Page 42 - Lean six sigma demystified

Chapter 1 What iS Lean Six Sigm a ? 21

Hospitals all over the nation, for example, have to deal with codes when a
patient’s vital signs crash. Less than 5% of the patients can be revived. On the
basis of research done in Australia, most hospitals are implementing rapid
response teams (RRTs) to prevent codes. There are a few key vital signs that
indicate a patient is heading for a code; nurses are being trained to identify
these trends and call in an RRT. The hospitals that have implemented RRTs
have cut their codes (and mortality rates) by half or more. Similarly, hospitals have
identified a few key procedures and therapies that can prevent problems for
heart attacks, heart failure, ventilator-acquired pneumonia, and infection. Some
of these are as simple as an aspirin at arrival and discharge. The Institute for
Healthcare Improvement (IHI) estimates that these therapies saved 122,346
lives over an 18-month period from 2004 to 2006. This is the power of good
processes. They not only save time and money; they can save lives.
When you have good processes, there’s less need for overtime and you can
hire the lowest skill level necessary for the job. Labor costs are cheaper because
you are not bidding for a small group of the best people; you can hire anyone
and train them for the job.
? still struggling

too many business owners think that if they could only get better people, they
could deliver a better product or service. the only way to deliver a better prod-
uct or service consistently is to tune up the sluggish, error-prone processes that
let people make mistakes.

Success Secret 3: Watch Your Customers, Not Your People

If you watch the employees in your business, they’re usually busy. Watch cus-
tomers work their way through your facility, and you’ll most likely find that
they’re only being cared for about 5% of the total time. The rest of the time
they’re waiting for something to happen.
If you want to learn how to make your product or service more useful, don’t
bother watching your coworkers use or prepare the product or service. Watch
your customers. What are they doing? Maybe they’ve invented an even better
way to use it. Maybe you can easily see ways to make your product more ben-
eficial, easier to use, less likely to fail, and so on.