This document introduces Smart Work, an innovative program that helps organizations improve their office and administrative processes. It does this by fully engaging stakeholders, identifying inefficiencies and wastes in current processes, and providing tools to remove those wastes. The Smart Work process typically begins with introductions and training to introduce the methodology. It then maps out the current "value stream" through a visual process map. By making the process visible, problems and improvement ideas are identified and prioritized into action lists to drive continuous improvement. Smart Work has proven successful in helping organizations improve performance and empower employees.

1. Smart Work
HAWTHORNE
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 3
WHY SMART WORK?
Continuous Improvement
IT IMPROVES Smart Work is an innovative ent in the process that in- The resulting pen and paper map
program that works with you terfere with achieving the graphically identifies the prob-
ORGANIZATIONAL
and your team to improve your outcomes? lems, delays and inefficiencies
office and administrative proc- that exist. Often this is the first
PERFORMANCE!  What changes will make a
esses. By employing set of tools time that employees understand
significant positive difference
and process steps Smart Work how their work fits within the
in the process outcomes?
quickly finds opportunities to overall value stream.
How? make big improvements: Once their value stream is
 Understanding who’s the mapped and the issues are made
“customer” of the process visible, the improvement ideas
 Applies the proven lean and what process outcome begin to fly. Action lists and re-
do they value? sponsibilities are drawn up and
tools to any process
the team tracks its improvement
 What are the metrics used
 Fully engages the proc- progress using agreed upon
to measure process per- measurements and metrics.
ess stakeholders formance?
Identify Root Causes
 Identifies wastes  Who “owns” the process
Smart Work pulls together a
and will lead the changes? cross functional team of employ-
 Provides the tools to  What is the existing proc- ees to work together and map
remove wastes ess, warts and all. out your current process or
“Value Stream”.
 What are the wastes inher-
The Process Improvement Process
Fully engage your team employees and creates a spirit of While it’s true that every work
The Smart Work process teamwork and cooperation. The process is unique, we have devel-
almost always results in an workgroup moves from feeling oped a common framework or
immediate boost to the work that they are victims of the cur- methodology that helps us to
group’s morale. The opportu- rent process to feeling that they initially understand the process
nity to address long-standing have the tools necessary to con- you’ve selected for review. The
problems and to creatively tinually improve even when faced steps involved in a Smart Work
provide solutions empowers with fewer resources. engagement are as follows:

2. Hawthorne
How Smart Work Works
Introductions
We have found that spending some time, one on one, with
the members of the process being reviewed has great value.
Give us a call and find out how Smart Work can work These short meetings allow us the opportunity to introduce
for you. For more information contact Gary Irland at
ourselves and answer any questions and concerns that mem-
gary@hawthornecs.com or contact Gary at:
bers of the team may have about the upcoming Smart Work
sessions. During these meetings, we take the opportunity to
learn a little bit about the person and their role in the existing
Hawthorne Consulting process. As each person, in turn, explains their part in the
13938 Martville Road work flow, we begin to understand more about the current
Martville, New York 13111 process itself. The interviews thus help us to “break the ice”
as we simultaneously become familiar with the team’s work.
Phone: 315-564-6908 Smart Work Training
Fax: 315-564-6908. The second step in Smart Work introduces the team to the
E-mail: Gary@Hawthornecs.com
Smart Work tools. We look at office and administrative work
and identify some common office wastes. We also challenge
the team to think about their work in terms of the value it
brings to the customer or client. The Smart Work training
session provides us with a way to introduce the team to some
We Bring Good Change
www.Hawthornecs.com
of the best practices and new methods a deeper understanding of the fill up with problems and ideas.
that other work groups have used with entire process. Additionally, team When the map is completed, we
great success. We’ve designed the members gain new insights about organize and prioritize the result-
Smart Work training session to be the challenges that their team- ing starbursts and agree upon ac-
highly interactive and engaging, yet mates face in moving work tion items to correct them.
challenging in terms of stretching the through the process.
team to think openly about new ideas Proven Results
and new possibilities in getting their Starbursts and Action Items The Smart Work process has
work done. been successfully used in offices
large and small. Over the
Mapping years we’ve worked with teams in
The next step in the Smart Work government, education and indus-
process involves pulling the team to- try to improve their office and
gether to create a step by step map of administrative processes.
the current process. This hand drawn
map is created utilizing butcher paper
and special icons to represent the work-
flow. As the team identifies each sig- During the mapping process, we
nificant step, we collect specific details carefully capture the problems as
about that step and highlight problems they are identified and post them
that may hinder the flow of work. Us- around the map using a starburst”
ing the map not only makes the process icon. As these problems or ideas
visible, but it also helps your team gain are generated, the walls begin to