Introduction to FastTrack℠
- Keys to FastTrack success:
- Scope, Right team members, Time, Action focus
- Facilitator (not a "primary stakeholder, i.e. no "baggage")
- Sponsor shows up for "Report Out"
- FastTrack Overview – DISC
- Define
- Investigate
- Streamline (a "fast Measure and Analyze")
- Streamline (a focused "Improve")
- Control
- FastTrack Demonstration
ACTIVITY: Watch the FastTrack process in action using a real example (20 min)
Project Triage (Project Type Selection)
- Differences in speed, level of detail, VOC, data, purpose – same general process, customer focus and overall strategy
- FastTrack Workout – Six Sigma Rigor with Lean Speed: smaller scope, root causes known, buy-in is critical
- BB DMAIC Improvement Project – Larger scope or tougher root cause, more-extensive analysis is needed
- BB Six Sigma Design Project – remove the old process and start over or design a new process that previously did not exist
ACTIVITY: Teams brainstorm possible FastTrack Opportunities and choose one to use for the remainder of the course (30 min)
Define
- Vision/Value to the business
- What is the intent of the project/team? What larger business objective are we trying to address?
- Problem/Opportunity Statement
- Describe the specific pain or improvement situation on which the FastTrack team will focus
ACTIVITY: Teams write problem statements for their chosen FastTrack Opportunities and share with full group (30 min)
- Describe the specific pain or improvement situation on which the FastTrack team will focus
- Goal
- Describe the “end-state” of the project – how will we know when we are done? What will the benefits to the business be?
- Describe the “end-state” of the project – how will we know when we are done? What will the benefits to the business be?
- SIPOC – Make SIPOC of the process to be investigated
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Teams make SIPOC (Suppliers-Inputs- Process-Outputs-Customers) of the process (30 min)
- Scope
- Which parts of the process will the team investigate? Which parts of the process are outside the scope?
- Which parts of the process will the team investigate? Which parts of the process are outside the scope?
- Stakeholder analysis (VOC, VOB, VOE, VOP)
- Who are the key stakeholders and what are their wants, needs and requirements?
- Who are the key stakeholders and what are their wants, needs and requirements?
- Discover (walk-thru, map “as-is” sub-processes in SIPOC format)
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Go look at the actual process (30 min)
- Add detail on sub-processes to the SIPOC process map. Specifically identify – what people actually do, waiting time, sub-process cycle time, timing of customer needs and variation in these times!
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Adjust the SIPOC to match reality and add detail on timing and/or yield of sub-processes (30 min)
Investigate
- Where is the “pain” in our current process?
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Identify where the “pain” occurs (20 min)
- COPQ – Cost of Poor Quality
- Identify how much the waste, rework and/or variation is costing us.
- Identify how much the waste, rework and/or variation is costing us.
- Key Measures (and Operational Definitions) – what are our Y's?
- Identify the key output performance measures. Define how they are calculated. Calculate our baseline performance ("before" changes).
- Identify the key output performance measures. Define how they are calculated. Calculate our baseline performance ("before" changes).
- Benchmark Y's
- Who is already doing this better (internally and externally)?
What does their performance look like? - Process Value Analysis
- Classify sub-processes as Value-Added (VA) or Non-Value-Added (NVA)
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Identify types of waste or rework that are present within the process (20 min)
- Are any of them caused by upstream variation in the process?
If NO – move ahead to "streamline" - If YES – Identify major causes of variation to fix
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Identify potential causes of waste or work using a fishbone or cause and effect diagram (45 min)
- Who is already doing this better (internally and externally)?
- Data – What existing data do we have?
- Can we collect any additional data? (KEEP IT SIMPLE)
- If YES – Make a check-sheet and then:
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Go see the process again and collect data (20 min, or as necessary)
- Analysis tools – with all "live" and "dead" data collected:
- Use Stratification, Histograms or Pareto to investigate and confirm the critical few root causes
- Determine "critical few root cause(s) of variation, rework and waste"
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Overlay critical root causes onto process map; remove others to "parking lot" (15 min)
Streamline
- Objective: We must finish this phase with a specific list of actions that we will take to accomplish our solutions, including accountability for who will accomplish each task.
- Idea Generation/Brainstorming – identify potential changes to the process
- Remove atrocities/NVA – simplify and remove obvious waste
- Establish "pull"– downstream customer needs drive process timing
- Clean, label, un-clutter and establish visual control of the process
- Mistake-proof – tools/process to ensure that variation doesn't occur
- Identify all potential "action items" – new tools, processes, changes, etc.
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Brainstorm and overlay all potential actions and process changes on process map (45-60 min)
- Cost-benefit Analysis – very rudimentary; identify solutions with low pay off
- Solution Prioritization (4-box matrix) – high vs. low payoff, easy vs. hard to do
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Participants explain and move their solutions (one at a time) from process map to 4-box (30 min)
- Multi-vote on solutions – based on priority, resources required, risk, culture
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Multi-vote on solutions to prioritize those that will quickly make the highest-impact (10 min)
- Implementation Planning – Commitments (who, what, when) and piloting plan
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Move the selected solutions onto an action plan: define each task, accountable person, resources and due date (30 min)
Control
- Translation of Opportunities and Knowledge Management
- Where else we can implement the same solutions?
- How will we document and standardize?
- Project spin-offs
- FastTrack – simple opportunities outside the current scope
- SSI – where root causes could not be identified – find the cause
- SSD – if the current process will not "efficiently effectively satisfy customer needs in the future"– redesign it
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Identify future FastTrack, SSD and SSI (DMAIC) project opportunities (15 min)
- Monitoring plan – ensure that action plan addresses:
- How will the business measure the process to maintain control?
- How will the business measure the process to maintain control?
- Accountability for Action
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: "Report out"– present results and action plan to the sponsor/process owner (15 min)
- Commitment Follow-up Plan
STUDENT-LED ACTIVITY: Get commitment from the sponsor or process owner to follow-up and enforce due dates (5 min)
- Recognition of FastTrack Team
- Sponsor thanks the team members