How Imperial College London Library Services enhanced it's print stock management, using Rapid Improvement Exercise methodologies.

1. Stock Management Rapid
Improvement Exercise (RIE)
Catherine, Trisha, Gavin
& Simon M
February 2017
Presentation created by Stuart Dempster
Library Services

2. 3 Motivations for the Stock Management RIE…
Stock Management was complex,
with a raft of inter-dependent
issues…
Stock Management was an ‘elephant in
the room’ for many teams…without
everyone recognising it…
No one single person or team had
oversight or owned Stock
Management…

3. Some of the Key Issues
Shelving Stock
Damaged Stock
Stock Receipt Missing Stock
‘On Hold’ Stock Reclassifying Stock
Deselecting Stock Fines Payments Reduce Red Tape

4. The teams who contributed…
Campus &
Liaison
Librarians
Information
Resources
User
Services
Library
Information
Systems
Administration
& Operations

5. Positive Outcomes from the RIE…
 Gave time & safe space to think
 Gave new insights & perspectives across teams
 Created positive, inclusive & democratic
atmosphere
 Allowed honesty, openness & built trust
 Challenged assumptions & critique status quo
 Revealed knowledge gaps
 Surfaced good & bad practice(s)
 Encouraged…’what to stop, start, continue’

6. Positive Outcomes from the RIE…
Expert facilitation nurtured consensus
OE methodology & tools (e.g. DMAIC*)
created shared language & approach
Distil & debate without posturing
360° view, with multiple perspectives
*Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve & Control
Too many for this space…so coming in
next slides! 

7. Negative Impact of the RIE…
Challenged
balancing day
job + RIE work
loads
Missed opportunity for
other important training
& development
Time constraint
limited detailed
analysis
Maintaining momentum &
process of continuous
change vs the day job post
RIE
Reduced day-to-
day operational
efficiency
during RIE

8. What we discovered…
Lack of standardisation, duplication of
effort and obsolete manual practices
Alma functionalities can be
applied to address many issues
New skills needed to automate
and improve efficient use of Alma
This was the most challenging RIE to
date…Pandora’s Box was opened!

9. What we delivered…in outputs and outcomes
• Introduced automated processes by using ALMA work orders
and enabling ALMA reports to manage them.
• Review some of the established work orders to ensure they do
what we want
• Introduced barcode scanners at shelves whilst weeding,
speeding up the process and removing items from ALMA sooner
• Planned relocation of the weeding storage room
• Introduced monthly stock management team meetings to
deliver RIE recommendations & improve communications
• New Signage/instructions in 24 hour loan room
• Review Overdue process (invoices and payments) to be scoped
for mini RIE- process currently involves User Services and Admin
team managers plus College Finance
• Planned improvements to print book processing to save time,
money & effort
Decommission Info
unused

10. What we delivered…in numbers
340 Less Paper
Forms Used
Per Month
80 Hours Per
Year Saved Via
New Weeding
Processes
1 Less Re-
Sensitised
Process
New &
Improved
Collection Box
with 70% More
Capacity
Anticipated cost
& time savings
for direct book
deliveries to
campus libraries*
7 Paper Forms
Eliminated
*New book supplier agreement (from summer 2017) should enable ‘shelf-ready’ print book deliveries to campus
libraries, saving £1500 pa courier costs and expedite the onto the shelf time (from ca. 8 days now to 1 day)

11. Where do we go from here…
Stock Management RIE Actions List
High Level
Process
Area
Workstream Action (What do you want to do?) Method (How will you do it? (where
applicable))
Who (Responsibility) When?
(Timescale)
Status Dependent on other
projects? (Y?N)
Notes
Make
available to
loan
Shelving Empower cross-team shelvers to work
together and create new rota
SH GP ? ? N
Make
available to
loan
Shelving Reduce the number of shelf visits Work with team to incorporate other shelf
visits into floor visit routine
SH 28/02/2017? N
Make
available to
loan
Shelving Investigate whether Reassurance attendants
to sort books cleared from tables onto
trolleys at info hub
NL 28/02/2017? N
Make
available to
loan
Shelving Review the trolley fleet for breakages and
use room 211 to store the overflows
CW 31/01/2017? Y - Weeding activities to
stop using this room
Make
available to
loan
Shelving Ensure everyone who needs to be is trained
in manual handling
Use Imperial Manual Handling course,
including in induction and before this years
weeding for LL's
NL 28/02/2017? N
Make
available to
loan
Shelving Establish monthly 'Collection Management'
meetings reviewing issues and progress with
volume and staffing info
SH to lead 31/01/2017? N
Make
available to
loan
Shelving Add senior resources to the rota to improve
negative shelving image
SH with support when
cross-shelvers are
needed
31/01/2017? N
Loan Missing items on loan Automate ALMA report and remove pricing
step
Work with Kevin Ashby and Simon Barron to
review fields and reporting options
SH 28/02/2017? N
Loan Missing items on loan Use ALMA work order to complete end to to
end process
CW MB SM KA 28/02/2017? Y - Clear training notes
needed
30 Day 60 Day 90 Day 6 Month 1 Year
19th Jan 20th Feb 22nd Mar 13th Jun 13th Dec
RIE Review Schedule for 2017

12. With thanks to…
Helen Buchanan Mary Brazil Stuart Dempster Andre Ferrari
Angela Goldfinch Patricia Gwynn-Jones Hanaa Hafez Simon Hall
Nova Larch Simon Mackenzie Gavin Phillips Laura Stevenson
Catherine Williams… and Kirsten Allan!

13. ‘It recognised the contribution that we all make…’
(Catherine Williams)
Credit: Presentation produced by Stuart Dempster