|
|
News & Announcements
7/29/2010 | Continuous Improvement team leading major projects to improve processes
BLJC’s continuous improvement team is leading two major projects over the next six to 12 months that are designed to create streamlined, efficient and effective work processes.
Michael Schirmer, director of continuous improvement and strategic initiatives, says the projects stem from an analysis of workshops held earlier this year with more than 60 team members from key accounts representing much of BLJC’s facility management (FM) business.
The two areas of focus are front-end processes, which involve everything from creating a work order to executing the work, and back-end or accounts payable processes.
The overall goal is to reduce waste and non-value added activities and simplify and align procedures across accounts.
“At the end of it, what we really want to show is an account that operates much more efficiently and effectively, with a completely engaged workforce both on our end and the client’s end, so we have solid data we can rely on between processes, service delivery that is top notch and ultimately the client is happy and we’re happy,” Schirmer says.
He describes the work to date as “very positive” and participating team members as “fantastic” because they are fully engaged in the initiative and open to change.
Groundwork for this commitment was laid during the workshops. Account staff who collectively touch on all parts of core processes, from management to financial, participated so they could “understand what their part had to do with the entire process and how important each of their respective parts play in making everything happen,” Schirmer says.
They also gained an understanding of the greater corporate needs and challenges associated with each account.
With a good grasp on this information, they were trained in the Lean manufacturing technique of value stream mapping.
Using this method, team members typically reviewed six to eight work processes by breaking them down step by step and evaluating each step for the value it provides to the client. Steps deemed redundant or unnecessary, for example, could be eliminated. Participants also identified activities which provide value to the client.
Overall, the mapping technique allowed team members to envision ways to improve how they work and provide maximum benefit to the client.
Some of the teams’ ideas for improvement have already been implemented, with follow-up to come in the coming months.
Information gained from the workshops greatly support the front-end and back-end improvement initiatives now underway.
These projects will result in huge benefits for BLJC’s clients, Schirmer says. For example, invoice visibility and general accounts payable reporting will be enhanced significantly both internally and for BLJC’s vendors.
For BLJC team members, their work processes will be simplified and allow them to focus more on value-added tasks such as analysis.
As an organization, BLJC has identified continuous improvement as part of its strategy to respond to clients’ needs and enhance its market success.
“I think a lot of what we’re doing supports our strategic imperatives, our corporate values, everything from essentially wanting to do the right thing, from a process perspective and a people perspective, to ensuring that we as a company can be as lean and efficient as we can to make sure we have a more secure future, so we can continue to grow and secure more business and be as effective as we can at it.”
|
