Karen Kusler (405) 206-0109

karen.kusler@gmail.com LEAN4HigherEd.org

35+Years Experience in HE

Strategies to Pave the Road for Your LEAN Journey

in Higher Education

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Karen Kusler (405) 206-0109

karen.kusler@gmail.com LEAN4HigherEd.org

35+Years Experience in HE

Strategies to Pave the Road for Your LEAN Journey

in Higher Education

Definition of Lean

Lean is a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste

by lining up the value creating actions in the best sequence

conducting these without interruptions only when the customer request them.

Industrial Solutions, Inc. (ISI)

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Change Happens. What Drives It?

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Scenario of HE Institutions

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Chaos/ Employee Frustration

NEEDED…. LEADERSHIP IN DEPARTMENT MUST BE WILLING TO IMPLEMENT A SOLUTION

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Processes are Connected

Chain Activity 9/14/2015 Karen Kusler 6

Identify Pain Points

1. How many times were students given the option to leave?

1. What unnecessary

barriers were placed in the student’s way to get in their class?

1. What wastes can be

eliminated? 9/14/2015 Karen Kusler 7

My

Acro

nym

for W

aste

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Balance of 1) Respect for People and 2) Continuous Process Improvement

Foundation of Lean

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Sharing and Collaborating

Empower with Boundaries

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Support Those Involved

It is not so much that we are afraid of change, or so in love with the old ways, but it is the place in between we fear…..

like being in between trapezes…… there is nothing to hold on to.

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Which Structure is Best

• Evaluate Campus Culture – Focus Groups – Interviews of Key Leaders – Survey

• Summarize and Share Findings – Include Recommendations for Action to Move Toward

a Process Improvement Culture

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Continuous Improvement Staff Options

1. Centralized Specialist 1. Decentralized Specialist 1. Campus Employees Trained to Lead Process

Improvement Events 1. Consultants

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Staff Structures

1. Centralized Specialist – Manage Logistics, Reporting, and Training – Coordinate Use of Trained Campus Employees to

Conduct Continuous Improvement Actions

2. Decentralized Specialist – Coordinate Continuous Improvement Plan Through a

Campus Wide Team of Specialist – Controversial Action Facilitated by Specialist Outside

the Process Staff

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Staff Structures

3. Campus Employees Trained to Lead Process Improvement Events – Campus Wide Team Coordinate Campus Focus on

Continuous Improvement – Team Facilitators

4. Consultants

– Address Highly Political Areas – Wide Range of Tools Used in Facilitation

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Listen to Ideas

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“Just as energy is the basis of life itself, and ideas the source of innovation, so is innovation the vital spark of all human change, improvement and progress.”

Ted Levitt

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Lean Processes Conducted at One University

• Academic Colleges – 5 S shared office areas – Classroom scheduling – System to collect faculty vitas

• Accounting – Audit preparation – Accounting codes – Campus credit card statement

balancing • Budget

– Paperless budget reports – Budget redesign

• Conference and Events – Paperless task assignments – System to clear tentative

events

• Enrollment Management – Admission application tracking

system – Electronic student records – Call center – Articulation transfer guide – Merge office functions

• Human Resources – Online application process – Electronic employee files – Online training registration – Bi-monthly new employee

training – Online employee evaluation

program

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Lean Processes Conducted at one University

• Financial Aid – Call center – Student aid debit card

• Foundation – Gift receipt documentation for

assets • Information Technology

– Security access request form • Inventory and Receiving

– eBay sale of surplus – Truck to store and deliver to

State Surplus – Campus notification of surplus

items • Legal Services

– Online system to track contract

• Payroll – Online student timecards – Intersession and adjunct pay

approval process – Self-service online W2 forms

• Physical Plant – Work order system – Supply checkout system – Job estimating process

• Police Services – Key access distribution & audit – Special access request system – 5S dispatch area

• Purchasing Services – Travel form process – Credit card use < $1500

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Potential Failure with Change and Strategies

1. Change in Leadership – Have clear documentation illustrating the value of

Process Improvement methodology – Include a Lean advocate on the hiring team

2. Looking at Technology Solutions – Ensure processes work on paper to avoid automating a

bad process 3. Budget Restraints

– Collect metrics that show the savings (soft and hard) due to Lean

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4. Additional Responsibilities Added to Staff Roles – Incorporate Process Improvement Role in Job Descriptions

with Specific % of Time Expectations 5. Not an Institutional Priority

– Align Lean/Process Improvement Initiatives with the Strategic Plan

6. Lack of Structure to Focus on LEAN – Build structure that fits in institution

Potential Failure with Change and Strategies

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“What we need to do is learn to work in the system, by which I mean that everybody, every team, every platform, every division, every component is there not for individual competitive profit or recognition, but for contribution to the system as a whole on a win-win basis.”

W. Edwards Deming

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Quality Improvement Tools (TQM)

LEAN

Six Sigma

Relationship with Other Process Improvement Methods

Often steps for improvement are piecemeal

Data analyzed to eliminate

variation in the process

Liberating Structures

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Pros Cons

TQM Tools

• Set of tools • Apply to various

scenarios • Easy to learn • Measures may be

defined

• Not viewed as a system • Implementation of change

not always successful • Employees often does not

trust the action and may be hesitant to provide information

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TQM Tools – 5 Whys Ask Why 5 time generally identifies the root cause of an issue.

Example: End of Year Report requires days of work to clean up inaccurate entries Why? The computer report run shows purchases in the wrong category for the state report Why? Information is inputted in the system by department staff on Purchase Orders Why? Department staff misinterpret which items belong in the generic categories provided as reference Why? Categories are not well described Why? The state report requires categories that lump a wide range of items in the category

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Pros Cons

Lean

• Involves frontline employees on a team

• Looks at alignment of the process

• Visual tools illustrate issues • Eliminate wasteful action • Includes cross-trained

employees • Metrics to measure change is

defined

• Ideal implementation requires concentrated period of time for a team to focus on change

• Trained facilitator to lead Lean team needed

• Development of trust of the team solution may be slow

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Traditional Lean • One week Lean

Events with change implemented

• Facilitators manage process change

• Metrics strictly collected

Lean Principles Tweaked for HE

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Lean in Higher Education • Concentrated time period –

typically 9am-3pm for 2-4 days

• Facilitators coordinate discussion and change

• Process owners manage change

• Meaningful metrics collected • Change implemented within

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Financial Aid Future State Value Stream Map (7 steps)

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…designed for employees to – manage – regulate – balance – correct

…the process - even if the supervisor is away!

Visual Controls

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Reduce Explanations with Illustrations

What does this do for training?

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Action Expected?

Trash Can http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=vw+experiments&FORM=VIRE4#view=detail&mid=4204B2F5AC87012DABB54204B2F5AC87012DABB5

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Pros Cons

Six Sigma

• Looks at alignment of the process

• Visual tools illustrate issues

• Eliminate wasteful action

• Metrics to measure change is defined

• Statistics gathered to illustrate stability and level of change

• Generally implemented by a Six Sigma leader through interviews

• Solution is often identified by the Six Sigma leader instead of a team effort

• Statistical measures can be time consuming and findings often are intuitive (ROI)

• Development of trust in the process is slow

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Pros Cons

Liberating Structures

• Wide range of methods to engage the college/university community

• Quick way to gather perspective from frontline employees

• Techniques to prioritize action

• Cumbersome to determine which method is suitable for the situation

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Sticky Note Prioritization

• Gather sticky notes on issue • Place all sticky notes in the middle of the table • Each person picks one up and reads it and rank

the idea as 1-5, with 1 meaning low and 5 meaning high

• At least 5 people rank each one • Score each idea (maximum 25 points) • List the ideas by score to identify the priority

of the ideas

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Building a Continuous Improvement Culture

• Have a defined structure • Be transparent with information • Illustrate success with improvements • Listen • Show the benefits to the individuals

– Make their work environment better – Show that their input is valued – Reinforce intrinsic motivation

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Is There a Clear Direction

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Make Sure Bridges are Supported

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Our Job is to Find Way to Remove Barriers to Learning

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Building a Supportive Crowd on Campus

What Impacts Support for Change

• Campus Leadership Understand the Need – Willing to Collaborate with Other Campus Leaders

– Recognize Reasonable Timelines

– Accept LEAN Team Decisions on Action

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Building a Supportive Crowd on Campus

What Impacts Support for Change

• Campus is Unaware of How LEAN or Process Improvement Method will Relate to Their Jobs – Fear of Job Security

– Quick to Point Fingers at Others as Cause

– Concerned with Loyalty vs. Improvement

– Frustrated with Ambiguity During the Chaos Period

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Activity

Discuss with your colleagues and identify/share ideas to gain leaders and/or employee support to work toward improvement.

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Is Your Path Straight?

Or Are There Curves Slowing the Progress?

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What’s Happening at Other Places

• Change Management Department • Formal Process Improvement Councils • Scheduled Updates with Trained Lean/Process

Improvement Facilitators • Divisions Working Independently • Annual Showcases

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Showcase

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Karen Kusler MBA

Certified Lean Manager Certified Six Sigma Green Belt

35+ years experience in Higher Education Held administrative and part-time faculty positions at a Community

College, Regional 4-Year University, and Research University

Consulted with Community Colleges, Career Technical Centers, Regional 4-Year Universities, Research Universities, Private

Colleges, and Higher Education Governing Agencies Consulted with 6 institutions in the Western states and over 20

institutions nation-wide

About the Presenter

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