Water and Sanitation NGO saves $500K through Lean Six Sigma
1 min read
This case study highlights how a poor performing School Water and Sanitation Project was transformed into a successful project through the implementation of process analysis and improvement techniques of Lean Six Sigma.
The Challenge: In a midterm review of a $2.1m three (3) year water and sanitation project in Western Kenya, the following were reported:
- Year 1 targets at 77%
- Year 1 budget overrun by 570k
- Repair works for USD (48,286)
- Client to do repairs at their costs
- Low credibility: The project was being implemented in a consortium of partners. The massive delay with project implementation resulted in negative standing for the client.
An assessment was undertaken to understand how work was currently done, challenges staff encountered. One on one discussions were made with key staff and management to understand their roles and identify areas for improvement.
Afterwards, a series of lean six sigma initiatives were implemented such as
- Process identification
- Cycle time analysis
- Root cause analysis
- Risk management
- Sustaining Performance
RESULTS: Within six months improvement was noted in quality report, reduction in time it took to construct latrines and drill boreholes by more than 50%. At the end of the project a cost savings of over $0.5m was made, part of which was used to pay staff bonuses and increase access to additional community water points.
Read the entire article at https://sortagile.com/2017/09/27/wash-ngo-saves-0-5m-through-lean-six-sigma/
