1. School Board Work Session: Resource Stewardship, Process Improvement, and Lean
Charles Wright
Deputy Superintendent
January 14, 2015
1
Pre-Read: Why Process Improvement?

2. 2
How Problems are Often Solved
Most organizations do not really solve problems, they just transfer them to another area.

3. Why Process Improvement?
• A process is a systematic series of actions directed to some end (e.g., service, product)
• The products and/or services an organization produces and/or delivers are likely guided
by one or more processes involving multiple teams and/or groups of people.
• Processes can go awry for a variety of reasons causing waste (investment of time or
resources that without adequate return), which often impacts the quality, frequency,
timeliness, reliability, and cost of the service
• So, why process improvement?
– We hear from families, principals, and many other staff that many of our systems/processes are ad
hoc, fragmented, inequitable, and unpredictable
– We currently do not have a common methodology for helping the multiple central district
teams/groups serve schools, students, and parents more efficiently
• This presentation provides a high-level overview of LEAN, a methodology for
accelerating process improvement, and provides a summary of the types of waste that
can exist in an organizing
3

4. What is Lean?
Lean is a methodology that allows organizations to drastically improve
product and services by improving processes and monitoring everyday
business activities to reduce errors in ways that increase value and minimize
work, non-customer value-added tasks, and waste while increasing customer
satisfaction based on idea that faster processes yield less waste, less cost, less
work in process, less complexity, higher quality, and happier customers.
4

5. What is Lean?: The 5 principles
1. Define Value
• From customer perspective
2. Understand the Way Work Gets Done
(referred to as Value Stream)
• Map the process and information flow that products and
services go through
3. Standardize a Way of Work that is Efficient
(referred to as Continuous Flow)
• Product, service and information to flow smoothly
through the process without delay or disruption
• Reduce all forms of Waste - Non value-added steps
4. Just in Time (referred to as Continuous Pull)
• Provide or create products and services only when
customer need them
5. Seek Perfection
• Never-ending pursuit of improvement
5

6. Lean Principles
• Lean is not a method for telling people how to do their jobs more
effectively
• Lean empowers people to plan how and when they will implement
changes or improvements that make it easier to meet customer demands
• Stop doing it to them and start doing it with them
• Make decisions based on data
• Problem solving performed systematically by a group of people focusing
on the work that they do
– Not stress inducing
– Not dehumanizing
6

7. Facts about Waste:
1. Waste exists in all work and at all levels in the organization
2. Identification and Elimination of Waste is the central focus of a lean system
3. Successful implementation requires that ALL Employees must be trained to
identify and eliminate waste from their work
Identification and Elimination of Waste
7

8. 8 Types of Waste Lean Helps to Reduce/Eliminate
Overproducing
Making more than is immediately
required
Transport
Moving products, forms, or
information that does not add
value
Inventory
Producing any more than the
minimum to get the job done
Waiting
Waiting on people, process,
services or information
Poor process
Inconsistent, not documented
not followed, over processing
process
Defects
Making more than once: repair
or rework
Motion
Movement of people that does
not add value
Underutilized personnel
Not fully utilizing time and
talents of people
8

9. Waiting
Waiting on people, process, services or information
Symptoms:
• People waiting on systems (e.g. copier), parts,
information, tasks or approvals
• People waiting on others for action or
information
 Sign offs, approvals
 Edit, review
 Client input
 Compliance / legal
Causes:
• Inconsistent work methods
• Inefficient process
• Inappropriate metrics
• Insufficient or lack of training
• Poor communication
• Lack of information to complete a process
9

10. 10
Defects
Any product, service or information that needs to be done more
than once (rework) to fulfill a customer requirement
Symptoms:
• Redoing forms due to missing or changing
information
• Multiple people inspecting, approving forms,
tasks
• Multiple people assigned to check or re-do
• Constant emergencies (Reactive organization,
fire fighting vs. fire prevention)
• Inspection and change control prevalent
• Not meeting customer requirements (multiple
complains)
Causes:
• Insufficient or lack of training
• Inadequate tools / equipment
• Lack of documentation
• Inadequate resources for the level of
workload
• Bad input data
• Poor communication
• Poor process design (Excessive complexity)
Delete
Trash

11. Poor process
3-D
Color
Copies
Any step which adds no value to a service (over processing)
Symptoms:
• Inconsistent process (different answers for
the same question)
• Redundant/multiple approvals
• Redundant/multiple data entry
• Reports with too much information
• Reports never used or not needed
• Excessive distribution lists (e-mail)
• Creating, collecting data never used
• Excessive number of meetings
• Presentations created but not used
• Assignment of “projects” that are not needed
Causes:
• Ineffective policies and procedures
• Lack of customer input concerning
requirements
• Decision making at inappropriate levels
• Inconsistencies in processing
• New technology used inappropriately
11

12. Overproducing
Extra Files
Extra
Slides
3-D
Color
Copies
Making more than what is immediately required
Symptoms:
• Extra copies / equipment
• Extra storage for duplicate files, drawings,
and slides
• Working ahead of deadlines, just-in-case
• Producing un-needed services, systems, or
tools
Causes:
• Lack of communication
• Lack of consistent schedules
• Lack of flexibility
• Focus on expectation versus Customer
Demand
• Bonus systems that reward production
(overtime pay)
12

13. Underutilized personnel and creativity
Not fully utilizing the time, experience and talents of people
Symptoms:
• Few improvements
• “Not MY job" mentality
• Lack of employee involvement
• Lack of team activities
• Poor morale
Causes:
• Focusing on who made the error, not why the
error occurred (Blame the person, not the
process)
• Hide the problems
• Status quo never challenged
• Poor suggestion program
• Lack of accountability
• Lack of employee engagement
• Lack of communication
13

14. Transport
Form
filled,
delivered
Entered
Verified
Filed
Approved
Entered
Returned
Filed
Department A
Verified
Department B
Department CDepartment C
14
Excess movement of what flows in the process (product, material, documents, or
information)
Symptoms:
• Wrong information
• Complex information management
• Loss or misinterpretation of information
• Information that is relayed up & down the
organization ladder
• Information handoffs (separates knowledge,
responsibility, and action)
• Hand carried documents
• Process tracking and expediting reports
Causes:
• Large lot processing
• Inconsistent / undefined process
• Lack of work place organization
• Improper work area layout
• Incorrect assumptions
• Information handoffs (separates knowledge,
responsibility, and action)
Department B

15. Motion
15
Movement of people that does not add value
Symptoms:
• Looking to find information or supplies
• Excessive reaching/bending (poor layout)
• Customers/suppliers too far apart (travel
or delivery time)
• Confusing motion with work (busy instead
of productive)
• Traveling vs. conference call
• Processing transactions using multiple
systems, tools
• Mouse clicks needed to access information
Causes:
• Equipment, office layout
• Lack of work place organization
• Inconsistent work methods
• Large batch sizes

16. Inventory
16
Producing any more products or services than the minimum to get the
job done
Symptoms:
• Piles (backlogs) of work waiting to be
processed
• Massive re-do campaigns when problems
surface
• Additional resources to handle Information
Slow response to changes in customer
demands
• Retaining information not needed – Intranet,
Outlook, Network, Client information,
Document systems
• Creating product before demand
• Excessive supplies
• Personal data bases, systems
• Obsolescence
Causes:
• Incapable processes (bottlenecks)
• Incapable suppliers (including internal suppliers)
• Management decisions
• Local optimization (silos)
• Inaccurate forecasting systems
• Economy of scale – limited production
• Over used storage areas

17. QUESTIONS?
17