Pat Brosnan – Page 2

Lean Management And Healthcare

Lean thinking is not typically associated with healthcare, where waste of time, money, supplies, and goodwill is a common problem. But the principles of Lean management can, in fact, work in healthcare in much the same way they do in other industries using Lean thinking to streamline processes, reduce cost, and improve quality and timely delivery of products and services.

Lean thinking is not a manufacturing tactic or a cost-reduction program, but a management strategy that is applicable to all organisations because it has to do with improving processes. All organisations including healthcare organisations are composed of a series of processes, or sets of actions intended to create value for those who use or depend on them i.e. their customers….. the patients. The core idea of Lean involves determining the value of any given process by distinguishing value added steps from non value added steps, and eliminating waste so that ultimately every step adds value to the process.

To maximise value and eliminate waste, leaders in healthcare, as in other organizations, must evaluate processes by accurately specifying the value desired by the user, identifying every step in the process and eliminating non value added steps and making value flow from beginning to end based on the pull of the customer/patient. When applied rigorously and throughout an entire organisation, Leanprinciples can have a dramatic effect on productivity, cost, and quality.

An organisation’s culture is the set of values and beliefs that cause people to behave in certain ways. When they behave that way and get the results they expect, it reinforces those values and beliefs. This self-reinforcing cycle creates a culture.

Help Staff Embrace the Promise of Lean

Leaders who wish to change their organisational culture cannot do so by edict. They must intervene and require people to behave differently, allowing them to experience a better set of results. As this process is repeated, a different set of values and beliefs in a new culture will evolve. One of the challenges of implementing Lean in healthcare is that it requires people to identify waste in the work in which they are so invested. All workers want to feel their work is valuable, perhaps most especially healthcare workers. Recognising that much about their daily tasks is wasteful and does not add value can be difficult for healthcare professionals.

A nurse who is hunting for supplies is doing it to serve the needs of patients. Nurses may not see this as wasted time, and may not stop to wonder why those supplies aren’t where they should be when they need them. But if the supplies were always readily available, the time nurses spend hunting for them would instead be devoted to something more appropriate to their skills and expertise. To help staff see and embrace the promise of lean, leaders must create a clear vision statement that guides people to make the right choices. They must evaluate the organisational structure and work to flatten it, eliminating hierarchical layers and organising staff into operational teams based on products or services.

Implementing Lean in Healthcare

The patient pathway is at the heart of every healthcare organisation. The quality of the patient experience will be negatively impacted if the organisations core processes are not meeting expectations. Many Hospitals, Trusts and Day Care Centers are seeking to streamline their processes through the application of Lean. Those who do so successfully will substantially reduce their service lead times, drive down costs and create additional patient capacity.

All too often however, organisations that embrace Lean, try to run before they can walk. They wind up making the simplification process complex.
At Acclino we know that transforming a process is both a science and an art. Our Lean Training programmes will walk you through the science, step by step, in a highly interactive, learning-by-doing environment. We will also teach you the art of process transformation and how to fully engage people using real life case studies.https://www.acclino.com/lean-training/healthcare-masterclass/

Some of Acclino’s Outstanding Achievements in Healthcare

Vacancy fill rates for Nursing Recruitment in an NHS Hospital increased by 87%.
Recruitment lead times for Nursing & non-medical staff reduced by 55%.
Laboratories completely transformed with test backlogs reduced by 90%.
Whether you are the sponsor, the owner, the facilitator or a key team member this training course will work for you and your organisation. Join us on our next training programme and start your process transformation.
Here at Acclino, we have distilled the essence of Lean, Six Sigma and Project Management into one framework and a handful of simple to use tools. The Acclino framework will work on any process in any organisation.
It is simple to understand and apply.
It will fully engage your people.
Delivers outstanding results.
No Jargon, no exams, no pain, no excuses.
Acclino make it simple and keep it simple
https://www.acclino.com/contact-acclino/

Lean Training For The Pharmaceutical Sector

Most Pharmaceutical organisations have already started their Lean journey. Some are in the early stages while others are at a more advanced stage. One of the biggest challenges for the pharmaceutical sector, from a Lean perspective, is that their processes are designed for bulk production and the subsequent filling and packaging of large batches. In spite of this, there are numerous opportunities to transform and simplify processes across the organisation. Up to now the focus for improvement has typically been in the production areas. The opportunities are equally rewarding however, in the Laboratories, in Documentation Control, across all of the material supply chains and of course in the support areas of Finance and HR.

Those who apply Lean successfully will substantially reduce their service lead times, drive down costs and create additional business capacity.
All too often however, organisations that embrace Lean, try to run before they can walk. They wind up making the simplification process complex.The Research and Development process is the most important process in pharmaceutical companies and forms a major part of costs. The Lean concept is desirable in this scenario to understand the critical processes to new drug development, and to research and streamline existing ones.

It is important to have these objectives to reduce drug failures, effect maximum utilisation of resources, and increase productivity and optimum utilisation of staff and other resources.

Rewards of Lean Training in the Pharmaceutical Sector

The Lean approach to the pharmaceutical industry can definitely reduce costs, process errors and product defects.

The Lean transformation has to happen at the operations and management levels, as well as in the behaviours towards customer service. Lean teams should endeavour to change the momentum in their organisations and be consistent in their values and the company mission statement.

Lean Training should not be ignored – a comprehensive strategy towards training needs at multiple points in the transformation process means achieving stronger organisational skills throughout the organisation and among staff members.

Reduced Cycle Times

Increased cycle times are major factors affecting the timely manufacture, supply and launch of new drugs. The companies that take advantage of this market situation will make the difference between success and failure of the product.

The Value stream mapping and process modelling concepts of Lean can help in reducing cycle times and operational costs, in addition to increasing the efficiency of processes as well as staff.

Prevent Drug Defects

Any drugs defects would be a major blow to any pharmaceutical company. Lean concepts such as DFSS can help, as they utilise tested scientific tools and statistical tools that help reduce the cost of human errors.

Lean training for Pharmaceutical companies can provide the advanced tools to conduct quality analysis, yield analysis, cost comparison of jobs, risk assessment and comparison of manufacturing processes at different sites.

Some of Acclino’s outstanding achievements in the Pharmaceutical Sector:

Production turnaround times reduced by 50%.
Recruitment fill rates increased by 80%.
Financial processes transformed with 60% of unnecessary steps eliminated.
Laboratories completely transformed with test backlogs reduced by 90%.
Documentation right-first-time rates increased to 99%.

https://www.acclino.com/lean-training/pharmaceutical-masterclass/

At Acclino, we have distilled the essence of Lean, Six Sigma and Project Management into one framework and a handful of simple to use tools. The Acclino framework will work on any process in any organisation.

It is simple to understand and apply.
It will fully engage your people.
It will deliver outstanding results.
No Jargon, no exams, no pain, no excuses.
Acclino make it simple and keep it simple.

We know that transforming a process is both a science and an art. We will walk you through the science, step by step, in a highly interactive, learning-by-doing workshop. We will also teach you the art of process transformation and how to fully engage people using real life case studies.

For more information on Acclino’s Lean Training services, please get in touch via the website https://www.acclino.com/contact-acclino.com

Lean Training For The Aviation Sector

Lean and Process Transformation in the Aviation Sector

Process transformation and cost optimisation are key factors for driving competitiveness within the aviation sector. More and more airlines, ground handlers, MRO’s, component suppliers and airport authorities are seeking Lean training solutions. Those who do so successfully, will substantially reduce their service lead times, drive down costs and create capacity for new business opportunities.

All too often however, organisations that embrace Lean, try to run before they can walk and wind up making the simplification process complex.

Six Sigma can help aviation professionals manage the critical issues of passenger safety, improved departure times, cost savings and traveler satisfaction. Six Sigma serves the aviation industry well because it gives managers and front line workers a common language to unite them in their efforts to improve quality. Six Sigma gives aviation professionals a tool box full of best practices that can help resolve process flaws and improve performance.

Three Important Areas of the Airline Industry that can Benefit from Six Sigma and Lean Training

1. Passenger Safety

Thousands of travelers every year add their story to the overabundant complaints about long layovers, lost luggage and delayed or cancelled flights. Six Sigma’s strong focus on the customer helps the industry make changes where they are most needed. Capturing the voice of the customer using surveys, focus groups and interviews can give Six Sigma teams the raw data they need to identify critical to quality (CTQ) requirements. CTQs are specific, defined requirements that must meet client expectations.

2. Improved Departure Time

LeanTraining and Six Sigma have the tools to help cut the time it takes to move passengers down the walkway and seated on the plane. Like other processes, this one is packed with duplication, redundancy and delays. By applying Lean methodologies teams can get a much clearer view of the process of boarding a plane by breaking it down into processes and obtaining detail for every step.

This detailed view of the boarding process is combined with an accurate measurement of the time it takes to complete each step. Experience clearly demonstrates that teams should not depend on intuition, as estimates can be unreliable and can disrupt the entire project.

A combination of a detailed understanding of the boarding process with accurate and objective time tracking will help airlines decrease their overall aircraft loading time.

3. Aircraft Maintenance

Efficient maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations are critical to an airline’s profitability since grounded planes reduce an airline’s ticket revenue. The sooner crews can complete scheduled maintenance and repairs, the sooner the planes can be filled with ticket-buying passengers.

Six Sigma can help MRO crews complete their work safely and quickly by implementing these initiatives:

Creating communications systems that provide real-time maintenance status across all levels
Coordinating different levels of shop maintenance activity
Optimizing the crew’s time on assigned tasks
Encouraging continuous process improvement with data capture, reporting and analysis
Optimizing tool allocations and task assignments to reduce waste

Acclino’s Lean Training offers many tools to help airlines operate more safely and efficiently.

Some of Acclino’s Achievements in the Aviation Sector

MRO turnaround times for Aircraft maintenance reduced by 50%.
Consumable material costs reduced by 40% and stock outs reduced to zero.
First wave departure performance improved by 50%.
Delays caused by excess cabin baggage reduced by 50%

Lean Masterclass for the Aviation Sector

For more information on Acclino’s Lean Training services, please get in touch via the website https://www.acclino.com/contact-acclino.com

Whether you are the sponsor, the owner, the facilitator or a key team member this training course will work for you and your organisation. Join us on our next Lean training programme and start your process transformation.

Lean Training For Financial Services

How Effective is Lean Training for the Financial Sector?

Lean training can provide businesses such as banks, insurance and investment companies with more productive and cost-effective solutions, therefore reducing risk during an economic dip. Lean training will also help to improve employee satisfaction, increase customer value and ensure the supporting activities are focused on delivering value.
Financial firms are a prime example of a service sector that cannot afford to be wasteful, due to strong competition, the impact of the recent financial crisis and vulnerability to economic downturns. Yet, it is claimed that at least 40% of costs in the financial sector are spent on wasteful activities that have no added value to the customer. Although they cannot control the fluctuating economy, financial companies can however invest in refining and redefining their own operations to ensure more effective and customer focused operations.

Financial Sector Explores the Benefits of Lean Training

The financial services sector is highly regulated with little or no room for error. Today the cost of quality and data accuracy is high on the radar for those organisations who want to remain competitive and build market share. Many banks, finance houses and data processing organisations have started to explore the benefits of Lean Training. There are numerous opportunities to transform and simplify processes across every financial organisation. Those who do so successfully will substantially reduce their service lead times, drive down costs and create additional business capacity.
All too often however, organisations that embrace Lean, try to run before they can walk. They wind up making the simplification process complex.

Acclino Lean Training Tools and Techniques

Here at Acclino, we have distilled the essence of Lean, Six Sigma and Project Management into one framework and a handful of simple to use tools. The Acclino framework will work on any process in any organisation.

It is simple to understand and apply.
It will fully engage your people.
Delivers outstanding results.
No Jargon, no exams, no pain, no excuses.
Acclino make it simple and keep it simple.

So How Will Acclino’s Lean Training Model Work for the Financial Services Sector?

At Acclino we know that transforming a process is both a science and an art. We will walk you through the science, step by step, in a highly interactive, learning-by-doing workshop. We will also teach you the art of process transformation and how to fully engage people using real life case studies.

Take a Look at Some of Acclino’s Outstanding Achievements in the Financial Sector:

Financial processes transformed with 60% of unnecessary steps eliminated while at the same time making those process more robust and safe.
Documentation right-first-time rates increased to 99%.

https://www.acclino.com/lean-training/financial-services-masterclass/

For more information on Acclino’s Lean Training services, please get in touch via the website https://www.acclino.com/contact-acclino.com
Whether you are the sponsor, the owner, the facilitator or a key team member this training course will work for you and your organisation. Join us on our next Lean training programme and start your process transformation.

Lean Training For The Service Industry

Does Lean Training Only Apply to Manufacturing?

Fundamentally the concept of Lean Training is to help businesses establish value for their customers and then optimise their value creating processes by cutting out waste and perfecting the entire operation so that the service flows smoothly. Although it can be more difficult to locate intangible wastes in a service environment, the principles of Lean remain the same – to achieve maximum productivity and performance with the fewest resources
Lean’s success has been tried, tested and proven in manufacturing and with the service industry constantly growing, many in the sector are also looking at whether or not the same principles can be applied with the same impact. Some are sceptical and argue that methodologies intended to streamline manufacturing processes cannot simply be replicated within other industries.

However, after becoming familiarised with the core principles of Lean, many companies believe that it is not just specific to physical products and that it can be easily shaped and adapted to suit other sectors too.

Lean in the Service Industry

Lean Training can help to optimise all service delivery processes by targeting wasteful processes and either removing them completely or move to a more effective state as part of a journey of continuous improvement. Companies in the service sector are constantly under pressure to deliver excellent customer service, faster response times and valuable support for their customers. A service company is very different from a manufacturing company, however, it still has many wasteful processes that could be removed or reduced.

Lean Training Tools and Techniques

Lean tools and techniques can improve the customer experience by reducing unnecessary activities and unnecessary IT processes, whilst also providing solutions to cut down on errors, maximise employee empowerment and become more cost-effective.

Service companies have so many different processes to their business, that without effective coordination in place, mistakes can easily occur. Every task needs to include a thorough process of planning, writing, designing and proofing to generate a high enough standard of quality for their clients. These ongoing processes are not only extremely time-consuming, but with different tasks being assigned to different departments, project efficiency could also be compromised.

Lean implementation can help service companies to streamline their processes by removing tasks that are unnecessary and implementing a much more efficient approach. In doing so, Lean also provides a direct improvement on work quality and therefore provides added value for the customer.

Acclino Lean Training Services

Many organisations across the service sector are embracing Lean including those in Healthcare, Aviation, the Financial Services and the Pharmaceutical sector. They are embracing Lean and Six Sigma to help them transform their processes and drive down costs.

If you have a company in the service sector and think that you could benefit from a more effective strategy, then why not consider adopting Lean? If you adopt a productive approach, it will help to motivate your employees, increase customer value and improve the efficiency of your business.

For more information on Acclino’s Lean Training services, please get in touch via the website https://www.acclino.com/contact-acclino.com
The Acclino framework will work on any process in any organisation. It is simple to understand and apply. It will fully engage your people, delivers outstanding results and guarantees no jargon, no pain and no excuses!

Lean Training For Your Employees

Lean Training That Works

Congratulations! The Lean Training program is finished and the results are in.

Most participants filled in your end-of-course evaluation and headed for the exit. So far – so good. These evaluations gave the course and the trainer a great wrap! Smiles all round.

Many managers, participants, and trainers assume that this is the end of the story. Great course… employees emerged enthusiastic… and now that they are back on the job the productivity benefits will flow.

Well, at Acclino we understand that this scenario is the exception rather than the rule.

What is often more likely for most participants on a Lean Training programme, is that when they return to their work, the phone calls, meetings, reports, employee issues, customer complaints are there, demanding attention. Within a week the training impact dissipates and business returns to normal! This is the washout effect!!

So Why Lean Training in the First Place?

Lean Training will be ineffective if there is no opportunity to reflect, understand, try out and embed the learning into the participants work.And while we are on this point, maybe we need to understand that the end of course evaluations may make everyone happy and they may be an indication of the experiences of the course… but… they tell us very little about how the training translates to on the job behavior and business outcomes. They evaluate the course, not the workplace changes that are intended to flow on.

Delivering effective Lean Training is the challenge!

For Lean Training to be successful, employees must be capable of doing their job, including adapting to process and other changes that the business needs. At Acclino, we get it! We believe that there are ways to implement effective Lean Training and generate Return-on-Investment for the company.

Good training is about having a capable and motivated workforce with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to take the company forward.

Training must be closely aligned with company business objectives
It will result in employees who can apply the training on-the-job
Employees’ workplace behavior will change as a result of the training
Managers will provide ongoing support and assist in embedding the results of the training in the workplace

Acclino, the companies we work with, and the course participants are focused on training that translates into tangible, relevant, changes in employee behavior that are what the company needs to move forward.

So How Does Acclino Work its Lean Training Magic?

Acclino’s Lean training methodology is unique! It helps that we offer training in our version of the Lean methodology, specially adapted for most industries.

We start with a Lean Masterclass Framework that is recognized as very relevant to business by many employers, has great content and for participants, develops real understanding of the process which translates to process improvement and other changes back on the job.

Acclino has a blended learning framework that explains how we implement a Before-During-After approach to our training that ensures: focused training, an applied understanding of adult learning principles and processes, on-the-job behavior change and measurable outcomes (which is where the ROI considerations come in).

Acclino’s Lean Training State of the Art Learning Technology

Acclino also differentiates its Lean Training offering by incorporating state-of-the-art learning technologies and learning processes including:

mechanisms to facilitate a virtual classroom
live webinars
team interaction
chat rooms
gamification and simulations
real-life case studies
plus on-line, interactive modules.

These are important processes in our version of blended learning.It is the combination of these multiple approaches to learning that produces outcomes for the business and for employees that are more effective than what can be achieved by traditional approaches alone.

So, perhaps Acclino applies sophisticated understanding and capability in the focus, content and processes of our Masterclass Framework… but a little fairy dust helps too!

In our regular blogs on https://www.acclino.com, we will feature real case studies outlining how our Lean Training programmes work for any industry.

Lean Predictions For 2017 And Beyond

We polish our crystal ball and give you our insights into the future.

Prediction 1: It’s How You Implement It That Counts!

At least two Lean implementation forks in the road exist right now. One has some companies looking for the next big thing after a foray into Lean.

On the second path, companies in diverse industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, IT and aviation have achieved the planned outcomes that a sustained, successful Lean implementation brings. They are able to point to the specific rewards and improvements in parts, or across the whole, of their business.

For the first path, a lesson to emerge is that the journey can be a challenge and that even those with years of experience in performance improvement using Lean methodologies may have further to go to achieve the outcomes they are looking for, or, they may have to restructure their process. The challenge that a Lean implementation presents is for the many pathways to be explored and carefully implemented.

So….. we predict that companies will learn from these lessons and aim for a Lean implementation that is carefully planned. In this way companies avoid the frustration of having to look for the next new management tool as a result of an unhappy experience.

Prediction 2: It’s All About Your People!

• The Lean journey for some companies may be a case of history repeating itself. Project management evolved in the second half of the 20th century from an emphasis on “process” to an understanding that process is only part of the solution and the importance of fully engaged and empowered and enabled employees cannot be overlooked.

The Lean journey may have some parallels.

Lean emerged from the Toyota experience with an important message to emerge being“We do not just build cars, we build people”.

So we predict that companies implementing a Lean transformation will increasingly find ways to really engage employees and to develop employees’ Lean implementation capability and to meaningfully support them through the implementation.

As an element of this focus, we expect to see greater emphasis on the creation of cultural change as an essential component of a successful Lean implementation. In other words we predict that companies will incorporate an understanding of the importance for the business of really addressing “The way we do things here” as part of the Lean implementation.

Prediction 3: Let’s Not Forget Effective Management

If companies are to engage employees with the responsibility for continuous improvement via a Lean transformation, then they must ensure that managers can step-up to provide management processes and behaviors that not only lead the process change, but also generate employee engagement and commitment.

This requires managers understanding and explaining the need for, and the purpose of, the transformation. We see this as an essential beginning of the process.

Then managers need the capabilities to bring employees with them as the process unfolds. A well developed understanding of the Lean processes and principles is an essential start.

We predict further involvement by managers in implementing more generic management trends (that relate to a Lean transformation) to build on the capability-development trend. We can add improved understanding of culture change and development in companies, as well as greater knowledge of learning organizations and performance management in projects and teams.

Prediction 4: 2017 Will Be a Big Year

We guess that you have been paying attention recently and like us, expect the unexpected during 2017, as the changes in the USA political landscape ripple through to business.

We predict that the inevitable changes will create new opportunities and that winners will, to some extent, be those companies agile enough to look at process changes, technology advances and customer buying/interaction patterns that impact on the customer experience and the way they do business.

Emerging technology trends and changes in federal regulation in the USA (and elsewhere as the world catches up) will encourage companies to seek process and business change solutions as a matter of urgency.

Lean will play its part and may begin a new age of adaptive change.

More rapid evolution of the Lean process is, in our opinion, inevitable’s businesses look for short and longer term solutions to the opportunities and challenges emerging during 2017.

Prediction 5: Lean Will Increasingly Address a Range of Workplace Challenges

We expect Lean systems to be asked to do more to address the pace of change. We are not talking replacing evolution with revolution but rather looking for adaptive responses to emerging issues across industries.

This may mean that process and solution sharing responses will become more important, especially where there is common ground across industries. What works in IT for example may be adapted for use in health. Creative minds and adaptable systems will converge around this challenge and opportunity.

As a starting point, this convergence could include areas such as employee engagement, manager capability and processes and systems for managing the processes. IT will also play an important part in supporting and speeding the process.

One challenging prediction is that, while Lean is primarily focused as a solution for information flow problems,it may also emerge as a system for improving human health in organizations.

We look forward to Lean transformations emerging as systems capable of evolving from its constraints and improving human health in companies.

For example, eliminating information flow problems greatly reduces the myriad of workplace stressors facing managers and employees, not to forget customers and suppliers.

And isn’t this what we use Lean for? The creation of a productive, efficient and effective workplace finely tuned to the needs and opportunities of the marketplace and staffed by engaged and healthy employees.