Identifying and Removing Process Waste

The first step - and sometimes the most difficult - is seeing the waste!
Defects Overproduction Waiting Non-utilized Staff
The effort involved in inspecting for Producing more products or services Idle time created when material, Talent
and fixing defects, errors, and than the customer needs or information, people, or equipment is Not adequately leveraging peoples’
mistakes. downstream process can use right not ready. skills, creativity and talents.
away.
Examples Examples Examples
Examples  Staff
 Data errors,  Approval
 More staff hired to
typos & lost queues
working or
records  Waiting do “x”,
attending
 Delivering for but
meetings than is spending
information decisions
needed time on “y”
or materials or
 Doing work not required  Lack of innovation
to the wrong location services
 Sending unnecessary emails  Not involving staff in solving
 Missing or incomplete  Waiting for customer
information on forms  Batching and bottlenecks information, supplies or copies problems and ensuring CI
Typical Causes Typical Causes Typical Causes Typical Causes
 Missing and incorrect information  Unclear customer requirements  Missing and incorrect information  Lack of awareness of CI
 Unclear or complex process  Uneven work flow  Unclear or confusing process principles, approaches, and tools
 Unclear roles and responsibilities  Poor workflow process  Unclear roles and responsibilities  Unclear or confusing process
 Confusing instructions or req.  Poor worker distribution  "System" downtime  Not delegating work
 Voice of the customer absent  Different staff skills, productivity,  Signature requirements  Unclear or inappropriate job
 Poor or inappropriate equipment, or work difficulty  Not leveraging technology descriptions or duties
materials or supplies  Lack of workers/service providers
Solutions Solutions Solutions Solutions
 Apply problem solving tools  Verify customer requirements  Require all information up front  Set clear performance
 Verify customer requirements and align process with req.  Combine tasks or functions to expectations
 Create standard work  Use one step process flow eliminate handoffs and waits  Coach and train employees
 Error proof (poka-yoke)  Use “Effective Meetings” tool  Use concurrent process  Provide tools and resources
 Apply “Plain Language”  Apply “Plain Language”  Apply 5S  Ask staff “What can I do to
 Automate forms - put in hard  Revise process schedule to even  Co-locate work to minimize wait support your work and remove
stops that don’t allow partial out workload due to transportation/motion barriers to improvement?”
information  Assign more staff or shift roles  Eliminate non-value added steps  Engage staff in a CI project
 Require all information up front and responsibilities at peak times  Maintain equipment and  See where the work is done, ask
 Track & share accuracy measures machinery questions, & learn (go to Gemba)
 Transportation Inventory/Storage Motion Extra Processing
Moving products, equipment, Unnecessary storage of information Unnecessary movement of workers Process steps that do not add value
materials, information, or people and materials or more information and tools that takes time, uses to the product or service, including
from one place to another. and materials than is needed. energy, and may create health and doing work beyond a customer’s
safety issues. specifications.
Examples Examples
 Routing  Storing the Examples Examples
documents same  Trips to  Signatures
 Paperwork document copier  Preparing an elaborate
hand-offs in many  Looking report when a data
 Carrying or places through table will do
retrieving  Backlog (work in process) cabinets  Forms with unused
files  Obsolete databases/files/folders for needed supplies data fields
 Transporting patients  Unread or undeleted emails  Walking to find people  Bureaucratic language
 Site inspections  Supplies you do not use  Extra computer clicks  Re-entering or checking data
Typical Causes Typical Causes Typical Causes Typical Causes
 Transportation not viewed as a  Batching work  Manual process – not leveraging  Past practices; culture does not
waste  Not using one-process flow technology question the status quo
 Distance and physical structure  Technology systems that take time  Non-ergonomic work area  Standard work is not aligned
 Staff turnover/relocation to access  Poor visual management with the voice of the customer
 New or replaced equipment  Not leveraging technology  Linear (consecutive) process  Lack of trust/ control issues
 Poor planning and communication  Over-ordering  Distance and physical structure  Poor communication
 Information silos  Not leveraging technology
Solutions Solutions Solutions Solutions
 Leverage technology (allow staff  Use one-step process flow  Leverage technology  Identify customer requirements
to telecommute)  Revise process steps and  Use concurrent process and align work with req.
 Only order what you will use schedule to even out workload  Apply 5S  Delete or automate signature
 Collect data to understand  Assign more staff or shift roles  Co-locate work requirements
transportation problems and responsibilities at peak times  Clarify process requirements for  Know which process steps add
(spaghetti map)  Don’t over order those upstream and downstream value and eliminate non-value
 Analyze data to determine root  Investigate variations in the time  Move people closer together to added steps (Quick Hits)
causes before defining solutions it takes employees to perform the enhance communication and  Apply “Plain Language”
same task (takt time) collaboration  Automate where appropriate

March 2015 | Minnesota Office of Continuous Improvement | Learn more at mn.gov/CI