Work Order Sub-Case Creation Cycle Time Background-Problem:

Creating additional sub cases takes too long, over 5 hours. Technicians need to perform too many steps to request a new sub case from Administrators and Call Center Analysts resulting in a constant loss of productivity.

Sub Cases are used by engineers to record the technical work they perform on their customer sites and used to invoice. The Object-Oriented database time stamps each request for service level agreement (SLA) calculations. When delays occur in sub case creation, metrics are reported longer than actual work performed, resulting in contractual penalties.

Goal: Reduce cycle time required to create an additional sub case <= 2

minutes and target of <= 1 minute

Approach: DMAIC Customer surveys and internal interviews identified the voice of the

customer (VOC), then a Quality Functional Deployment (QFD) was used to prioritize critical to quality (CTQ) requirements.

Measurement system analysis (MSA) was used to test the accuracy of the data collection with only a 0.08% error detected.

Value Stream Maps of all processes participated in by customers, call center analyst and engineers were created (volume, cycle time, Value Add Analysis included for each individual process step).

Process X factors (time of day, method used, request type, location, and analyst) were investigated using ANOVA & HOV tests proving that web generated sub case requests were time trapped by analysts that were busy with other calls.

Key field analysis on each field identified the key field drivers could be automated with information contained within the Master case.

Poke-Yoke eliminated missing field data entries, while 100% automation of sub cases (2 weeks of development) reduced the center mean from 16,389 and a spread of 43,829 seconds to an improved mean of 55 and spread of 14 seconds. All helpdesk tasks eliminated.

Results: Direct Savings: (Reduced phone and

labor needed to create additional sub cases) $71.8K, penalties reduced by $200k

Indirect Productivity Savings: $426.6K Total Project Savings = $699K

Sigma = 1.13

Sigma = 6

Call Center

Digitization

Optimize Call CenterSub Case Creation

Sub CaseCycle Time

Process Start: Engineer requests a new sub case by:

a. Picks up phone to call the Call Center

b. Open e-mail to onsite Adminc. Logs onto web to change status

to reschedule needed

Process Stop: Sub Case created (case appears in

engineers work flow screen)

Process Requirement:

Defect Definition:

Unit Definition:

Unit of Measure:

Data Type:

Cycle time of additional Sub Case creation <= 2 minutes.

Cycle time of additional Sub Case creation > 2 minutes.

One additional Sub Case request.

Seconds

Continuous (Variable)

Background An aircraft engines manufacturing & service company outsourced their call center and desk side

computer support to a managed service provider. The customer required use of their object-oriented database in tracking all work flow for user problems. Desk side engineers would first receive a master case from the Call Center Analyst who recorded the customer problem and location logistics. The engineer would visit the end user but would often have to make a second trip if a part or reschedule was needed. The engineer would record the time used and work performed on the first trip and then request an additional sub case be created in order to record the work and time used on the second trip needed. E-mail, phone, or web form were all means for engineers to use to make the request to the call center for the additional sub case. The cycle time requirement was specified at <= 2 minutes.

1c.Logs onto

web to change status to reschedule

needed.

SUPPLIERS

1. Field Technicians2. Call Center analysts3. Database Web Site4. Administrators5. Work flow database

INPUTS

1. E-mail account2. Network logon/password3. Internet connection4. Database account access5. Work flow master case

INPUTS / SUPPLIERS PROCESS OUTPUT / CUSTOMERS

OUTPUTS

1. New Sub Case

CUSTOMERS

1. Aircraft engine end users 2. IT Support Management3. Technical engineers4. Call center analysts5. Shareholders

3.Additional Sub Case appears on engineer

screen

2.Call Center Analyst or

onsite Admin manually

creates new sub case

Start

Stop

1a. Picks up

phone to call the Call Center

The yellow process steps above are the major area of focus

as it is under our ability to control improvements.

1. Technician requests

additional Sub Case

1b.Open e-mail to onsite Admin

Define – Problem Statement The aircraft engines company management team would review monthly metrics of the

cycle time used by the manage service vendors support staff in response to the end users desk side support calls placed during the previous month. The manage service vendor was subject to a $50k penalty each quarter if 2 out of the 3 months were below the contractually specified Service Level Agreement (SLA) of <= 8 hour resolution.

A team meeting was called by the customer & vendor to investigate the problem with missed SLA’s and to apply the DMAIC methodology to ensure the process remained under control. The reports from the system data indicated that all missed calls involved the processes involving support cases that contained multiple sub cases.

Using surveys & interviews a customer requirement of <= 2 minutes (120 seconds) was established as the cycle time upper specification limit for the creation of a sub case request.

Percent % Sub Case Qty Created

16.6% 1

23% 2

23% 3

20% >= 4

Histogram of sub case quantities per case:

82.6% of all master cases created required an additional sub case, those with 2 or more (63%) resulted in 80% of all missed SLA’s

Measure A data collection measurement plan was developed to capture random tickets

daily over one month.

A Gage R&R (Repeatable & Reproducible) study was conducted to measure the system used so as to ensure accuracy of the data collected. An additional form was created to capture the additional factors not recorded in the tracking database and operational definitions for each field and field value were established & agreed upon.

The error detected in the Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA) was 0.08%, which was lower than the 10% of acceptable error allowed for the analysis of this transactional process.

The data collectors were trained and monitored daily during a 30 minute team call where we reviewed the cases collected that day. Root cases were discussed and added to a cause & effect analysis (fishbone), detailed process maps were designed first and then each step measured using stop watches & 15 trials to understand where the time traps in the process were hiding. Work-In-Progress (WIP) was also collected (this included, qty of e-mails, phone calls missed or holds, and web requests queues). Breaks, lunch time and length, hrs worked and the quantity of analysts working per hour in the call center also captured. Lastly, each step was evaluated by the team (including customers) as Customer Value Add (CVA) or Non-Value-Add (NVA), where CVA was defined as:

1. Customer willing to pay for 2. Correct first time 3. Physically changes

X Factors Tested

• Technician Call Center Analyst/ Admin Date (Week & Day)

• Reason for additional sub case # of Additional Sub Cases Time of day

• Method (E-Mail, Phone, Web) Department Location

Analyze

Pareto for Subcase Method: 76% of defects occur using e-mail to administrators.

Long-Term Sigma = 1.13 DMPO =

645,946

1. Onsite administrators tasked with sub case creation due to call center phone cycle time/delays.

2. Web site designed without the engineers being able to generate their own sub case request.

3. Call center analyst sub case creation cycle time SLA metrics have not been established/monitored.

4. Manual process step prone to human error.

5. Controls not in place for resource leveling to pick up tasks for subcase creation during shift changes.

1. Admin E-mail is infrequently monitored.

2. Web Status “reschedule” trigger is overlooked by call center analysts.

3. Call center analysts trigger for Web Status “reschedule” has low queue priority.

4. Administrators or call center analysts forgets to press submit button.

5. Administrators or call center analysts is out of work.

Root Cause / Sources of Variation

Cause & Effect

Recorded in seconds

ImproveHow was the solution determined? Brainstorming with Subject Matter Experts (SME) for identification of technology improvements that would be

needed to remove the manual reworked process steps

Was a Pugh matrix or other tool used? Both the Pugh Matrix (Criteria-Based Matrix) and brainstorming with multi-functional team pointed to web site

real time coding improvement opportunities

Cost Benefit Analysis? Average loaded employee rate (salary + benefits) used to compare pre & post cycle times for productivity

savings

Team Effectiveness Tools? Stakeholder analysis for change supporters and resistors with influence strategy plan applied Changing systems and structures analysis in order to understand the vertical, horizontal, internal & external

change impacts Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA) user to capture & mitigate risks

Pilot Plan Results? Created two field teams (USA and Canada) to test web coding changes for improvements in cycle time Changed weekly database optimization to daily setting calculation method vs. estimate Improved Sequel Query Language (SQL) coding to reduce the calculations performed and return faster results Established a change management process to include libratory and field cycle time testing Baseline mean of 4.55 hours per case reduced to < 3 second of system generation cycle time

Control Web page escalation path created for

defect escalations for sub case related issues.

Visual web page sub case creation training guide for engineers added to the call center web e-mail attachment for technicians (not using the web method) and requesting an additional sub case.

Quarterly review of sub case creation cycle time by web page manager that includes lab & field data to ensure savings continues.

Program managers will be notified nationally, during and the operational manager and quality review staff meetings, with distribution of engineer training guide.

Aircraft engines account improvements were immediately translated to entire business with transparent improvement to process changes.

All manual labor & non-value added steps, previously used to type info from engineers (taken from the original master case), then retyped by call center analysts now digitally pulled from the data base and automatically returned to engineers screens.

Customer satisfaction increases contributed to a contract renewal rates of 95% worth $200M

Variation by Operators entering varying case

comments

Individual and Moving Range (I&MR) control chart selected for continuous data with no subgroups.

Upper Specification Limit (USL) < 120 indicates process control with mean of 55.29 & range 10 seconds.

ResultsWas applying Lean Six Sigma helpful? Defined the gap in performance and identifying root

causes Solve for root cause and validate solutions Sustain improvements and share lessons learned

Financial Data Collection 10 weeks of data collected with web page Log files

created to count each additional sub case created (does not count the original master sub case assigned to engineers).

Web page sub case creation increased to 100% with the full training of the engineers and usability testing.

India call center manager has determined that the average analysts loaded pay rate will be $47/hr as the labor cost includes capital costs built into the staffing cost structure.

HR determined that the average loaded pay rate for support engineers in 2002 will be $35/hr.

Average control cycle time for engineers is 55.29 seconds, Improved from 4.55 hours.

Control cycle time for call center analysts & administrators is 0 sec. (eliminated all manual steps)

Operations manager validated phone cost savings for 88,000 minutes annually (425 calls each week * 52 weeks or 25% of all baseline calls for sub case creations – data used call center managers phone logs) * average 4 minutes of talk time (exit rate).

Process improved from 1.12 to 6 Sigma Human error eliminated with 100% automated

digitization of all transactional tasks Standardized web submittals as single method used

with backup plan for phone should disaster strike