| Greetings!
We hope you enjoy this month's edition of our operational excellence newsletter. Please take a few minutes to read Jeffrey Liker's article on Enterprise Lean. He emphasizes that the PDCA process is necessary to implement improvement at all levels of the enterprise.
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Quantum Associates, Inc
Operational Excellence Newsletter
Delivering Swift and Significant Results
"Our groove is to help you improve."
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August 2016
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Lean Process Improvement in Colleges and Universities
A while back I conducted a Lean Office Simulation workshop for the staff of the business school at an independent urban university in the Chicago area. My hats off to the Dean of the business school for having the foresight to see how important it was to introduce her staff to Lean concepts. Many of the participants in the simulation came away with an enlightened view of how they could use lean to improve their office/administrative processes. They also gained a better understanding of value-added and non-value-added activities.
The rise in prices for a college education-often at rates that greatly exceed inflation-places a heavy burden on the university's customers (students, parents, companies, state and federal agencies). This can't go on forever. University administrators need to take a different approach to providing valuable educational service to their customers. They need to look at implementing Lean Process Improvement as a way to reduce costs, improve quality, simplify processes and better satisfy their customers.
Administrators, faculty and staff must avoid the trap of viewing higher education as unique-"so Lean does not apply". They must overcome the bias that Lean is just for manufacturing and doesn't apply to service businesses like higher education. There is so much room for improvement not only in the degree programs but also in the related student services such as admissions and registration.
Lean management is not a new concept. There is no question there are differences between the products of a manufacturing assembly line and those of a higher education service. But there is a huge similarity in the value delivery systems of these organizations, delivery systems made up of thousands of complex processes. As such, many aspects of Lean process improvement methodologies can and do apply to improving the processes of delivering a degree.
University administrators interested in meeting today's challenge of providing better services at the least cost should strongly consider Lean Process Improvement as an effective way of improving their institution's performance.
Willie
Willie L. Carter is the president Quantum Associates, Inc., Highland Park, Illinois. Along with his nearly 40 years experience in operations, quality and consulting in various industries, Willie is a Certified Lean Sensei, Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, and a Certified ISO 9000 Lead Assessor. He can be reached at wcarter@quantumassocinc.com
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What is Enterprise Lean and How do we Get There?
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Contributors: Jeffrey K. Liker
Since Plan-Do-Check-Act is the process needed to carry out sustainable improvement at all levels, it requires skilled practitioners at all levels-from the C-suite to the working level...(Read More)
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Thinking Lean: Four Keys to Trim Manufacturing
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Lean manufacturing isn't something manufacturers can achieve overnight; and it's certainly not a one-and-done process executed in a vacuum...(Read More)
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OEE: The Heart of the Matter
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Measuring overall equipment effectiveness can help a plant do more of what it does best: making products...(Read More)
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Financial Impact of Quality Remains a Question
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Quality got an upgrade as a strategic asset, according to findings in a new ASQ report, but its financial implications remain a mystery for many...(Read More)
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Our Reason for Being
Quantum Associates was founded on the premise of bringing together like-minded associates with multiple years of industry experience reducing waste and improving processes in organizations. Our goal is to leverage the knowledge and experience of our seasoned associates to assist both service and manufacturing organizations train their employees to untangle intermingled processes in order to clearly see the specific process they manage or touch as it flows from start to finish and to improve the performance of those processes so that every stakeholder (customer, employee, supplier, investor) is better off. We serve as the nucleus for delighting your customers by preparing your people to improve their processes.
What We Look For in a Client
We look for companies/organizations who want to untangle their processes in order to clearly see how to improve the performance (efficiency, productivity, customer experience) of those processes so that every stakeholder (customer, employee, supplier, and investor) is better off.
We guarantee 100% customer satisfaction absolutely.
"Our groove is to help you improve."
Enjoy the Newsletter,
Willie L. Carter
President
"All improvement happens project by project and in no other way." ~ Joseph Juran
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