This projec was worked in relation to fulfill a core requirement to attain 'Green' designation of Lean Six Sigma ceritification, a step up from 'White' and 'Yellow'.
The project undertakes real world problem concerning a company, which for this, Telkom Access were selected for it. Two business function were identified to be having process that if improved could bring quality impact to the core of the business, it was warehouse issuing and assurance business procss. These two function work in tandem to fulfill core needs of the business, which is to deploy telecom infrastructure and serves end-user (Offices and Household), thus by analyzing the functions and seeing what aspect could be improved here, we can bring good actionable plan that serves the business good.
Two business process were selected, assurance and warehouse issuing. Me and my team were tasked to understand the function, stakeholders, and to observe the process in order to identify any problem or to improve the existing efficiency into a better one. Due to the project having relation with many insider information, I will tell what I do in general terms.
Warehouse issuing business process concerned about how the warehouse operates, issuing the items out to the technicians and retrieve unused items back, and also handle the process of item request in case it is not in stock in the warehouse. The warehouse I were tasked to observe, analyse and come up with a strategy plan were a class lower than the main city warehouse.
The second process have some relation with the previous one, assurance process concern to deal with all complaints of assurance (assurance) from Telkom products that are submitted by customers through customer channels including reports of disturbances, handling WO, field work to completion of disturbances from within. In tandem, when this process needs item, it will require warehouse issuing items and if there is a surplus or unused items, it will be returned to the warehouse, thus by looking at these two quite related process, a good improvement rate could be gained.
To identify the problem, first we must observe how it runs first, in order to see the problem and troubleshoot it, we can also able to know where an effort to make the process more effective. In this process, I and my team goes to the field directly and observed with full workday hours, from the beginning to finish and catalogued each step taken, and also did interviews with the employees and the supervisor that supervise them. We also asked some data from them in order to know more about the process, such as inventory data, issuing data and so on. This step of the process is called Defining, which is part of DMAIC principles that Lean six have.
Some problem were identified, mainly mismatch of item, long time to get desired item and the preparation of items that takes many work hours to do. In assurance, the problem were the long time it tooks for technician to fix things due lack of preparedness, distance and unspesific reconrd on the ticket. Also customer sometimes unavaiableor cancel the ticket, and the sync between departments sometimes cause mismatch.
Me and my team identified problem using various means of measurement, such as using statistical analysis from the data, doing simulations, observing the work and interviewing people.
We formulated solution after identifying the problem and then brainstormed a solution based on the fact in the field. I employd my expertise of data to do predicitive and prescriptive analysis in order to have solution that is sound and already tested in some kind of simulation. For warehousing, some of the solution ranges from parameters to ensure better chrosscheck, kanban system, and kitting.
In assurance front, we have short term and long term solution, it also goes the same process like the warehouse business proess. We reworked their SOP and given new technician parameter and also the flow from warehouse to the assurance for item deployement in the customer place. We also suggested to train the customer so that they can fix the problem by themselves.
To ensure the implementation of solution runs the way it itended, we came up with control suggestion to make sure things doesnt go far from what intended. First series of benchmark were formulated, coupled with big data, it would be a good benchmark system that can predict and prescribe action as needed. We then sets out some kind of Agile scrum and performance KPI to sets out good governance of the process.
This lean six sigma project teaches me how to look out from bird eye view on a business function, look out for relations and then able to go down to focused view in order to look out for details that might be unnoticed before.
Going on two processes that are related and support each other also teach me on how to work with various stakeholder, that may have differing wants and needs. In turn this helps me to be able to manage a project, lead it and have it impact the business in a good way, improving the process of it and makes changes that is impactful. I hope the changes that I and my team formulated are beneficial for the company.