Time Based Analysis – Gathering Data/Displaying Results.
As many of you already know, Time Based Analysis never fails to identify waste and untapped potential in any organisation, even in those that have been using Lean tools for many years. I have reported many times in posts that time based analysis looks at the entire inputs to outputs value adding capability in a structured way and is therefore more powerful than the more common “Lets try this or that” approach applied in isolated areas.
Time based analysis is used by employees and staff to map out the value adding processes, results can be displayed on a wall map. There are some characteristics of my design which need to be understood so I have attached a video below which demonstrates how data is gathered and displayed. This video is at 4 x speed but there are others on my website at www.drbobbarker.co.uk in Forum. For automotive and direct cell lineside feeds there is also a framework with multiple synchronisation points.
When analysis is complete (2-4 hours of work) expect to find a lot of waste that financial reporting did not display. Typical results are – increase in output per person and morale, reduction in throughput time and inventory and a reduction in costs.
Observed Weaknesses Relating to Organisational Development.
Most people on LinkedIn respond to discussing process operations (Islands of efficiency) and time when events occur. This is also mirrored in organisations when an engineer or CI team are asked to look at improving an operation or process. As I discussed in my book (The Time Based Organisation – Recreating and Transforming Existing Organisations - Amazon ISBN 9798653501593) nobody ever says “Go and look at the time nothing happens” Yet non-value adding time can account for 85 to 90% of calendar time consumed in the inputs to outputs conversion process and this has a big impact on costs and service in Manufacturing, Services or Health. This waste and untapped potential is also not seen by standard cost accounting and financial performance measurement since once again the focus is upon costs when events occur. Accounts record output but never see what could be achieved.
The overall value adding capability of organisations has not changed much in the last 60 years despite a spate of Lean, Systems and Software implementations. Tracking a single product through the end-to-end process (Including the supply chain) and putting the results on my time based framework will allow you to see if your organisation is any better.
Analysing Your Organisations Value Adding Capability Using Time Based Analysis.
Many employees feel overwhelmed by the complexity of their organisations and how to synchronise people, materials and information so that flow is maximised and throughput times are reduced. There is however nothing to be worried about because time based visually powerful representations of your organisation can help transform the end-to-end process.
My findings –
Most organisations are full of untapped potential and waste. There is a lot of non-value adding time and supply chain synchronisation is poor. The largest organisations are worst. Time based analysis finds a lot of waste in so called Lean organisations, costs can be dramatically reduced.
Asking employees to track a single product, service or health patient will really open your eyes to the amounts of waste that exists. This is mostly unseen by financial measurement. The problem here is that CEOs and Managers must have the confidence, energy and will power to authorise this.
Rough cut analysis of the end to end (Inputs to Outputs) process is a must, this should be completed before attempting to fine tune the process islands of efficiency. A lot of people have been fine tuning for years but the end result is minimal transformation.