Business Process Improvement (BPI)
“If people are your most important resource, then it is imperative your business processes be as clean and obstacle-free as possible to allow workers to maximize their effort on value-added tasks and optimize customer value. BlueLine Associates can get you there through our comprehensive Business Process Improvement (BPI) program.”
Our BPI portfolio of services is composed of five key phases:
Bundled, these five phases provide a comprehensive end-to-end improvement program. Implemented independently, each item can add value to and meet the specific business needs of a client in a much more narrow manner.
To learn more about how our BPI program can infuse excellence into your organization contact us at info@blueline-associates.com.
Current-State Snapshot
“A problem well defined is a problem half-solved.”
Before jumping into solutions, it is key to define your business problem, isolate the exact root causes to be solved, and identify the main inputs, processes and outputs.
Typical deliverables include:
- Voice-of-the-customer survey
- SIPOC map
- Swimlane process map
- Value stream map
The result is an actionable process map, depicted pictorially, that shows you exactly where your process breaks down, has redundant paths, is not closed looped, and/or has critical quality gaps. Any future conversation about the process now will have a visual representation to refer back to.
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Baseline Measures
“An argument without data is just complaining.”
If a process is to be improved, then it is imperative to first take baseline measures of that process. We will formulate a “go-forward” scorecard to track process improvements in order to convert the stated problem or problems into quantifiable numbers that will show how quality, speed and expense will be improved.
Typical deliverables include:
- Pareto chart
- Run chart
- X bar chart with spec limits
- Time-motion study
- Radar chart
The result is a metrics set specific to your process. Most organizations have no shortage of data, but you will now have numbers that characterize how a particularly problematic process is functioning less than optimally.
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Focus In on Gaps
“An ounce of analysis is worth a pound of objectives (Joe Harless).”
Once the process is mapped and measured, we perform an analysis to identify which factors of the process are the biggest inhibitors. We analyze deficiencies such as process paths with no clear end point, too many hand-offs between internal groups, and steps that are duplicated or simply in the wrong sequence.
Typical deliverables include:
- Boxplot or box and whisker chart
- First pass yield analysis
- Cause-and-effect (fishbone) diagrams
- Gap analysis
- Regression analysis
- Affinity diagram
- Force field analysis
With hard data around the process in question, we can analyze what works and what is deficient based on quantifiable facts, not opinion. Processes are often so large and cover so many parts of an organization, that no one person can intuit the problems, regardless of experience or insight. By analyzing the data, improvements will be more predicable, measurable and sustainable.
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Implementation of Improvements
“Improvement usually means doing something that we have never done before (S. Shingo).”
Having defined the problem and process, measured the gaps, and analyzed the root cause we are ready to identify the critical improvements required based on the biggest impact on the process. In this phase, we identify which improvements we will implement and create an actionable plan to ensure the successful integration of the solution.
Typical deliverables include:
- Critical-to-Quality (CTQ) tree
- Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
- Gantt chart
- Priority pick list
By identifying the critical improvement path and creating a plan, we can track progress and manage the activities as a project. This ensures the right people are selected within the organization to make these improvements to the process. This results in the most efficient, successful and self-sustaining solution implementation for the organization.
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Track and Quantify Improvements
“What gets measured gets done (Peter F. Drucker).”
Here is where we close the loop. Having identified the areas that will lead to process improvement, we are now able to track and measure the outputs of the process. This ensures our predicted improvements are realized in terms of time and money.
Typical deliverables are:
- Control Charts
- Scorecards
By initiating controlled tracking of process improvements, we remove the opinion around whether things are “better” and center future improvement conversations around quantifiable data. The secret of the “closed loop” is that improvement scorecards and control charts become the baseline for further process improvements.
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Process Design and Reengineering
BlueLine will use Lean Six Sigma methodology to define, measure and analyze your business process. A well designed process will improve efficiency and deliver greater productivity. We drive to understand the business process and align a set of logically designed activities that deliver value to the customer and your business. Defining your business framework is key to understanding the gaps between wants and needs of your business.
Staffing Model Development
Staffing models can streamline organizations, assist with strategic management decisions, and improve employee productivity. BlueLine will help identify key performance indicators and build reporting methods to make those decisions easier. Process Mapping (Level 0 - 3) and Maintenance BlueLine will define exactly what the business process is, the responsible parties and document it. We offer one time creation and extended maintenance plans to keep your documentation current. Having a clear and detailed map of your process will facilitate improvements and issue identification.
Process Map Creation and Maintenance
Keep your process maps updated with a quarterly or annual review performed by a BlueLine process engineer. Process maps are graphical representations of business processes that offer insight into the lifecycle of a transaction or product. When complimented with process simulations, and a BlueLine consultant, process maps become powerful tools to identify issues and pain points. Process simulation is a useful cost saving tool used to test potential process improvements and scenarios.
Business Process Simulation and Optimization
With the help of your subject matter experts, we will create an individual process model specific to your business with performance characteristics, including throughput and resource utilization. This will create a real-time picture of your process flow where we can monitor and measure key performance indicators that we will use to identify inefficiency and pain points.
Advanced Analytics
BlueLine Associates merges process improvement methods with analytical tools and models to increase quality, reduce costs, and improve operational performance. Our tools include, but are not limited to:
- Logistic Regression
- Time Series Analysis
- Forecasting
- Comparative Testing
- TAKT Time Analysis
- ANOVA
Value Stream Mapping
BlueLine Associates will use this Lean technique to analyze the flow of materials or information through a process. We identify “value-add” and “non-value-add” steps in the process to measure and remove “waste.” A value stream map can be used in any industry from healthcare to supply chain. It is a valuable asset to understand what steps are providing value in a process.
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