Improve Phase

Project Name: Streamlining Customer Complaints Investigations

Problem Statement: The time to complete a complaint investigation needs to be shortened to accommodate for the frequency of complaints throughout the year to ensure timelines are met.

Moving onto the improve phase of this project, I utilized the following tools:

·         Brainstorming

·         Risk v benefit chart

·         ID Alternative Solutions

·         Determine optimal solutions

·         Update FMEA

·         Value Stream mapping(future state)

·         Validate improvements

For the purposes of this blog, I will focus on the use of the brainstorming, risk v benefit chart, ID alternative solutions, determining optimal solutions and validate improvements.

Following on from the brainstorming session in the measure phase, the team met again to review the possible solutions highlighted at the time and reviewed to determine if there were any other solutions which may be viable for consideration. During this session, the cause and effect diagram was also reviewed again to ensure that all problem areas were considered for possible improvement.  

 

A risk versus benefit chart was utilized for each of the headings highlighted within the brainstorming session. Solutions from the brainstorming sessions and any appropriate solutions from the cause and effect diagram were also slotted in accordingly under each of the headings: investigation write up, risk, software and additional tasks during this session. Out of a possible 33 possible solutions, the review yielded the following results: Implement: 11, Possible: 9, Challenge: 2, Kill: 11.

 

 It was agreed that for the purposes of this project, the implement and possible phases would be implemented and that the challenge solutions would be reviewed with the project sponsor to determine the possibility of implementation within the agreed timeframe. The kill solutions for the purposes of this project would not go ahead however they will begin to form the list for possible solutions for future improvements in the system.

On review, it was determined that the implementation of the challenge solutions would not be implemented within the timeframe of the project and would be added to the list for future improvements.

The necessary actions required to implement the solutions agreed included various quality system instruction updates, development of access database and retraining on practices and procedural updates with investigators and quality engineers.

For example, some of the implement solutions have seen the following time savings:

·         Remove requirement to view work order, do not attach the work order.

o   QSI1426 (Complaint Investigations) updated to remove the requirement to attach the work orders linked to the complaint. Work orders are in excess of 10MB which required to download, then import to Adobe X standard to reduce the size of the file and then attach to Trackwise. Time saved: 18 minutes

·         Do not attach the review of JBASE (manufacturing operations system).

o   QSI1426 (Complaint Investigations) updated to remove the requirement to attach the screen shots of JBASE. There were 5 menus to be reviewed within JBASE to pull the necessary information required. A print screen was taken of each menu reviewed, cropped and formatted into word and attached to Trackwise. Time saved: 10 minutes.

·         Limit the level of review, remove requirement to attach.

o   QSI1426 (Complaint Investigations) updated to remove the requirement to attach the documents reviewed. The following documents were downloaded and re-attached to Trackwise for each complaint: production, final quality control, packaging instructions and the IFUs. In most cases the IFU as well as some production instructions were also larger than a 10MB file and therefore had to be downloaded, then import to Adobe X standard to reduce the size of the file and then attach to Trackwise. Time saved: 27 minutes                   

The implementation of the solutions listed within the implement and possible buckets of the risk versus benefit charts have resulted in measureable improvements and therefore it is possible to move onto the final phase of this project, the control phase.                                                                                  

Assessment of the Improve Phase: The risk versus benefit charts were very beneficial for pulling all the possible solutions from the tools used to date and determine what was worth the effort for implementation. All solutions were viable and agreed at the time however when it comes to the implementation the risk can often outweigh the benefit unless it is reviewed beforehand. With the successful implementation of the solutions, we are already seeing the benefit of our choices which validates the improvements made and makes to possible to move onto the final phase of this project.

Next Step: Control. Maintain the solution.

 

Analyze Phase

 

Project Name: Streamlining Customer Complaints Investigations

Problem Statement: The time to complete a complaint investigation needs to be shortened to accommodate for the frequency of complaints throughout the year to ensure timelines are met.

Moving into the analyze phase of this project, I utilized the following tools:

·         Micro level Process Flowchart

·         Cause and Effect Diagram

·         Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA)

·         Data Analysis

For the purposes of this blog, I will focus on the use of the micro level process flowchart, cause and effect diagram and the FMEA tools.

During this project, it has been identified that there are only a limited number of areas which can be modified due to restrictions with global procedures and the software in use for this system. So during the analyze phase, we looked to the areas over which we would be able to influence change.  On review of the process flow chart from the measure phase, we focused in on four key process steps and from those tried to develop the flowchart further. To help develop the micro level process flowchart, we utilized a training presentation that is used for any new employees into the group to step down each step of these process steps. On review of this, it was determined not to create an additional flowchart as the steps involved were too detailed to create a flowchart. Instead a summary document of each of the steps was created. An extract of this summary document can be seen below:

Reviewing the outputs from the brainstorming session during the define and measure phases, a fishbone diagram was developed to help pull together the problems under the appropriate headings and review if there were any further problem areas which could be reviewed as part of this project. The output from this diagram will be used within the next phase to help determine the areas which can be improved.

Further to this, the FMEA tool was utilized to help determine what high risk areas there are and what areas can be improved within the scope of this project. There was no existing FMEA for this process developed within the company before, so the high level process flow was utilized as a starting point to help create this FMEA. From the process steps, the failure effect and cause for failures were developed. An appropriate severity, occurrence and detection were then assigned. Based on company standard, where the RPN is greater than 125, action is required. There was only one area highlighted as having an RPN of 125. However, there were a number of areas close to this action figure which highlight other areas for improvement which can be reviewed after this project.

Assessment of Analyze Phase: The analyze phase was very useful to help determine the key areas which are feasible for improvement. The FMEA analysis helped to show that even though the severities associated with the process steps are quite high, our detections in place are good. This is apparent with the low occurrences for each of the process steps. However, this project will look to improving the detection scores even further and reducing the occurrences to the lowest possible score where feasible. The output from the tools in the analyze phase will be used to determine what improvements can be made in the next phase to meet the metrics set out in the define phase of this project.

Next Step: Improve. Implement and verify the solution.