1) What are the bottlenecks or emergencies that are occurring in my operation?
2) In the eyes of my “end customer”, how could I provide better service?
3) How is my current situation preventing me from accomplishing critical objectives?

Begin with a Value Stream Map (VSM) of a workflow and drive kaizen to reduce overall lead time.  Measure results over time and make improvements that continuously shorten the time it takes to deliver outcomes to end customers.  As an example in one organization I worked at the (P2P) Procure to Pay function was a lengthy process of 140 days to pay key suppliers.  Contractually the manufacturer needed to pay key suppliers in 60 days.  The VSM technique revealed various bottlenecks which spurred action to reduce lead time and eliminate 90% of “problem” invoice issues in just 30 days.  The reduction in time to pay the supplier freed up constrained capital and resources across both manufacturer and supplier.  Workers of both organizations expressed having more time to devote to new initatives, develop stronger supplier relationships while reducing “fire-fighting” activities.

Eliminate non-value added work (i.e. activity that generates a zero or negative return on the investment of resources and usually can be eliminated without impairing a process)  The time it takes to deliver an outcome or a result raises the cost to deliver it.  Better stated speeding the time to deliver your goods and services creates additional capacity to handle more volume.  Think about IN-N-OUT Burger.  Would you buy a hamburger at a fast food chain if it took an hour to get your order?  Probably not, IN-N-OUT Burger is a good example of an organization trying to speed its customer delivery time.  The wait at an IN-N-OUT drive-thru can be as long as 18 minutes.  This popular Western U.S. fast food outlet is working to eliminate excessive wait time at the drive thru by extending their sales force to customer vehicles so orders are complete when drivers arrive at the window.  Idling, while in a Fast-Food Drive-Thru burns about a half-mile worth of gas every minute, according to the California Energy Commission. The average time spent in a drive-thru is usually 7 minutes or more.  Wait time reduction from 18 to 7 minutes represents 5.5 miles of gas savings per vehicle per visit; which is equivalent to 5.5 million miles of gas saved for every 1 million drive-thru visitors.  Think about the parallels of the fast food service model and how you might begin to eliminate the unnecessary wait time  (non-value add) activity throughout your organization to delight more and more customers.

Downsizing and quality problems occur in government agencies and businesses alike but even more so for those that fail to make improvements and adapt to rapid change.  The point of increasing organizational efficiencies is to better serve end customers.

Cristina Mont-Kraus is President of DoConnect Systems and a management consultant working with organizations implementing complex Information Technology and Process Transformation efforts.   Her passion is helping people break performance challenges through organizational change by applying Lean & Six Sigma strategies, tools and methodologies.  She can be reached at cmontkraus@doconnect.com

Support Decisions with Objective Data
Challenging problems in the workplace can stimulate a variety of emotions in people from excitement to discontent which can lead to overlooking important facts and stifle optimal outcomes.  Ask for supporting data and objective facts when individuals or teams are tasked with solving important business issues.  Developing even preliminary data findings provides an opportunity to ask probing questions, validate information and formalize data driven recommendations.

Involve vs. Show or Tell
Unless we are really involved, we tend to feel like outsiders rather than participants.  Humans who feel left out tend to find less positive ways to get into the game.  Dealing with co-workers that attempt to derail progress can be a bit overwhelming in the workplace.  From voicing opposition to all out refusal to cooperate are responses I’ve experienced when introducing different initiatives in the workplace.  Engaging people directly in conversation and involving them early in the process can save you from spinning your wheels down the road.  Simply listening to the concerns of others can defuse tense situations.  Allowing opposing opinions to enter the dialogue does not equate to surrendering control.  When co-workers resist changes the real concern often boils down to wanting to know WHO made the decision and WHAT information exists to support the change and WHY they were not asked for their input; seldom is it about saying NO to a beneficial change without good reason.

Document throughout the Problem Solving Process
Let’s face it – players, issues and politics are constantly subject to change in the workplace.  Documentation can be tracked and updated over time as circumstances evolve.  I’m not advocating reams of text or exhaustive manuals here – in fact try to limit to 1 page max when initiating a problem solving effort.  Documenting problems, proposed solutions, owners and time frames to hold people accountable makes good business sense.  Ever attended a meeting where lots of information or good ideas were exchanged but zero action came out of it?  It is easy to misinterpret information, even more so when it’s not in writing.  It can be difficult but not impossible to get an individual or team to succinctly define an objective problem statement in 20 words or less. (ex: 20% of customer orders contain inaccurate information leading to lost shipments and angry customers)  Gaining agreement about what the problem is and how it should be solved is a PROCESS.  Through this process, people are forced to focus attention on the problem and not ancillary issues.

Cristina Mont-Kraus is President of DoConnect Systems and a management consultant working with organizations implementing complex Information Technology and Process Transformation efforts.   Her passion is helping people break performance challenges through organizational change by applying Lean & Six Sigma strategies, tools and methodologies.  She can be reached at cmontkraus@doconnect.com