customer,

Value Stream Map: (or Value Chain Map) A visual picture of how material and information

flows from suppliers, through the process, to the customer. It includes calculations of total cycle time and Value Added Time. Typically written for the current state of the value chain and the future, to indicate where the business is going.

Voice Of the Customer (VOC): A term used to describe the stated and un-stated customer

needs or requirements.

Waste: Anything that does not add value to the final product or service, in the eyes of the

customer. An activity the customer wouldn't want to pay for if they knew it was

happening. These are normally classified into 7 categories.

1. Defects 2. Over Production 3. Inventory 4. Over Processing 5. Motion 6. Waiting 7. Transportation

Work around: A temporary process that has been put in place normally because the planned process is not working correctly. A Work around process is deemed as Non Value add.

Work Sequence: The correct agreed sequence of steps that a process should be performed.

lean six sigma manual

Education

basic flowcharting

interim future

john ruskin

ideal personal

future state

key performance

future state

full future