process improvement training

Process Improvement Training

1

The Plan….

Brief Discussion about Methods What is a Process?

Break (10 mins) Identifying and Framing Process Understanding the As-Is

Break (10 mins) Assessing the Process Designing the “To-be” Wrap up

2

The Goals …

At the end of today you should understand how to: Map processes Make a case for change Find areas for improvement Gather ideas for improvement Identify prioritization of improvement ideas Find resources to help with your projects

Practical knowledge to use on any project!

3

Methods and Key Points4

Improvement is a Cycle…Not an End

Map Processes

Identify Pain Points

Prioritize Improvem

ents

Execute Projects

Review and Learn

5

Which Method Should I Use?

There are many approaches to Process Improvement

Lean: Value and Waste Six Sigma: Reducing Variation Functional Focus: Internal Efficiencies

Use the method that fits the project

6

Key Point: Make it Visible

A lot of the time spent in “process improvement” is spent process mapping on paper with Post-its….

Why? Without good mapping, improvements may

cause more problems Work is often “hidden” Makes identifying opportunities easier

Always try to show your work

7

Key Point: It’s All About the Outcome

Stay focused on the outcome(s) of your processes

Try to take the viewpoint of the outcome consumer

Avoid, at first, talking about Who – don’t personalize the process; speak

of roles (when it is time), not individuals How – this can come later

The goal is to change outcomes not processes

8

What Do You Need to Get Started?

What you need is: Some organizational commitment Post-its : make sure they’re sticky Pens: Sharpie-style Flip charts: to put pen to paper People with energy…lots of it!

You don’t need fancy software to start!

9

Finding Processes10

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Goal : A True End-to-End Picture

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Business Process

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But What is a Process?

A sequence of activities that include a trigger, and a quantifiable outcome – must be End to End

Trigger

time, even

t, etc.

Business Process

Outcome

can be counte

d

Finding the business process(es) can be trickier than you think

12

Concert Night Case Study

Case Study

13

Why Does it Matter? Concert Night

Concert night was a struggle….major issues:

Traffic heavy on roads

around the venue

Long lines to get in

VIP guests are upset

Invalid tickets

entering venue

How would you solve these if you were in charge of your functional area?

Restaurants losing

money due to early entry to concerts

14

How It Was Solved Functionally

The solutions often worked against each other

Routed traffic in

most direct route –

across a cross walk.

Tried different areas, routes, nothing

worked to lessen lines

Allowed VIP guests to

enter first – but not all.

Extensive checking of tickets – and

double-checking

Lines actually got longer, complaints increased, costs increased and attendance

dipped – why?

Concert venue

remained closed as long as possible

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Fun

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Fun

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Fun

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They Did Not See How Things Connected!

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Business Process

16

The How-to for Process Finding

17

Processes Often Hide…

Processes often hide themselves in vagueness or are disguised as to-do lists

“I know what the processes are and what we need help on!”

“Here’s my daily task list – that’s my process”

“Not sure what happens after I do that…that’s another process…”Keep an eye out for these types of

statement…

18

Pick the Group – Be Thoughtful

This is perhaps the most important step in finding processes

Pick contributors who do the work as well as oversee the work

Try to get people who “consume” the end result of your process (client, end user, student, customer, etc.)

Involve all personalities in the work Set ground rules – participation is key

19

Time-Saving Tip…

Being able to interview the core group ahead of time What activities do you do? What issues do you have? What solutions have you considered?

Also good to review any documentation (forms, reports, etc.) relevant to the work at hand

The more prepared you can be, the better(and quicker) the work will go!A sample interview guide is included in your

packet

20

Start by Mapping Some Milestones

Lay out the milestones (or major events) for the area you are looking at…

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Keep it to 5 +/- 2 Boxes

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Exercise: 5 (+/- 2) Boxes for Concert Night

Think about your experiences with concerts – what are the major moments?

It works really well to ask what the end user goes through - you might find people have

different points of view!

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

MilestoneMilesto

neMilesto

neMilesto

ne

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

MilestoneMilesto

neMilesto

neMilesto

ne

Milestone

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“Things”: Getting on the Same Page

It’s important to make sure you are all on the same page – sometimes the same word can mean different things to different people

Thing (concept): Singular noun Singular noun Multiple occurrences Need to keep track of Ex: person, thing, event, organization, concept Refer to the “what”, not the “how”List them out and make sure everyone

agrees on definitions!

23

Exercise: Grouping Things and Define

Use the milestones as your guide to gather all things, group them, and define them

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

Thing

ThingThin

g

Thing = Definition

Thing = Definition

Thing = Definition

Thing = Definition

Thing = Definition

Thing = Definition

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“Activities”: Building the Action

Now that you have agreement on the definition of things – let’s build some activities Acts on a thing (you may find you missed some

things while gathering activities) Has a verb-noun structure (sometimes with a

qualifier) Contains specific verbs, rather than “mushy

ones” Manage, review, oversee are examples of mushy

verbs Test: Flip the verb and noun. Does it still make

sense?Why do we care about mushy verbs??

25

Exercise: Brainstorming Activities

Get all the activities you can out on the “table” – use your milestones as a starter.

Challenge mushy verbs (manage, review, process, etc.)

Focus on the “happy path”Activit

y

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity Activit

y

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

ActivityActivit

yActivit

y

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Quick Tip: Brainstorming is Hard

Brainstorming is not easy for anyone. Here are some tips that might help: Encourage the group to “go big to go small” Make sure everyone speaks Make sure ‘talkers’ have a chance to talk but

don’t take all the time Try different groupings, including individuals,

small groups, and large groups – mix the groups up as well.

Stay positive…if something isn’t working, try something else!

Setting ground rules never hurts…

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Exercise: Line ’em Up…

Have your group line up the activities they listed out in order

Some paths are linear and “easy”; others will happen in parallel or as outcomes of choices

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

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How to Locate a Process

Now that the activities are laid out, it can be a bit tricky to find the “processes” – here are some tips on how to do that…. Look for triggers and outcomes Look at the relationship of one activity to

the next. Is it 1:1 or 1:many or many:1 – this will help you understand where one process might end and another begin

Follow the “token” through the processes

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Let’s Try to Find the Processes

Remember to look for 1:1 or 1:many or many:1

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

1:11:1 1:many

Remember to use what you know to validate that you found a process – challenge

assumptions!

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Collect the Processes in a Landscape

Once you have isolated the processes, take some time to name them and put them in a “process landscape”

Process 1 Process 2

Process 4

Process 3

Process 5

This is a great tool for gaining a high level understanding of what is going on!

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Making A Case for Change

Before continuing into more detail and improvements, you need ask yourself: is it worth it?

What will the outcome be? For actors? Clients? Owners?

What are the goals of further analysis? Make it measurable and memorable

(quantifiable and real) Keep it simple and straightforward List who contributed

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Example Charter

Current Conditions

• Lack of notice at critical points delaying dependent steps & requiring a “proactive” person to sustain process; reduced compliance

• Heavy reliance on forms, walking, and phone calls results in lack of parallel processing and creates dependence on “open hours” to complete tasks

• Confusion around steps to be taken coupled with multiple checklists, forms, and contacts creating frustration and lack of motivation to complete thoroughly.

• No clear guidelines on process owners for onboarding; leading to variability in process performance, errors, and rework

• Delivery of University services and items spread throughout campus causing travel and delays in delivery

• Little to no measurement of overall process indicators; success variably determined at functional service levels with some SLAs defined and others not; but no overall measures

Goal(s)

• Develop an end-to-end process for handling access and services for employees who are onboarding, transferring or exiting the University that reduces resource utilization, increases employee satisfaction, and decreases overall process completion time, error rate, and rework.

Contributors

Draft Recommendations

• Build triggered communication(s) to process owners once critical stages have been reached

• Create standard electronic workflows for critical docs starting with the report of separation form.

• Define key process indicators; create total process measurements; define SLA for process and cascade

• One-stop digital check-in /check-out list (long term) to allow for simultaneous requests that can be handled when resources are available rather than in “open hours”

• Define/assign clear process owners responsible for accurate and complete completion of overall processes within timelines established;

• Consolidate delivery and collection point for University services and items as much as possible

• Analyze and revise (if needed) communication points and messages throughout the process(es).

• Joyce Lopes• Amber Blakeslee• Teal Sexton• Teri Bronder-Lewis• Jennifer Slye Moore• Jyll Jackson• Monika Newman• Kenna Kay Hyatt• Lorraine Dillon• Alma Zechman

• Joyce Corpuz• Phil Rouse• Val Arizzi• Janice Mueller• Kim Moon• Krista Carroll• Jean Crockett• Angie Petroske• Ronda Stemach• Rosemary Smith• Volga Koval• Rebecca Brown

• Traci Ferdolage• Holly Martel• Kate Stroup• James Harding• Annette Troxel• Nathaniel Roy• Gina Pierce• Linda Rutenback• Mary Ann

McCulloch• Sharon Seward• Ken Rocha• Jesse Clark

Example

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Diving Deeper Into Processes

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Zero In On the First Process for Review

Sometimes the landscape is enough…really

You’ll often want to go deeper into one or more process(es)

Use a “productive venting” brainstorming session to help pinpoint the biggest opportunity areas List issues and opportunities Discuss what a future might look like

Swim-lane diagrams allow us to dive deeper

35

What is a Swim-Lane Diagram?

Swim-lane diagrams show activities performed by actors over time

They are used to tell a more detailed story

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A Guide to Using Swim-Lane Diagrams

Show ALL actors who touch the work – each lane is an actor

Show the march of time from left to right Be careful with parallel work or decision

points Start with a trigger, end with an outcome Iterate … one pass will not be enough Make it as wide as it needs to be Make it only as detailed as it needs to

be.Swim-lane diagrams tell the story of the process

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Let’s Go Swimming…

Let’s try it with the process that we outlined already … before we move our activities into lanes, let’s just follow the work.

Act

or

2A

ctor

3A

ctor

4A

ctor

1

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Now Fill In What is Happening

Now let’s fill in some activities – move over the activities from your previous work and plot them here

Act

or

2A

ctor

3A

ctor

4A

ctor

1 Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

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Iterate: Who Really Gets the Work Next?

Progressive detail … steps are hidden

Act

or

3A

ctor

4A

ctor

5A

ctor

2

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Act

or

1

Activity

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Walk the Flow

Make sure you have it right by walking the flow with the core group involved

This is a good point to add in baseline metrics for this process: Time in each step (minimum, maximum, &

most likely) Time to actually complete the task

(minimum, maximum, & most likely) Rework %s – how often is work sent back

for errors? Service scores – how do folks feel about it?

Adding metrics gives you a sense of the current state as well as validating your map

41

A Note on Metrics

Metrics are critical to understanding progress, but they don’t have to be scary

Sometimes we don’t have firm metrics but the group has a good idea of how long each step takes, so ask

As you build processes and improvements, think about how you’ll measure it

Always good to measure – it helps to tell the story

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Remember: Swim Lanes Tell the Story

Showing systems Multiple actors on one stage Parallel vs. collaborative Avoid visual clutter Use of symbols: keep it simple

The swim-lane diagram is meant to tell an accurate story that can be used to assess a

current situation.

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Assessing the Flow44

Looking for Opportunities

Now that the process is a swim-lane diagram, we can ask what works and what doesn’t

Things to look for: Transportation Inventory Movement Waiting

These are “lean” concepts that are helpful in focusing attention on typical issues in processes

Over-processing Over-production Defects Unreasonableness

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The Challenge Question

Having a hard time finding opportunities? Overstate each step and see if it makes

sense: “This form MUST go to the Vice President for

approval” “This form must go to the VICE PRESIDENT

for approval” “This form must go to the Vice President for

APPROVAL”

Keep challenging yourself and the team!

46

Exercise: Finding Opportunities

Literally walk the process you have outlined and identify where the “pain points” exist

A useful approach is to allow each team member to “vote” on where pain points exist and then look

for clusters

Act or 3

Act or 4

Act or 5

Act or 2

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Activity

Act or 1

Activity

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Understanding the Enablers

There are many things that enable each process – often we only focus on the technology and workflow, but these can hide deeper issues Information systems Workflow Human resources Motivation/Measurement Guidelines/Rules Facilities/Other

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Exercise: Use Enablers

Go back to the map and group your pain points by enabler

If an enabler is left with no pain points, go back and see if anything was missed

Enabler Issue

Information systems IssueIssueIssue

Workflow IssueIssue

Human resources

Motivation/Measurement Issue

Rules/Guidelines Issue

Facilities & Other Issue

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List Out Potential Issues

Describe the issues with enough detail and connect them to the goals, values, and metrics you have already uncovered

Project Short Description Improvement description Next Steps

Time improve

ment (hrs)

Time improve

ment (hrs)

Onboarding, Exiting, and Transfers Digitize the Report of Separation form (form 109)

Remove physical movement of documents via campus mail or by walking - replacing with digital routing

Building form with Tech team; validating with project team and stakeholders

8 8

Onboarding, Exiting, and Transfers Connect PS data to ROS Form based on search/match function

Remove need to look up known data that exists in PS by linking form fields to PS data via search/match on EE ID while creating forms

As part of building form will be incorporated

Onboarding, Exiting, and Transfers Replace Chief Admin and HR 'approvals' with acknowledgements/notices (require submission + appropriate administrator approval)

Reduce needed approvals from 3 to 1 requiring only the appropriate administrator (if ASC/EE initiating) to provide formal approve. This will help avoid bottlenecks. Currently thre is no known reason for HR/Admin to "approve" form - simple acknowledgment should suffice.

Verify with project team, as well as confirm no audit concerns; if unable to remove then will build 'timers' that notify at appropriate intervals

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Validate …Validate …. Validate …

Now is the time to go back out and talk with stakeholders, customers, owners, sponsors, and others to see if what is outlined makes sense

So now what? I have a list of problems …

51

Finding Solutions52

Brainstorming Solutions

You now have an as-is: a process family goals/value identified workflow mapped issues outlined

So now we need to think about solutions

BE COURAGEOU

S

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Go Back to the Outcome

Start out by asking: “what is this process supposed be good at?” Service? Efficiency? Product innovation?

No process can be great at all three of these outcomes

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Focus on Value and Goals

Remember when you found value and goals? Now is the time to really put them in play

All solutions should add value and support the goal

Examples of tasks that don’t add value may include: Sending through mail Adding more approvals Creating more forms Removing steps

The walue is defined by the outcome!

55

Remember Your Enablers

Just as not all issues are about workflow or information systems, neither are most solutions – think of solutions with all enablersEnabler Issue Improvement

Information System IssueIssueIssue

ImprovementImprovementImprovement

Workflow IssueIssue

ImprovementImprovement

Human Resources Issue

Motivation/Measurement

Issue

Rules/Guidelines Issue

Facilities & Other Issue

56

Exercise: Finding Solutions

Go back to the goals, mapping, issues you have found. What are some solutions?

Did you include all the enablers? What metrics can we assign to this

improvement?

Be courageous, but know that not all improvements are earth-shattering changes - and

that’s OK!

Project Short Description Improvement description Next Steps

Time improve

ment (hrs)

Time improve

ment (hrs)

Onboarding, Exiting, and Transfers Digitize the Report of Separation form (form 109)

Remove physical movement of documents via campus mail or by walking - replacing with digital routing

Building form with Tech team; validating with project team and stakeholders

8 8

Onboarding, Exiting, and Transfers Connect PS data to ROS Form based on search/match function


As part of building form will be incorporated

Onboarding, Exiting, and Transfers Replace Chief Admin and HR 'approvals' with acknowledgements/notices (require submission + appropriate administrator approval)

Reduce needed approvals from 3 to 1 requiring only the appropriate administrator (if ASC/EE initiating) to provide formal approve. This will help avoid bottlenecks. Currently thre is no known reason for HR/Admin to "approve" form - simple acknowledgment should suffice.


57

Think – Can I Do That? Now? Later?

Not all solutions are created equal – you need to plot effort and benefit

Ask yourself: What impact will this have? (Metrics really

help here!) How long will it take to make this happen? How many resources will I need to make

this happen?

Take the easy “low-hanging fruit” when you can

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The Sweet Spot…High Reward, Low EffortB

en

efi

t (r

ed

uced

tim

e)

<1

0%

21%

+

Effort (time to implement)

<2 months 2-6 months

6 months +

Improvement

Improvement

Improvement

Improvement

Improvement

Improvement

Improvement

Improvement

59

Map the New Flow

Using the list of improvements, design a new workflow

Same rules as before apply with swim-lane diagrams

It’s often helpful to highlight, in some way, where the process has changed

This is also an iterative process - one pass is often not enough

60

Document Proposed Changes

Spell out the proposed changes showing benefit, effort, enablers, and owners

Short Description Improvement description Next StepsDigitize the Report of Separation form Remove physical movement of

documents via campus mail or by walking - replacing with digital distribution

Building form with tech team; validating with project team and stakeholders

Connect PS data to form based on search/match function


Will be incorporated as part of building the form

Remove Chart Field String from Form Remove this field from the form Build into the formRemove "date position available for rehire"

Remove this field from the form Build into the form

Modify digital workflow to allow for parrellel processing once acknowledgements (approvals) of form have been gathered

Notify and make available the separation notice form to HR, Payroll, UBO, and all others who are needed once it leaves approval stage

Need to verify with project team and leadership all functional areas have iniatially signed off

Replace Chief Admin and HR 'approvals' with acknowledgements/notices (only require next level of supervision to approve)

reduce needed approvals from 3 to 1 requiring only the supervisor (if ASC/EE initiating) to provide formal approve. This will help avoid bottlenecks


Employee initiatied submission of Report of separation (in "happy use case") - provide other paths for ASC/Supervisor to initiate form as well.

Standardize guidelines that, when notice is given, the exiting employee begins process by starting form; by doing so we can gather more information up front (e.g. address, final check, absences) and reduce movement of information from supervisor to coordinator to employee back to coordinator; EE's are also motivated to complete this action as it allows them get final information in the manner they wish to.

Discuss with project team; scope with tech team on creating different paths based on role

61

Go on Tour!

Time to show off your great work and confirm you didn’t really miss anything!

Show to interested parties – be sure to involve any sponsors.

Take feedback – doesn’t mean you have to change everything (or anything), but understand the feedback

Gain alignment – see if people “buy in”

It’s a nice touch if someone from the team does the touring – shows the team effort involved

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Recap63

How to Do It – Quick Guide

Interviews with sponsor and actors Project kick-off session Interviews Identify frame & assess process Initial workflow mapping Further interviews Confirm the model Assess the flow Brainstorm solutions Map “to be” flow Go on tour

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Glossary65

Glossary of terms

Actor: a participant in the who performs work in a process.

Sponsor: a senior leader who can clear roadblocks (e.g. ensure time is available to do the project) and approve recommendations if necessary. Has authority to approve decisions affecting progress of the work being done by the project team or work group and to refuse approval.

Driver: handles the overall coordination of the project, meeting, or business area. The driver usually has responsibility for communicating with other team members and ensuring that roles and responsibilities are clear. Usually the project manager is the driver for a project, though at times this is not the case and a project may even have more than one driver.

Work session: a meeting designed to deliver a specific outcome and requiring input, interaction (work) from all participants to achieve that outcome.

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Glossary of terms

Swim-lane diagram: is a visual element used in process flow diagrams or flowcharts that visually distinguishes responsibilities for the subprocesses of a business process. Swim lanes may be arranged either horizontally or vertically.

Core group: a small group of usually no more than 10 actors who do the majority of the critical work and/or oversight related to an identified process. The core group drives the project by providing expertise and acting on approved recommendations as needed.

Extended group: actors beyond the core group who also do work in the process under analysis but do not perform a majority of the tasks.

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process improvement training

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