UC San Diego employees apply Lean Six Sigma in education! Watch this 30 minute success story webinar to learn how Tehseen Lazzouni, a UCSD employee, is eliminating Non-Value-Add steps in reporting to improve productivity.

1. Lightning Reporting -
Reducing Report Lead Time
From 16 to 4.5 Days
A Lean Six Sigma Success Story
Presented by Tehseen Lazzouni
Financial Analyst, Chemistry &
Biochemistry, UC San Diego

2. About Our Presenter
2
Tehseen Lazzouni
•Financial Analyst
•Department of
Chemistry &
Biochemistry,
UC San Diego

3. 3
Copyright © Integris Performance Advisors, 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, or transcribed without written permission.
LIGHTNING REPORTING
Tehseen Lazzouni, UC San Diego
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Presentation
Spring 2017

4. 4
Copyright © Integris Performance Advisors, 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, or transcribed without written permission.
Executive Summary
Business Case
Work time improvement in our quarterly reports would
save thousands of dollars per year in freeing up staff time
to work on other critical projects. Cycle time improvement
would get reports to Directors and decision makers for
time-critical decision-making.
Root Cause Analysis
Data showed wait time between reports was an average
of 2.4 days, contributing to a mean cycle time of 16 days.
Analysis showed Non Value-Added time was spent
analyzing report data on unnecessary factors and there
were redundancies in data adding to total work time per
report.
Project Results
Cycle time has reduced from 16 days to 4.6 days on
average. Work time reduced from 5 hours to 1.3 hours
per report. Report is streamlined & down to 1 page.
Solutions Implemented
1) Streamlining of report, removing redundancies. 2)
Removing interruptions when preparing report. 3) Setting
target of 2-3 reports per day, decreasing wait time
between reports. 4) Removing unnecessary analyses as
part of report. 5) Contacting Directors prior to running
report to understand projected revenues and expenses.
Graphical Display of Improvement
0
5
10
15
20
2.0 to <= 7.07.0 to <= 12.012.0 to <= 17.017.0 to <= 22.027.0 to <= 32.037.0 to <= 42.042.0 to <= 47.047.0 to <= 52.0
# Observations
Cycle Time
Pre-Improvement Cycle Time
Mean: 16 Days
0
5
10
15
20
2.0 to <= 7.07.0 to <= 12.012.0 to <= 17.017.0 to <= 22.027.0 to <= 32.037.0 to <= 42.042.0 to <= 47.047.0 to <= 52.0
# Observations
Cycle Time
Improved Cycle Time
Mean: 16 Days
Mean: 4.6 Days

5. 5
Copyright © Integris Performance Advisors, 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, or transcribed without written permission.
Key Terms Specific to this Project
s Case
• Recharge Facility: University lab conducting analyses for on-campus and off-campus
customers. Some recharge facilities allow customers to perform their own analyses.
• Customers: Facility Directors, Department Management, Recharge Analyst
• Quarterly Report: Financial report showing income, expenses & projections for the
fiscal year 7/1 – 6/30. Reports prepared 4 x per year.
• Ledger Close: Date on which no more entries can be made to the accounting records
for a particular month. All accounting data for the month is “locked in” after ledger
close. Quarterly reports should only be done after ledger close.
• Cycle Time: Working days between Ledger Close and Completion of Report.
• Work Time: Actual time it takes to prepare a Quarterly Report, without any
interruptions.

6. 6
Copyright © Integris Performance Advisors, 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, or transcribed without written permission.
Project Charter Template
§ Problem Statement: Reports take too long. The 10
facility quarterly reports take on average 5 hours each
to prepare. Combined with workload, it can take 2
weeks or more to send them to PIs and management,
delaying quarterly facility meeting.
§ Goal Statement: Decrease amount of time it takes to
produce a quarterly report from the current 5 hours
per report to 1 hour per report by April 7, 2017.
§Business Case & Benefits: Work time improvement
will free up staff time to spend on other critical projects
and responsibilities. Cycle time improvement will enable
timely decision-making. Both improvements translate into
monetary benefits for our department.
§ Scope In/Out
In Scope: Financial data input methods and processes;
simplification and streamlining of report.
Out of Scope: Complete redesign of the Quarterly report
§ Timeline:
§ Define 1/20/17
§ Measure 2/3/17
§ Analyze 2/17/17
§ Improve 3/24/17
§ Control 4/1/17
§ Team Members:
§ Tehseen Lazzouni
§ Elena Lelea

7. 7
Copyright © Integris Performance Advisors, 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, or transcribed without written permission.
VOC Translation Matrix
Voice of the Customer
Customer Cue
Clarifying Needs Statement
Translate to a CTQ
CTQ – Critical to Quality
Customer Requirement
I want my report in a
reasonable time so I can use
this data to guide my
decision-making.
Customer (Director) values
timeliness of report.
Report should be received
within 5 business days of
ledger close.
I don’t want too much
information; just enough to
make decisions.
Customer (Director) finds
that too much information
and too many pages
detracts from report.
Report should be
streamlined and only 1
page.
I want a quarterly report
that doesn’t take all day to
prepare.
Customer (Recharge
Analyst) values short work
time for each report.
Report should take only 1
hour of work time.
Key Takeaway: Project needs to address overall work time which will
impact cycle time as well as streamlining.

8. 8
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SIPOC: Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers
External Billing DB External Revenues
Recharge Analyst
Recharge Analyst: Complete report in 1 hour.
Key Takeaway: The scope of this project goes from the point of ledger close
to the point at which report is emailed to customer.

9. 9
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Detailed Map
0.5 hrs1 hr0 hrs0 hrs0 hrs
Key Takeaway: Too much time providing detailed analysis which could be
considered a non-value added step.
0.25
Hours

10. 10
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Data Collection Plan
Measure Data Type Operational Definition Stratification
Factors
Sampling Notes Who and
How
Cycle Time Variable Number of Working Days
between Ledger Close &
Completion of Report
•By Fiscal Year
•By Facility
•By Quarter
Historical data is
available. Use
date of pdf
creation for
completion of
report.
Tehseen to
check
historical
ledger close
dates.
Work Time Variable Time it takes to complete a
report from start to finish with
no interruptions
•By Fiscal Year
•By Facility
•By Quarter
No historical data
available. Need to
measure for each
report performed.
Tehseen to
time herself
on each
report.
# Reports
w/Cycle Time
>10 Working
Days
Attribute # of Reports completed more
than 10 working days after
ledger close
•By Fiscal Year
•By Facility
•By Quarter
Available from
historical data.
Tehseen will
identify this
using
spreadsheet
of historical
cycle time.
Key Takeaway: Data collection involved reviewing historical data for cycle time,
covering a 1.5 year period, and taking current measurements for work time.

11. 11
Copyright © Integris Performance Advisors, 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, or transcribed without written permission.
Measurements
0
5
10
15
20
2.0 to
<=
7.0
7.0 to
<=
12.0
12.0
to <=
17.0
17.0 to
<=
22.0
27.0
to <=
32.0
37.0
to <=
42.0
42.0
to <=
47.0
47.0
to <=
52.0
# Observations
Cycle Time
Cycle Time (n=60)
Mean: 16 Days
Median: 14 Days
# Obs >10 Days = 41
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1516
Q1
1516
Q2
1516
Q3
1516
Q4
1617
Q1
1617
Q2
Cycle Time by Quarter
Q1
Min
Median
Max
Q3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
BIOMOL
CRYST
BIOPHYS BPMS CRYOEM FABFAC INORGANIC NMR SMS STOREHOUSE XRY
Cycle Time by Facility
Q1
Min
Median
Max
Q3
Key Takeaway: The baseline shows that for many observations cycle time
was more than 10 working days.

12. 12
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Analysis: Fishbone Diagram
Key Takeaway: Initial brainstorming indicates that complexities,
redundancies & interruptions may be potential root causes.

13. 13
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Process Analysis: Value-Added Flow Analysis
Process Step Step Label
(VA,NVA,NVA-r)
Value Added
Time
NVA & NVA-required Work
Time
NVA – Wait Time
Make a new file & update dates throughout
the report
VA 0.25 hrs
Open FinLink and Download Exp by Month,
Payroll, Outside Revenues
VA 0.5 hrs
Open Recharge System and Download
Recharge Revenue
VA 0.2 hrs
Run Statement of Ops VA 0.05 hrs
Analyze Revenues by Instrument & User (&PI if
appl)
NVA 1 hr
Calculate category totals and link to report;
compare with SOP
VA 0.5 hrs
Project revenues & expenses (may have to
wait for PI on expected revenues & expenses)
VA 0.5 hrs 1 hr
Analyze results, Write summary of report
findings, and email report to customer
VA 0.5 hrs 0.5 hrs
Total Value Added Tasks: 2.5 hrs (50%)
Total Non Value-Added Tasks: 1 hr (20%)
Total Wait Time: 1.5 hrs (30%)
Total Work Time: 5 hrs (100%)
Key Takeaway: The majority of steps are value added, however there is
potential to eliminate wasted non-value added work and wait time.

14. 14
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Hypothesis Confirmations
Hypothesis # Possible Root Cause (x) Root Cause Hypothesis Result
1 Complexity Too much analysis by various factors TRUE
2 Complexity Too many dates to change on multiple pages, thereby adding to report time FALSE
3 Redundancies Redundant data on multiple pages takes too much time to verify. Dates are listed in
multiple places and must be updated and checked before completion.
TRUE
4 Competing Priorities Wait time due to competing priorities contributes to cycle time. TRUE
5 Process Manually bringing in data takes too much time FALSE
New File
& Date
Update
5%
Download
Exp &
Outside
Rev
10%
Download
Recharge
Rev & Run
SOP
5%
Analyze
Exp/Rev by
Factor
20%
Calculate
Totals &
Link
10%
Project
Exp/Rev
30%
Analyze
Results;
Write
Summary
20%
Key Takeaway: Data shows an average of 2.4 days between reports and that
detailed analysis and redundant data contribute to cycle & work time.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
0.0 to <=
1.0
1.0 to <=
2.0
2.0 to <=
3.0
3.0 to <=
4.0
5.0 to <=
6.0
6.0 to <=
7.0
8.0 to <=
9.0
14.0 to
<=
15.0
# Observations
Wait between Reports
Wait Time between Reports
Avg = 2.4 working days

15. 15
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Impact Effort Matrix
Solution Options:
1) Streamline Report,
Removing
Redundancies
2) Allow no interruptions
when preparing
report, Decreasing
Work Time on Report
3) Automation of Report
4) Run 2-3 Reports/Day,
Decreasing Wait
between Reports
5) No more extra
analyses unless
required by customer
6) Contact Directors
about Projections
before Starting
Reports
Key Takeaway: Improvements will be a combination of streamlining, stopping
interruptions, eliminating extra analyses, obtaining projections before reports,
and running multiple reports per day. Automation to be considered later.
IMPACT
EFFORT
High
Medium
Low
Hard Medium Easy
Low Priority
Options
Best Options!
Potential Quick
Hits
Potential
Investments/
Infrastructure
1
2
3
4
5
6

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FMEA
Key Takeaway: Having automated responses and a sign on the door informing
customers I am unavailable except for urgent issues.

17. 17
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To Be Map
Key Takeaway: Improvements cut work time from 5 hours to 1.3 hours.
0 hrs 0 hrs 0 hrs 0 hrs
0.55
0.55

18. 18
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Before & After Time Data
Key Takeaway: Implemented solutions have significantly decreased both Cycle
time and Work Time.
0
5
10
15
20
2.0 to
<=
7.0
7.0 to
<=
12.0
12.0
to <=
17.0
17.0 to
<=
22.0
27.0
to <=
32.0
37.0
to <=
42.0
42.0
to <=
47.0
47.0
to <=
52.0
# Observations
Cycle Time
Cycle Time (n=60)
Mean: 16 Days
Median: 14 Days
# Obs >10 Days = 41
Quarterly Report Cycle Time: Before & After
Quarterly Report Work Time: Before & After
5 hours per
report
1.3 hours per
report
0
5
10
15
20
2.0 to
<=
7.0
7.0 to
<=
12.0
12.0
to <=
17.0
17.0 to
<=
22.0
27.0
to <=
32.0
37.0
to <=
42.0
42.0
to <=
47.0
47.0
to <=
52.0
# Observations
Cycle Time
Improved Cycle Time (n=10)
Mean: 16 Days
Mean: 4.6 Days
Median: 5 Days
# Obs > 10 Days = 0

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Monitoring & Response Plan
Key Takeaway: The monitoring plan factors in leading indicators of added work
time per report and checks that reports are being completed according to
schedule. The plan also checks satisfaction with the new format.

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Final Statement & Lessons Learned
• Start improvements early! It takes time to verify improvements have met goals.
• Root cause analysis is very powerful in brainstorming possible root causes and
determining what data are needed to test those hypotheses.
• I learned from a classmate in our preliminary presentations that I, myself, could be
considered a customer. Indeed this is one of the reasons I would like to reduce
work time on these reports—so that I can spend time on other critical projects.
• There are sometimes unintended consequences from an improvement process.
The FMEA exercise prepares one for what could go wrong, prioritizes which to
address, and provides for recommended actions.
• Get colleagues involved from the very beginning. It can be a teambuilding activity
to work on a process improvement together.
• From Day 1 I learned that we do not approach an LSS project with an
improvement in mind. The improvement must come logically through the process
of defining, measuring, and analyzing. After this we can improve and then control.
• Thank you for this wonderful experience!

21. 21
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APPENDIX
(9 Pages)

22. 22
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Customer Survey on Quarterly Reports
7 Question
Online
Survey:
100%
response
rate
(13/13)

23. 23
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Customer Survey on Quarterly Reports

24. 24
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Customer Survey on Quarterly Reports
Making decisions on possible future
expenses
Getting an idea of the financial picture
of my facility

25. 25
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Customer Survey on Quarterly Reports
Graphs showing expenses and
revenues over time
Interactivity so I can drill down to see
expenses/revenues underlying the total data
Other: Coupons for free food (!!!)

26. 26
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Customer Survey on Quarterly Reports

27. 27
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Customer Survey on Quarterly Reports
• 100% of respondents felt timing of receiving quarterly reports is “about right”.
Therefore, current (pre-improvement) Cycle Time is not an issue for Facility
Directors.
• 12 out of 13 respondents felt amount of information is “just right”. But one
respondent felt information was too much and would like to see report simplified.
• 100% of respondents find the summary email helpful, therefore continue
preparing this.
• About half of respondents would like to graphs and interactivity to drill down to
individual revenues/expense. They would also like to see more ad hoc capability.
– These capabilities are outside the scope of this process improvement project but will be
kept in mind for future improvements.
Conclusions from Survey Results:

28. 28
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Old Report…

29. 29
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Improved Quarterly Report
Consolidated carry over
balances into a table
All three fund activities
on one page;
highlighted for clarity
Balance across all funds
Dates listed only once
Consolidated 2 pages to 1 page;
removed redundancies.
There is now detail on
DI and EQR income and
expense

30. Q&A
30

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