After the process change, the team knew that in order to meet customer expectations, it had to make sure that the operations team completed the review of each packet within 36 hours.
To attain this operational goal, the incoming packet had to be received via e-mail, and no packet could have more than three critical customer data points missing from it. Prior to implementing a control plan, the team had to ensure that they had an accurate and reliable process for collecting data on the critical Xs (missing data points and receipt of info via e-mail). Since the data collection process will be 100 percent manual, they trained the future data collectors on the how to identify and record a defect. After running a repeatability and reproducibility test (discussed in Measure phase), the team was comfortable that they had a reliable data collection process.
Prior to the improvements, the team members had collected data on the number of missing data points in each packet (they used these data to determine whether there was a relationship between missing data and cycle time). To calculate the new process capability, and also to monitor the process, they implemented an SPC chart. On a daily basis, 40 random files were collected, and the number of missing data points was counted. This process was repeated for 20 days (similar to the data collection process prior to the improvements). The data were plotted using a C chart, and they indicated that the average number of missing data points for the 40 files on a daily basis was about 1.15 (see Figure 5.8). However, there was one instance in which four data points were missing. So is the process better? To answer this question, the team compared the before and after process capability for receiving customer data.
Figure 5.8 Case Study SPC Chart
The team was able to gain substantial improvements in terms of the reduction in error rates and improved process capability (z score). With a good control plan for one of the process’s critical Xs (missing data points), the team’s final step will be to develop a control chart for the process Y: response time to the customer.
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
As a project inches closer to completion, the Green and Black Belts must start thinking about how to wrap up all the work that they have put into the project. The end of a project and the decommissioning of a project team is much like a “little death.” It is common for team
members to want to prolong the team’s existence beyond the time when it is useful. Often such a strong bond has been forged within the team that its members find it difficult to let go.
If project completion is to go smoothly, the team leader will need to leverage various resources that are available within the organization. The leadership team should also help the team members bring the project to a graceful close. It will be critical for the leaders to recognize the different stages that people may go through. The leaders will need to establish that the project has indeed come to an end and emphasize that there are other opportunities available for the team members to focus on. This is accomplished through a sympathetic affirmation of the work the team has put into the project. It is important to establish the end of this group, even though its members will continue to have contact with one another in other venues.
The project leader may have a celebration event that officially marks the end of the
project. He can provide a souvenir (coffee mug, plaque, T-shirt, or something similar) of the project team and its project, help members articulate their appreciation, and hopefully help them move on to other projects.
If this is to be accomplished, the team members must be confident of the following:
• The purpose of the project has been fulfilled.
• The original goals for improvement have been achieved and/or there has been substantial improvement in the process.
• It’s clear that any further improvement will require a new major breakthrough effort (for example, new technology).
• Staff members have incorporated the discoveries of the project team into their work and are now actively involved in further improvement efforts.
To make sure we are not being hasty in wrapping up the project, all the questions in the following list generally need to be answered in the affirmative:
• Did the team achieve its goal?
• Do the data show that the new process is stable and under control?
• Do the data show that the new process is capable of meeting customer requirements?
• Has the new sigma level met or exceeded the goal?
• Do the financials show the benefit to the organization?
• Has the team documented the new process?
• Has the team documented best practices?
• Have the dashboard vital signs or ongoing metrics been implemented?
• Has the process owner received all the documentation and does she understand the monitoring process, including how to respond to changes in the metrics?
For the project to be successful in ways that really get the leadership team excited, the team needs to show that it has delivered a financial benefit. At the Improve phase of the project, the anticipated financial benefits were based on best-guess estimates and
assumptions, with the help of the finance team. But as the project comes to an end, there should be more evidence of the financial impact that the new process is having.
Documenting the financial benefits justifies the value of the project—it shows that there were real benefits from the effort.