This article aims to show how some lean concepts have been applied at Cooperativa Aliança to address the work environment and increase the processing of materials. After the improvements, they were able to increase productivity (200 to 300 kg per day) and wages (R$140 to 320), and reduce cycle time (75 to 10 minutes) and lead […]
The Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program (VACSP) Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center (the Center) is a federal government organization that supports multicenter clinical trials targeting current health issues for America’s veterans. While the Center focuses its efforts on improving the health of U.S. veterans, it also strives to be a leader and innovator in the […]
Written by Brion
Question: What’s worse than a nonprofit that lacks what it needs to be effective? Answer: A nonprofit that wastes its meager resources because of poor process design. Any organization that is looking to make the most of limited resources should look into “Lean” — an approach to improving daily work processes that can improve quality, […]
Written by Brion
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health decided to launch lean to improve their internal operations with a focus on bringing value to customers and improve the work life for staff. Vaccines are centrally managed by the Ministry of Health. The team identified costs associated with waste from expired product and exposure to unsafe temperatures totalled almost […]
Written by Brion
Government agencies throughout Iowa are applying the kaizen event methodology and lean principles to streamline the workflow and find permanent solutions to chronic problems. A case study of a kaizen event held at Iowa Veterans Home is discussed, which achieved the following results over the last few years. The article also discusses the implementation of […]
Written by Brion
I recently overheard this statement made by a member of a medium sized church: “I’m trying to get an event placed on the church calendar. I’ve asked three people on the church staff how to do this, and each has given me a different answer. How hard can it be?” I suspect most of us […]
Written by Brion
by Brion Hurley A 2-year grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was awarded to the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Healthcare Alliance (CRHA) nonprofit organization, to help establish a Community Anticoagulation Therapy (CAT) management clinic to reduce adverse events. Employees of Rockwell Collins provided technical assistance on Lean, Six Sigma and quality methods. They began […]
Written by Brion
Sixty thousand acres of shoreline biodiversity was being threatened by an invasive plant. The impact of the invasive plant needed to be measured and restoration success needed to be monitored. JMP® was used for visualization and analysis of the data gathered in monitoring and measuring the efficacy of the control work. As a result, the invasive […]
Written by Brion
The Seattle zoo is one of a handful of nonprofits that Boeing has trained in lean process techniques, an efficiency program closely associated with manufacturing that eliminates costs by reducing wasted time and materials. The process helped save the project 1.5 percent, or more than $90,000, and also eliminated the need for additional fundraising. Read […]
Written by Brion
The City of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has embarked on a lean journey that has freed up limited resources and improved customer service. Lean success stories at manufacturers and other businesses in the region, including a local hospital, caught the ears of both Mayor George Heartwell and City Manager Kurt Kimball. After further research, and conversations […]
Written by Brion