This document summarizes a Lean Six Sigma project conducted by the Wastewater Treatment Division to streamline their capital delivery process. They formed a staff team to identify improvement opportunities. Through surveys and process mapping, they identified 6 key areas to focus on, including engineering design, project initiation, and permitting. They held process improvement events to map the current and future states, identify waste, and pilot changes. Their efforts resulted in delivering projects over 1 year faster, freeing up 30% staff time, and establishing a culture of continuous improvement. They have since expanded the use of Lean tools and principles to other work units.

1. A Lean Six Sigma Success Story
Presented by:
Sandra Kilroy, Assistant Division Director
Bill Wilbert, Environmental Programs Supervisor
Wastewater Treatment Division
Streamlining Capital Delivery and our Lean Journey

2. About Our Presenters
Bill Wilbert
Environmental Programs Supervisor
Sandy Kilroy
Assistant Division Director

3. Compelling driver –
Capital Project Needs are Changing
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
$0
$100,000,000
$200,000,000
$300,000,000
$400,000,000
$500,000,000
$600,000,000
WTD Labor BW Labor Incremental Labor WTD Consulting
BW Consulting WTD Construction* BW Construction* Project Count
Expenditure Projects

4. Desired Outcome:
• Deliver projects more than 1 year faster
• Uncover 30% staff time availability
• Support culture of continuous improvement
Charter Alternatives
Analysis
Early Design Final Design Construction Operations

5. Evolving Our Approach - utilizing lean
philosophies for capital delivery streamlining
• Formed a staff team
• Identified all the major phases/steps of the
capital delivery process
• Surveyed 150 employees
• Identified 6 areas of the delivery process to
streamline
• Discussed at staff meetings
• Created implementation plan

6. Time to look to the
future…
• Management team
retreat
• Identified future
challenges and
opportunities
• Employee catchball
sessions
• Created new vision

7. Creating A Culture of
Lean
• Engaging with and empowering employees and
supervisors to identify and implement improvements.
• Working to grow lean leaders through a lean leader
community of 22 supervisors
• Implementation of visual management boards to easily
track process.
• Management “process walks” to see work flow
• Plan-Do-Check-Adjust – flexible to continue to make
improvements

8. Process Improvement events
Completed 7 events for capital streamlining:
• 60% engineering design
• project initiation
• consultant procurement
• alternative development
• 30% design document development
• permit acquisition
• property acquisition

9. What is a process
improvement event?
• Map current state
• Identify waste, non-value added steps, redundancy
• Map future state
• Pilot
• Adjust
• Adopt

10. 60% Engineering
Review
1.5
months
4
months
Improvements
• Clear roles and
responsibilities
• Defined tasks
• New guidance
• Changed method for
collecting comments
including:
• Mini-meetings
• Sharepoint site

11. Project Initiation
and Release
Improvements
• Defined process
• Clarity in who prepares
charter
• Clarity in project objectives
• Clarity in boundaries and
staff resources
• Clarity for expectations and
timing for Gate 1
1
month
3-6
months

12. Design Consultant
Procurement
Improvements
• Streamlined Evaluation
phase
• Consensus scoring
• Simplified criteria
• Scope of Work Template
• Created Visibility in
Negotiations
• Negotiation Schedule
• Clear roles and
responsibilities
• Planning (RFA/RFS)
• Streamlining underway
161
days
2016
185 days
2015
Design
Contracts
2015: 12
2016: 18

13. Property Acquisition
Current state mapping
Improvements
•New process
•Clear and standard timelines
•New templates, letters and
forms
•Improved Routing Packages
•Strategic (Early) Acquisition
process
•Standardized work
•Clear visual tracking board
12
months
24
months

14. Alternative Development
and Selection
Improvements
• New streamlined
process
• Use staff to front load
criteria for
consultants
• increased clarity and
focus on proposals
• Created standardized
selection criteria
Orange sticky notes represent opportunities for change.
11
months
20-26
months

15. Environmental Permitting
Improvements
• New standardized
process
• Use staff to engage
regulators
• Increased clarity on
submittals
Orange sticky notes represent opportunities for change.
Standardized
Work
Non-
Standard
Work

16. 30% Design Document
Development
Improvements
• Reduction in Wait
time
• Have staff engage
prior to CST
• Improved sequencing
of tasks
• Created standardized
work
Orange sticky notes represent opportunities for change.
9
months
12
months

17. Incorporation Of Lean
In The Day To Day
Work At WTD
• Visual management boards
• Metrics
• Process walks/Huddles
• A3 and root cause analysis
• Fishbone diagram
• Standard operating procedures

19. It’s Contagious!
• Spreading to other
work units
• Eliminating waste and
unnecessary internal
processes
• More people and
teams eager to try
lean to improve their
daily work
• We are continuing to
sustain our gains and
grow our lean muscle.

20. Q & A

21. Check out more success stories from Go Getters just like you
at GoLeanSixSigma.com/success
Project Presentation Webinars

22. Thank you for joining us!
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Ask us at contact@goleansixsigma.com!
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