LAYOUT DIAGRAMS

Purpose

The flowchart shows the steps required to do the work. Often, you will be interested in where the work is performed and how the work flow occurs.

The layout diagram is a graphical method of picturing the physical flow of work through a process.

The location of work stations, storage facilities and transportation requirements can be clearly shown on the layout diagram. The layout diagram also appears as various drawings of a product to picture equipment or component arrangements.

Once the physical layout is understood, opportunities for improvement often become apparent.

Application

Virtually any process can be pictured on a layout diagram (it is a good idea to do both a flowchart and a layout diagram, they are complementary pictures).

The layout diagram should be developed as part of the Measure the Current Situation/Analysis steps of improvement to understand the current process. If changes to the production process include physically rearranging equipment or other aspects, these may be “tested” using a layout diagram.

Some layout diagrams we’ve seen include:

• Locomotive Overhaul Layout

• Plastic Component Part Fabrication, Assembly and Packing Plant

• Hospital Emergency Room Layout

• Same Day Surgery Nurse and Patient Flow

• Laboratory Specimen Processing Flow

• Naval Recruiting Station - Recruit Testing Area

The most common application for a layout diagram is a manufacturing plant. Often, plant equipment is located by function; all the milling machines are in one area, the lathes in another, the heat treatment equipment and assembly areas in another.

One of our quality friends worked in an aerospace plant, where he measured the distance a rocket engine turbine rotor had to travel from raw material to finished product. The result - 5 miles! The company was able to rearrange its equipment and drop this distance to 1200 feet, with a corresponding reduction in storage and transport required.

Construction

The most common layout diagrams of work processes are those which picture the process from a “birds-eye” view, looking “down” on the process.

Don’t forget, though, that the work area is a three-dimensional volume. Other “slices” of the work area may provide a better picture for you.

1. Sketch the general area of interest, including walls, equipment, fixtures, desks, doors, and other items as necessary.

2. Observe the flow of work through the area. Draw arrows to indicate how the product (for manufacturing-type processes) or customer (for service-type processes) flows through the area.

Use the flowchart symbols (activity = rectangle, transport = arrow, storage = triangle, inspection = diamond) to distinguish the “things” that happen to the product or customer.

3. (Optional) Measure various characteristics of the work flow. The two most common include time to complete steps and distance traveled through the process. Label the diagram with these measurements (average and range values may be calculated from several observations).

4. Title and date the layout diagram. Changes to the work flow should be reflected on the layout diagram.

Same Day Surgery (SDS) Admitting Layout Diagram

Notes on the Layout Diagram Example:

1. We chose this example of a service-type process, since it makes many manufacturing processes seem simple in comparison. Let’s go through the play-by-play on this process:

The Patient & Family’s Path:

From To Description

A B The patient & family exit the elevator and try to get to the nurses’ station counter. There’s usually a large group of people in front of the counter.

B C After the patient is registered, they are sent to get lab specimens taken. The family waits in the hallway (clogging up the hall).

C D The patient enters the lab specimen area. A blood sample is taken.

D E The patient goes into the bathroom to obtain a urine specimen. They then return to the lab specimen area.

D F The patient (picking up their family along the way) returns to the nurses’ station.

F G A nurse takes them to their room, where they are prepped for surgery.

G H When the patient has been prepped and transported to surgery, the family goes to the SDS waiting room, until the patient returns from surgery.

The Staffs’ Path:

From To Description

1 2 (and return to

1)

After the patient arrives and is confirmed on the schedule, the nurse retrieves the patient’s medical chart.

Additional paperwork is completed and necessary signatures are obtained.

1 3 The chart is walked to the lab specimen area so the lab techs can determine what specimens are required.

3 4 After the specimens are collected, the lab tech walks the specimens to the “zip tube” (for transport to the lab) and returns the chart to the nurses’ station.

5 6 When the lab work has been analyzed, the lab sends the results to the lab printer. The nurse picks up the results and places them in the chart at the work desk.

5 7 When the patient returns from the lab specimen area, a nurse comes to escort them to their room.

7 8 The nurse takes the patient and family to the room where they will be prepped for surgery.

8 9 The nurse returns to the station and prepares to repeat the process on the next patient.

2. This layout chart was developed by doing a Process Watch (see later in this Section) at the request of the SDS Supervisor. She knew that there were “production” problems in her process and needed an outside set of eyes to view the work. When we reviewed the layout chart with her and her staff, it was like playing the children’s game, How Many Things are Wrong in this Picture? They came up with over 20 suggestions to improve their work process. How many can you identify?