Stop using technology to “pave the cow path.” Waste and other inefficiencies in office or plant floor processes is the “pain” you should cure before automation.

Automation involves codifying business rules, but in many cases current state business rules haven’t been examined for many years and need to be looked at before automating a process. Assess your overall strategy and carefully analyze your processes to see that they effectively support your strategy. In other words, “become process smart.”

Unnecessary complexity in processes occurs because most companies repaved the manual road with technology. If you have simple processes, your technology systems will work a lot better. Complexity requires a careful breakdown of each process to understand it.

Analysis of a process such as entering orders, credit checking or packing and shipping requires a detailed walk through of each task comprising the activity. The next step is a value-add analysis. Typically, 65% to 70% of the tasks are non-value-add. At the lowest level of detail, you find massive amounts of waste.

Identifying wasted effort isn’t the hardest part for most companies, deciding what is causing the non-valued effort is the hardest part.

With accelerated technology usage you need to make sure your processes are free of complexity. We can help you achieve that objective with our Virtual Kaizen Event  or our Fast Track Process Improvement services.

In one 2 to 4-hour session we can help you identify some the complexities in one of your processes and put you on the road to simplification to relieve the pain before automation takes place. Even if you have already automated the process our service can help you remove waste to help you execute faster, flawlessly and more affordably.

Willie Carter

Willie is a seasoned operations and quality expert with proven expertise in achieving breakthroughs in eliminating waste, process improvement, lean process improvement, lean transformation, quality management and continuous improvement. He is a trained facilitator (Juran Institute) who excels at getting staff to buy-in and sustain continuous process improvement objectives; change agent and team builder with over 40 years of operations and continuous and lean process improvement leadership. He has coached and mentored process improvement teams in Europe, Asia and North America.