What is a project charter?
The project charter describes:
1. The project objective.
2. The problem statement.
3. The scope of the project.
4. Business Case
5. The process to be improved.
6. The improvement goal.
7. Estimated financial benefits
8. A changing reality, as you learn more.
9. The project charter is updated as the project moves forward
The Project Objective
- The objective communicates the goal of the project to the stakeholders.
- It should address the deficiency defined in the problem statement.
- It should quantify the expected improvement.
- It should identify the timing.
The Project Scope
Project limits (scope) define what is included and what gets excluded.
- Excluded can be: locations, customers, products etc
- Constraints: standards and procedures (regulatory, legislative, ISO, others)
- Resistance (organizational culture, seniority, others)
The Project Team
- Select a team with multiple areas of expertise ( Interdisciplinary, Interdepartmental)
- The team can change during project
- Typically 4-6 members
- Have a clear understanding of the basic concepts of the LSS methodology in accordance to their rank
The Project Sponsor
- Not necessarily a team member, but critical resource.
- An important stakeholder
- Aware of the customer need(s), business requirements, sense of urgency and project boundaries
- Empowered to make/facilitate decision- making (Open doors!)
- The contact toward the rest of the
organization
RACI Matrix
- The RACI matrix is used when we perform a stakeholder analysis.
- In the matrix we define the roles within the business groups related to the major steps of the six sigma improvement system
What does RACI stand for?
R - Responsible; “the doer”
A - Accountable; “the buck stops here”
C - Consulted; “consult on decisions”
I - Informed; “keep informed”
What is continuous data?
- Continuous scale
- Can be divided in smaller pieces (e.g. 1.1, 1.2)
What are examples of continuous data?
- time
- costs
- weight
- length
- force
- acceleration
- energy
What is discrete data?
- percentages
- counts
- categories
- ordinals
What are examples of discrete data?
- % of students who passed
- 20% yes an 80% no
- 12 green and 5 red
What is a Value Stream Map?
- A Value Stream Map (VSM) is all of the actions that are required to take a product or service, from order to delivery
- A VSM is a graphical representation of the entire value stream which includes material, information and product flow
- Developed as a tool to visualise waste within a manufacturing environment
- It is used across many industries; product development, finance, healthcare, service sector etc
What are the benefits of a value stream map?
- Graphically represents the total value stream
- Provides shared understanding in a common language
- Highlights waste
- Visualise flow and connection of Lean techniques
- Identifies process bottlenecks
- Improve the bigger picture, rather than individual processes
- Forms the basis for continuous improvement
What are the levels of the value stream?
Process => Single Plant => Multiple Plants => Across Companies
- Begin at the single plant level with a specific Product Family.
- This is where we can have full control. - Improvements can be started straight away.
- We can move onto bigger and better things when we have made the local changes.
What are the principles for creating a VSM?
- Diagram needs to be on one sheet of paper
- Use the standard format for the diagram
- You must communicate what and why; gather a broad cross-section of the business to generate the map - Use the standard symbols for the diagram
- Standard symbols to ensure common language and tractability.
- Capture all the data yourself - Walk, understand & validate the process
- Involve people
- Can’t be done remotely, you must get down on the shop floor and immerse yourself in the Value Stream. - Use A0 paper, pencils, calculator & post-it notes
- The process is too fluid and dynamic to be done on a computer
Value Stream Mapping
Once the product family is selected the mapping process starts with the current state flow with value add and non value add activities.
product family => current state drawing => future state drawing => work plan and implementation
Value Stream Mapping Tips
- In a service environment ask subject matter experts (e.g. process participants). Use a facilitator.
- Collect current state information by physically walking through the process (“Go See“).
- Start with a “waste walk” to get an idea of the flow and process lead times.
What are the five steps of value stream mapping?
- Determine product family to set scope.
- Draw the process flow map.
- Add the material and information flow.
- Add data in the data collection boxes.
- Add process time and lead time data.
Processing time
The total time spent handling (processing) a product in a certain step in the process.
Inventory
Inventory (parts) / Output per day
Process Lead Time (PLT)
Processing time + Inventory time
PCE%
(Value add time/PLT)*100%
Little’s Law
Work in progress/Exit rate per time unit
