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Department of Comparative Medicine Mouse Husbandry Process Improvement. Tom Partridge Quality Improvement Advisor Office of Research Quality Management Services. Background. Department of Comparative Medicine (DCM): The Problem:
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Department of Comparative MedicineMouse Husbandry Process Improvement Tom Partridge Quality Improvement Advisor Office of Research Quality Management Services
Background • Department of Comparative Medicine (DCM): • The Problem: • Current Mouse Husbandry practices were increasing the risk of repetitive motion injuries, decreasing teamwork and morale, creating process bottlenecks and potentially jeopardizing regulatory compliance. • Project Goals: • Improve Safety, Teamwork & Staff Satisfaction • Balance Daily and Weekly Workloads • Maintain Regulatory Compliance • Challenges: • Team Training Logistics • Lack of Operational Data and Metrics
DMAIC • The Six-Sigma Process Improvement “Roadmap” consists of five steps: • Define • Measure • Analyze • Improve • Control • Provides an Improvement Process “Backbone” • Complimented by Change Management
Define • Goals: • Define project purpose, scope and deliverables • Obtain background and customer requirements • DCM Tools: • Project Charter (Elevator Speech) • High-Level Process Map • Issues Log • Project Management (Timeline, Communication Plan)
The Elevator Speech • “This project is about: Improving Department of Comparative Medicine’s (DCM) Mouse Husbandry Processes.” • “It is important because: Mice are used at all DCM sites and account for the majority of research animals and FTEs; Mice process improvements should give us the best return for our efforts.” • “Success will look like: Better Teamwork and Communication; Improved/Balanced/Documented Process Flows; and a Safer Work Environment.” • “What we need from you: Openness/willingness to help us build on our strengths and shore-up our weaknesses; by staying aware/engaged and sharing your questions/ideas as we improve – together.”
Measure • Goals: • Determine current performance • Focus improvement efforts • DCM Tools: • Data Collection Plan • Process Observations and Caretaker Interviews • Value Stream Mapping • External Benchmarking
Analyze: • Goals: • Identify root causes of defects • Transform data to information • DCM Tools: • Time Series Analysis and Charting • Capability Analysis • Spaghetti Diagram Process Flow Analysis
90% 10% 90% 90% 10% 10% 10% 90% Capability Analysis(Stability & Capacity)
Spaghetti Diagram (20-04 Re-Supply) General Model(M-W) 1 Look for T-Cart: 12Z 2 Look for T-Cart: 20-26 3 Look for T-Cart: 21Z 4 Load Supplies: 02Z 5 Load Supplies: 21Z 6 Load Supplies: 21-97 7 Put T-Cart in 20-04 8 Get Water Bottles: 20-54 9 Put Water Bottles in 20-04 10 Get Feed: 20-95A 11 Put Feed in 20-04 12Begin Changing 13 Take “dirty” load to 20-27 14 Repeat Process Re-Supply activities may range: 8 to 30 minutes 3-4 times a day
Improve • Goals: • Develop a prioritized solutions list • Implement solutions that address root causes • DCM Tools: • Brainstorming and Affinity Analysis • Project Filtering (Ease-Impact Analysis) • Kaizen Teams (Cross-Functional) • Communication Plan
Kaizen Teams • Kaizen #1 Scheduling Objective: Develop/Validate 5-Day Staffing Model • Kaizen #2 Caretaker Activities Objective: ID/Document (SOPs) Caretaker “Best Practices” • Kaizen #3 Washer Activities Objective: ID/Document (SOPs) Washer “Best Practices” • Kaizen #4 Autoclave Activities Objective: ID/Document (SOPs) Autoclave “Best Practices” • Kaizen #5 Supplies and Equipment Objective: Improve Operational Efficiency
Kaizen #1 Scheduling • Kaizen Leader: L. Duipiano • Objective: Develop/Validate 5-Day Staffing Model • Deliverables: • Cage Change Workload balanced over 5 days • Hourly & Daily Rates supporting Safety recommendations • Bi-Annual Total Room Cleans Schedule
Control • Goals: • Sustain the Gains • Continuously Improve • DCM Tools: • Control Plan (Measures and Action Signals) • Performance Metrics (Individual and Departmental)
Results: • Improved Safety • Improved Teamwork • Improved Process Flow • Improved Regulatory Compliance
Positive feedback from the team… “No apparent shortage of clean supplies.” “Washer area does not back up like it did in the past (have time to breathe).” “Employees know how their day is going to look - it is predictable.” “Everything is clean at the end of the day.”