There are lots of opportunities out there to remove waste and become lean by implementing software and databases that help people do their jobs, communicate better, or have better access to critical information.

1. Custom Software, Databases, and Dynamic Web Pages
LEAN THROUGH
CUSTOM SOFTWARE AND
DATABASES
Sebastien Buzit
Ahead Consulting
(562) 277 5608
sbuzit@aheadconsulting.com
aheadconsulting.com

2. LEAN PRINCIPLES
Types of waste
• Transport
• Inventory
• Motion
• Waiting
• Overproduction
• Over Processing
• Defects

3. EXAMPLE:
Purchasing – Request For Quotation Process
Supplier 1
Receive bid by
email (in
Email RFQ to Answer
standard or non-
supplier questions
standard
format)
x number of suppliers
Supplier 2
Email RFQ to Answer Receive bid Consolidate
supplier questions by email
and analyze
Supplier 3
Email RFQ to Answer Receive bid
supplier questions by email
…

4. EXAMPLE:
Purchasing – Request For Quotation Process
Use a web based quoting tool to generate RFQ’s, collect bids, and analyze results
Answer
One automatic questions and Suppliers place Automatic
email sent to make answers bids in web analysis and
all suppliers available to all portal comparison
suppliers

5. EXAMPLE:
Kanban
• Many benefits
• Eliminates waste
However:
• Manual handling of Kanban cards
• No automatic signals, alerts, and notifications
• Limited capability to track, analyze, and report performances
• No data recording for analysis of historical data (manufacturing time, inventory levels,…)
Electronic Kanban
• Automatically create Kanban cards
• Automatically send user defined alerts and notifications
• Real time dashboard of performances, inventory, …
• Storage of historical data for performance analysis

6. EXAMPLE:
Engineering – Knowledge Management
Typical business
How many engineering
challenges have already been Engineering issue /
faced by that business? design challenge
Where does a new engineer find
information about design
guidelines, historical quality You know somebody
issues, preferred designs? has faced that
problem before
YES: go talk to that
NO
person
Pull up design Look for historical
documents documents
Small Midsize Business Communications:
Hidden costs – SIS International Research
A knowledge worker spends 3.5 hours / week Re-invent the wheel
waiting for information from others.
$9,970 per knowledge worker / yr

7. EXAMPLE:
Engineering – Knowledge Management
Implement a Knowledge Management database
• Promote design consistency
• Searchable database of design
• Avoid repeating mistakes
templates and guidelines
• Store design quality issues • Increase design speed
• Store test data • Improve design quality
• Can be used for employee
training

8. (CUSTOM) SOFTWARE AND DATABASES
Benefits
• Automate frequent, repetitive tasks
• Remove human processing errors
• Improve data visibility and reporting (performance data, action status) Great tools
• Easy access to real time data to act faster to reduce
• Can be customized to your processes many
• Automatic communications for smoother processes
types of
• Reduces employee work to value added tasks
• Accelerate business data analysis waste
• Store historical data for later continuous improvement analyses
SHOULD BE PART OF YOUR LEAN TOOLBOX
During a Value Stream review, ask yourself “could a
software/computer help us do that better or faster?”

9. INDUSTRY DATA
The Lean Six Sigma Benchmark Report - Aberdeen Group
“Automated data collection and Information Technology (IT)
solutions can play a key role in resolving these obstacles, yet these
choices did not figure prominently in participants planned
responses.”

10. INDUSTRY DATA
The Lean Six Sigma Benchmark Report - Aberdeen Group

11. COMMON OBSTACLES
• MRP cannot handle our needs  Other software can connect to the ERP
or the data tables and provide the tools
your need
• Cost to develop and implement  Unless you use large software
companies with expensive software,
cost is usually low compared to
benefits (high ROI)
• Our site has specific processes  Develop site specific tools that can
and corporate IT does not have connect to your ERP
software to help with our needs
• We don’t know what is doable  Ask your software development
and what is not partners for an audit

12. THANK YOU!
For more information:
aheadconsulting.com
Sebastien Buzit
Ahead Consulting
(562) 277 5608
sbuzit@aheadconsulting.com