ABSTRACT
Overview In.this.chapter.we.will.discuss.the.gathering.of.process.data,.including.management. reports.containing.financial.and.operational.data,.process.maps,.floor.layouts,.and. similar.sources.of.information,.to.conduct.an.analysis.of.the.root.causes.of.process. breakdowns..Once.identified,.root.causes.can.be.eliminated.when.a.Kaizen.team. develops.countermeasures..Countermeasures.or.improvement.ideas.are.the.common. Lean.tools.and.methods,.which.were.discussed.in.Chapter.3..In.this.context,.this. chapter.will.show.how.Lean.methods.are.used.in.office.systems..It.should.also.be. mentioned.that.the.tools.and.templates.used.in.this.chapter.as.well.as.in.other.parts. of.this.book.can.be.modified.based.on.a.Kaizen.team’s.requirements..In.this.way,. they.should.be.considered.as.examples.and.guides..As.we.discuss.process.analysis.and. the.improvement.of.office.operations,.we.will.keep.our.discussion.at.a.level.of.complexity.that.any.Kaizen.team.can.easily.master..Our.discussion.will.begin.with.value. stream.mapping. (VSM)..A.VSM.should.describe.how.materials. and. information. move.through.the.operations.of.each.major.process.workflow..However,.the.exact. level.of.detail. required.by.an. initial.analysis.depends.on.the.team.and.its.project. charter..As.an.example,.if.a.Kaizen.team.is.localized.to.a.manufacturing.facility,.then. its.version.of.a.VSM.will.most.likely.not.include.the.entire.supply.chain,.although. its.map.should.be.easy.to.integrate.into.a.higher-level.VSM..Further,.if.a.team.has. been.focused.on.a.single.process.workflow,.then.its.VSM.will.most.likely.resemble.a.
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