Methods to Office Eliminates Waste - VRDS

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Office Waste 101
Darian Rashid Managing Director, VRDS Inc. (732)
219-7001 darian.rashid_at_vrds.com http//www.vrds.c
om/ _at_VRDSinc
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Office Waste 101 Topics

• Value
• Waste
• Waste in the Office
• Data and Information Waste
• Workflow Waste
• Employee Waste
• Resource Waste
• Methods to Eliminate Waste
• Questions

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Value

• Main Entry value
• Pronunciation \val-(,)yü\
• Function noun
• a Something that adds form, feature or function
• b Something that a customer is willing to pay
  for

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Waste
CVA
Any task, function, item, etc. that does not add
value to the customers or shareholders
BVA
NVA
NVA
CVA
CVA
BVA
BVA
ransportation
T I M W O O D
nventory
BVA
otion
NVA
aiting
verproduction
verprocessing
efects
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Types of Office Waste in the Office

• Data and information waste
• Workflow waste
• Employee waste
• Resource waste
• WARNING Only waste IF it doesnt add value

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Data and Information WasteWorkflow
WasteEmployee Waste Resource Waste
To counter cronyism, Max Weber (1864-1920)
created the "rational-legal system" form of
organization - its structure and processes
designed to achieve certain goals. The
bureaucracy is designed for optimum functional
performance and unity of purpose, and authority
is exercised by rule and procedural systems.
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Data and Information Waste

• Redundant input and output of data
• Manual checking of electronic data
• Missing data
• Unavailable data

• Incorrect data
• Incompatible information systems
• Data dead ends

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Redundant Input and Output of Data

• Identical data inputs or outputs occur more than
  once without adding any extra (customer) value
• Filling out multiple forms that have the same
  fields of information
• New patient forms / new school year forms
• Automated call asking you to enter information
  and then having call rep ask for same information
• Receiving multiple reports or emails that have
  essentially the same information forwarding of
  emails
• Distribution lists that included unnecessary
  recipients
• Generating the same report in different formats
  for different internal customers

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Manual Checking of Electronic Data

• Electronic or electronically generated
  information is manually checked for accuracy,
  completeness, and so on
• Manual checking of data that has been entered
  electronically
• Manual checking of results that have been
  computed electronically
• Manually remove incomplete entries
• Removing bogus entries i.e., stores that ask your
  phone number
• Printing electronic media to check or file
• Software development and validation rules
• No idea that validation rules are required
• No access to developers of the software to write
  in validation rules
• Legacy systems that cannot be tampered with, even
  if development resources are available

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Missing Data

• Required fields are missing which invalidates the
  entire record
• Results in incomplete data sets which are
  analyzed leading to invalid or suspect decisions
• Data collection methods are suspect or biased
• Analysis performed with an insufficiently small
  sample size

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Unavailable Data

• Data that is needed but not logistically possible
  to collect
• Data that is available but cannot be obtained for
  political reasons e.g. IT doesnt have time to
  run the query for me so I have to wait

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Incorrect Data

• Wrong, biased, unreproducable, unrepeatable,
  unstable, or inaccurate data
• Unsure about data source
• Unknown sampling plans
• No traceability
• Multiple manual entries and hand-offs
• Complicated, redundant, and lengthy input, forms,
  and screens
• Verbally transmitted data

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Incompatible Information Systems

• Systems that are used in the same process but
  require human intervention to share data
• Manual transference from one system to another
• Literally transferring the same data from one
  screen to another
• Manual translation of outputs from one system
  into another
• Reformatting the output into the new input
• 123456789 ? 123-45-6789
• 2345678901 ? [phone]
• Delimiting in Excel
• Performing calculations on the output into the
  new input
• Pivot tables and summary data for the second
  system
• Transposing columns to rows
• Paralysis cant transfer or translate

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Data Dead Ends

• Occurs when data flows through a system and then
  stops, not serving any purpose
• Metrics that are collected but never looked at
• Reports that are run but never looked at
• Write-only data
• Downstream process no longer needs data but is
  still collected upstream
• Call center systems that track every aspect of
  call but data is never used for process
  improvement. i.e., timestamps for individual
  segments of a call
• Airline asking for passport information for
  domestic flights

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Data and Information WasteWorkflow
WasteEmployee Waste Resource Waste
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Workflow Waste

• Hand-offs
• Batches, stacks and queues
• Micromanagement and approvals
• Branching
• Extra or over processing

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Hand-Offs

• Turning over information, data, tasks, etc. to a
  colleague, group, department, etc.
• Both horizontal (functional) and vertical
  (hierarchy)
• Swim-lane map is the best way to see this
  interfaces
• Dragging bags from check-in over to security
  check
• Restaurant different person taking order,
  delivering drinks, and delivering food
• Hospital emergency room
• Bank manager approval
• Call center transfers
• Help desk

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Batches, Stacks and Queues

• Sets of information, requests, people, materials,
  etc. that are stalled and building up mid-process
• Data waiting to be processed or refreshed
• Projects, portfolios, or files in queue
• Data and reports waiting to be batched
• Unread emails

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Micromanagement and Approvals

• Supervision, monitoring, checking, auditing, and
  inspecting
• Supervision and management interactions with
  employees
• Controls and redundancy
• Approvals for expenditures over budget
• Required waste
• Regulatory and legal
• Business value add

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Branching

• Deviating from the standard workflow
• Employee inconsistency (nonstandardized work)
• Unbalanced work (bottlenecks)
• Customer demand or order fluctuations
• Supply chain variation
• Audits/checks
• Approvals

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Extra Or Over-Processing

• Doing more than is required by the customer
• Multiple reports formats, all with the same
  information
• Creating reports and charts for decision making
• Supplemental manual entry of data
• Use of different software in different
  departments
• Paperwork and duplicate forms
• Bad design
• Overlapping system capabilities

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Data and Information WasteWorkflow
WasteEmployee Waste Resource Waste
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Employee Waste

• Busy work
• Motion
• Ignoring ergonomics
• Underutilization of talent

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Busy-work

• Assignments and tasks that are time-consuming but
  not useful
• Multitasking
• Task interruptions
• Issue resolution
• Firefighting and problem solving
• Outside interruptions (visitors, phone, email,
  etc.)
• Training
• Low or no investment in training
• Training materials and trainer unavailable
• Wall to wall meetings
• Meetings to eliminate meetings

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Motion

• Human movement
• Reaching, lifting, pushing, pulling,
• Manually searching and gathering data and files
• Extra clicks, key strokes, and code
• Travelling to other buildings
• Travelling to other sites across town, the state,
  the country, etc.

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Motion
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Ignoring Ergonomics

• Waste from the interaction of humans with
  objects, tasks, jobs, products, systems, and the
  environment that lowers performance, increases
  errors, and decreases user satisfaction through
  discomfort and poor aesthetics
• Bad design of tasks and work areas
• Operator fatigue and discomfort
• Also called biotechnology, human engineering, and
  human factors engineering
• Safety, time and motion, workplace design
• Keyboards, mice, pads, chairs, handles, displays,
  

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Underutilization of Talent

• Not using peoples creative and analytical
  skills to their potential
• Low or no investment in training or cross
  training
• Unclear qualifications, roles, or
  responsibilities
• Old guard thinking, politics, the business
  culture
• Not providing opportunity for growth
• Start using software without prior training
• Poor hiring practices
• Low pay, high turn over strategy
• Politics and corporate culture
• Cronyism

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Data and Information WasteWorkflow
WasteEmployee Waste Resource Waste
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Resource Waste

• Hoarding and Stockpiling

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Hoarding and Stockpiling

• Holding on to more material, information or
  resources than what is needed
• Just in-case
• Supply closets, cabinets, and drawers
• Sales literature and materials
• Unused databases, data, and software
• Raw materials

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How Many Do You have?

• Data and Information Waste
• Redundant input and output of data
• Manual checking of electronic data
• Missing data
• Unavailable data
• Incorrect data
• Incompatible information systems
• Data dead ends
• Resource Waste
• Hoarding and stockpiling

• Workflow Waste
• Hand-offs
• Batches, stacks and queues
• Micromanagement and approvals
• Branching
• Extra or over processing
• Employee Waste
• Busy work
• Motion
• Ignoring ergonomics
• Underutilization of talent

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Methods to Expose Waste

• Process mapping
• Spaghetti diagrams
• Value add analysis
• Eliminating non-value add
• Eliminating or reducing business value add
• Reducing value add time
• Value stream mapping
• 5S initiatives
• Resource leveling

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Methods to Eliminate Waste

• Flow control systems
• Work-in-process (WIP) caps
• Visual management / information radiators
• Cellular groups
• Push vs. Pull systems
• More advanced methods appropriate on some
  occasions
• Kanban and supermarkets
• Time trap analysis (bottlenecks)
• Order entry levels, safety stock, service levels,
  demand intervals

Beaver Dam
Copyright 2007 VR Data Systems, Inc. All
rights reserved.
Copyright 2007 VR Data Systems, Inc. All
rights reserved.
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Summary

• Value Something a customer is willing to pay
  for
• Waste Any action, task, function, etc. that
  doesnt add value to the customer or the
  shareholder
• There are different types of waste in the office
• Data and information waste
• Workflow waste
• Employee waste
• Resource waste
• Process mapping and Value-Add analyses are
  powerful ways to expose these wastes

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Questions?
Eliminate the Res
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