This so-called positivity rate is the closest thing we have to a true “infection rate” which can, in theory, only be calculated if every soul on earth was tested at the same time using the same, reliable measurement system. Where to start? As I type this on July 16 the world is dealing with a few examples of sampling in action.įirst, as it relates to the Coronavirus, we’re testing more and more people, which is actually a form of sampling used to best estimate the overall rate of infection of the population and to, obviously, help people get well and not infect others. The story ended well as we sorted things out with the measurement system and ultimately improved their process. The fact of the matter was their measurement system variation was so big they literally couldn’t see their true process variation. We, of course, set out to make improvements to the measurement process…but the scary thing is this company had been working like this for a LONG TIME and desperately wanted to know how to improve their process since they were being ravaged with defects. I asked if they had ever done a measurement system analysis on their measurement process and they replied, “Nope.” We quickly set one up with some parts and a few machinists and conducted the study.Ībout an hour later I sat staring at my Minitab results and slowly looked up at the eager plant manager and explained, “Sorry to say… but you might as well stop wasting the time to measure these parts using your current process since you have no way of distinguishing between good and bad parts.” For the stats nerds (like me) out there…their number of Distinct Categories was 1. I shared a few measurement system horror stories with Joni, including the one where a machinist was measuring a highly precise part with some calipers. As some folks know – especially those I have coached over the years – I am extremely passionate about both topics. Contact Directors prior to running reports to get early projectionsĪfter implementing improvements, the Quarterly Report Cycle Time dropped from 16 days to only 4.5 days, and work time decreased from 5 hours to 1.3 hours.Yesterday, during our weekly Black Belt coaching call I was talking to my friend Joni (hope it’s ok to mention you, Joni!) about the importance of sampling and measurement systems. Some of her implemented solutions were to: She used a Fishbone Diagram to determine what was slowing down her process:Īfter streamlining the report, removing redundancies and interruptions, and targeting two to three reports per day, Tehseen was able to decrease the wait time between reports. Using a Histogram and Box Plots, she found that the average cycle time for her report was 16 days. She was investing a lot of her time creating detailed analysis that wasn’t important to her customer. Tehseen discovered that her process was filled with non-value adding steps by using a Value Stream Map. It helped her identify and formulate a clear goal: Reduce Quarterly Report Lead Time to less than 5 business days. She listened to her customers and completed a Voice of Customer Translation Matrix. Quarterly reports were taking Tehseen 16 days, a process seen as taking too long. Tehseen Lazzouni is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Financial Analyst in the Chemistry & Biochemistry Department at UC San Diego, one of the world’s leading public research universities.
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