Rapid Improvement Event (RIE)

Designed for process improvement project team members, this Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) Survival Guide helps the Team during that week-long workshop. This is a must-have document for anyone who' is going to be involved in an RIE (courtesy of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and LeanOhio). 

“All of these changes require a fundamental shift in the culture of government, and we have no more important partner in this effort than our state employees. Making government more effective, efficient, and elegant means listening to our state employees and learning from them how we can do better.” – Governor John Hickenlooper 

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Ground Rules

Housekeeping

Expectations

This is what transformation looks like!

before and after rapid improvement event

After a Rapid Improvement event, this redesigned process has 183 fewer steps (80% reduction), 52 fewer decision points (84% reduction), and 11 fewer delays (61%). The fully streamlined process will move 1.5 months faster. 

Topics

Words you'll hear (and use) during Rapid Improvement Events

5S / 6S

A method for creating and maintaining an organized, high-performance workplace. 5S stands for sort, set-in-order, shine, standardize, sustain. We have a 6th "S" at CDOT: safety.

Consensus

Agreement in which all members of the group publicly state that they will actively support the decision, even if it might not be the first choice for some in the group.

Cycle time

The length of time, on average, that it takes to complete a step or set of steps within a process. Sometimes referred to as "touch time."

Lead Time

The average time it takes to meet a customer request or demand - from the very start of the process to the end. This includes the time when the unit is being actively worked on, plus wasted time due to delays, lookbacks, rework, and other forms of waste (See WORMPIIT). Also known as "throughput time" or "turnaround time."

Mistake-proofing

Any effort to eliminate the root causes of defects, so that rework-generated problems don't occur in the first place. Also known as "defect-prevention" or "error-proofing." Often used for form development.

Pareto Principle

The observation that for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Also known as "the law of the vital few."

Round-robin

Getting a comment from everyone in a group, with one person speaking, then the next, and then the next - until all voices are heard.

SIPOC

Stands for suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs, and customers. You obtain inputs from suppliers, add value through your process, and provide an output that meets or exceeds customer requirements.

Swimlanes

Separate rows on a process map that indicate separate functions.

Value-added (VA)

Work activities that transform information into services and products that the customer is willing to accept. 

To qualify as value-added, an activity must meet these three requirements: 

Typically, just 1-5% of a process is value-added. 


Non-value-added, or NVA: Consumes resources, does not contribute directly to service and is not important to the customer

Non-value-added but necessary, or NVAN: Not important to the customer, but the work activities/steps are required by statute or law

Waste

Any activity that uses resources but does not create value for the customer (See WORMPIIT).

WORMPIIT

Acronym used to remember the eight forms of waste:

“That is why we initiated the Lean program in almost every state agency, where employee teams are now actively identifying waste and inefficiency to create savings.” – Governor John Hickenlooper 

SIPOC

Suppliers

Who provides inputs that are needed to make this process work?

Can include people, other offices, agencies, organizations, etc. 

Inputs

What resources do you need to perform this process?

Can include materials, supplies, information, authorization, services, etc. 

Process

What are the 5-7 major milestones that make up this process? 

Outputs

What is produced by this process?

Can include services, products, information, decisions, etc. 

Customers

Who benefits from this process? 

SIPOC brainstorm map from a project

Example: SIPOC in action

SIPOC stands for suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, and customers. In one of the first steps of every Rapid Improvement Event, the team develops a SIPOC to establish a common understanding of the big picture. The SIPOC shown here was created during a Rapid Improvement Event at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

Process Mapping

Process Mapping is all about making the invisible visible. By creating a process map, you will:

Process mapping guide.pdf

Process mapping tips:

Process mapping questions:

 Notes: This is a great source of information about all things relating to Lean, Rapid Improvement Events, and Six Sigma in Colorado state government!

While you and your colleagues are developing the current-state process map, you will likely come up with ideas for improvement. Write these below so you will have them ready later in the Rapid Improvement Event.

WORMPIIT

Waiting

Overproduction

Rework

Motion

Processing

Information, Inventory

Intellect

Transportation

Impact Control Matrix

sticky note pad

 2. All ideas are collected

Random scattered sticky notes on a wall with improvement ideas written on each

 3. The ideas are discussed and placed on the impact-control matrix.

graph displaying control on the x axis and impact on the y axis; quadrant one is high impact low conrol; quadrant two is high impact high control; quadrant three is low impact low control; and quadrant four is low impact high control

 4. The result will look like this, with the ideas sorted and the group moving closer to clean-sheet redesign. 

display of sticky notes with ideas placed on the impact control matrix chart depending on impact and control; example is of sticky notes on a large sheet of parchment paper on a wall with four outlined quadrants and sticky notes placed in each

Clean-Sheet Redesign

Make it:

TRANSFORMATIONAL

Create a new process that is significantly better than the old one

Reduce process steps, costs, and time by at least 50%

Delight the customers

Tips for designing a new and transformed process:

Example of a clean-sheet redesign in action

Group of people gathered around a whiteboard practicing the clean-sheet process

In the photo, a discussion is underway regarding a newly created redesign of the process. This subgroup is one of three subgroups (from the Ohio Department of Insurance) that are working simultaneously, each developing a separate clean-sheet redesign. 

Below are three clean-sheet redesigns from a Rapid Improvement Event at the Ohio Development Services Agency:

Clean-sheet example team 1
Clean-sheet example team 2
Clean-sheet example team 3

Measures of Success

Time-Based process measures

Count-Based process measures

Outcome measures

Examples of Measurement in action

Person writing on large paper outlining measurement scores for a project
Outline of measurement scores for a project
Close up view of measurement scores for a project
Cost benefit analysis and unit cost avoidance from a project

Dashboard:

Dashboard mockup from a project

Action Registers

What?

What task or objective needs to be accomplished? 

Who?

Who will take the lead to ensure that the team accomplishes it? 

When?

When will the task begin, and when it will be completed? 

What Who When chart displaying what objective needs to be accomplished, who will take the lead, and when will it be accomplished

Example of Action Registers

In a Rapid Improvement Event with the Ohio Board of Nursing, the team developed action registers for IT, consumer information, complaint processing, training, communication, and more. 

Example of many different action registers using the who what when outline

After the Rapid Improvement Event

Use this action register to write down your own action steps:

What?

What actions steps are you responsible for?

Who else?

Who else (if anyone) will you involve?

When?

When will you begin and complete this activity?

10 WAYS YOU CAN MAGNIFY THE MOMENTUM 

Go/No-Go Checklist for Rapid Improvement Events

This checklist covers the major elements that are necessary to get a Lean Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) set up for success.

1. SCOPE: Is the Project’s Charter complete and is the scope appropriately sized?

___ Is the Project scoped well, or is the scope too large to achieve success? (Don’t try to boil the ocean.)

___ Is the Project scoped well, or is the scope so small that success will not be transformational? (Don’t spend this kind of time and energy unless you can achieve significant results -- at least 50% improvement.)

___ Are you improving a complete “system”, rather than simply putting band-aids on parts of the process?

___ Are there any information/decisions made about future plans, “sacred cows,” and/or past or potential problems that the Project Team needs to understand to be fully empowered to implement change?

2. PEOPLE: Are the right people on the team?

___ Do you have people from all the areas of the process on the Project Team?

___ Do you have the horsepower needed to make critical decisions on the team?

___ Do you included customers as part of the improvement process; or have you surveyed and discussed the event with process users, so the “voice of the customer” is well-represented?

___ Have you included thoughtful, good organizational thinkers with little or no knowledge of the process to provide a fresh perspective (“fresh eyes”) to the Project Team?

___ Are the team members effective, well respected, knowledgeable people?

3. DATA AND OTHER INFORMATION: Are the necessary data and information to ensure and measure success available?

___ Is there baseline data (such as monthly, yearly volumes; a number of FTE’s assigned to the process; time; error

rates) available for a current lead time, cycle time, and other process performance measures?

___ If there was a data gathering plan developed, has that information been collected and is it available to the Project Team?

4. READINESS TO IMPROVE: Is the organization ready to immediately implement significant improvements and changes?

___ Are there decisions that need to be made by the Sponsor Coalition (or others in management) before the Project Team can implement changes?

___ Is there a strong mandate to do things differently?

___ Does the Project Team understand that is responsible to consider the people side of change, in addition to designing an improved process?

5. PRIORITY: Is the Event a top priority of the organization?

___ Is the entire Project Team committed and scheduled to spend the full week focused on the event?

___ Are the same adequate-sized large room and breakout rooms available for the entire week?

___ Is the Team Leader committed to change, available all week and able to put in the time before, during and after the event to ensure success?

___ Are subject matter experts able to be on “stand-by” to support the team as needed?

___ Is the Sponsor (and his/her Sponsor Coalition) committed to implementing the results, and available to help remove barriers during the course of the Event week?

6. UNDERSTANDING AND COMMITMENT: Is there a common understanding of, and commitment to, the Rapid Improvement Event approach?

___ Is there an understanding within the organization that the team is not just making recommendations, but rather will make decisions in consultation with the Sponsor Coalition management the week so that changes will begin to be implemented immediately?

___ Are all affect parts of the organization (managers, front-line employees, etc.) aware of the Rapid Improvement Event and understand that there will be significant changes coming?

___ Is there a commitment to designing and implementing the best solution and improvements for the customer by using data, Lean tools, and the Lean approach?

Note: much of this material is borrowed from our Lean colleagues within Ohio’s state government