When things aren't getting done as rapidly as possible, then we need to focus on improving the speed of the process

Improving Process Speed

In our Throughput Modeling work, we capture start and stop data for each relevant process step and incorporate Monte Carlo simulation techniques into our advanced capacity model.  The end result is a tool that our clients can use independently to identify their current and future constraints and prioritize improvement efforts accordingly.  We published an article about this "Improvement Roadmap" that you can access here.

Our Constraint Management approach addresses the "now what?" component of the equation.  Knowing what the constraint is and being able to address it are two very different things.  This is an effort that necessitates the combination of unbounded creativity with the hard-nosed reality of grizzled subject matter expertise, which is an exceptionally delicate and challenging balance to strike.  We do it with fun and collaborative workshops that nurture the imagination while ensuring that the very real and often passionate inputs and concerns of the process experts are respected and elevated. 

The requirement for "Prioritization Alignment" is such a common requirement, that we highlight it separately from other Constrain Management efforts.  Whenever there are multiple job roles involved in a process, it is rarely the case that their priorities are in sync.  This leads directly to conflicts, miscommunications, and delays in the process.  In our experience if you want to make anything faster, it is a safe bet to look to the hand-offs between functions as a cornucopia of low-hanging fruit.

"Time waste differs from material waste in that there can be no salvage. The easiest of all wastes and the hardest to correct is the waste of time, because wasted time does not litter the floor like wasted material." - Henry Ford

This effort is dependent on an existing and usable advanced capacity model*


Note: Unless start/stop time for each process step is already available, we will develop and institite a data collection plan that the client can execute and incorporate into the model to increase the precision of the throughput model


Sprint Deliverables

  • Data Collection Plan (if needed)
  • Quick win Implementation and Documentation
  • Throughput Model (MS Excel, Salesforce, MS Power BI, or other client-owned software)

Targeted Sprint

"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." - Abraham Lincoln

When we've identified the constraint, we've then got to use creativity, experience, and technology to fix it.  We go through a proven playbook of options for how to address constraints, which includes offloading parts of the work to other resources, automating work, and reviewing procedures and policies that could aleviate the constraint.  Some "quick wins" will be addressable within the sprint and longer term fixes will be identified and assigned.


Sprint Deliverables:

  • Quick win Implementation and Documentation
  • Client Open actions list


Targeted Sprint

"Eighty-five percent of the reasons for failure are deficiencies in the systems and process rather than the employee. The role of management is to change the process rather than badgering individuals to do better." W. Edwards Deming

We use interaction and sharing to get a cross-functional group talking to eachother instead of past eachother.  We dillinently suss out and document each stakeholder group's priorities, surface the conflicts, and analyze the underlying drivers of those conflicts.  In the end, the group presents a consensus prioritization system that will improve the flow of work for everyone based on a collective priority that is best for the organization


Sprint Deliverables

  • Priority definition
  • Stakeholder inventory
  • Gap analysis


Discovery Sprint
*Our Advanced Capacity Model described here