Presentation
Before investing a lot of money in technology driven solutions to support processes, it is necessary to control these processes. It is not conducive to invest in technology when the processes you aim at supporting are hardly under control. That is one of the main principles in the management approach of AZ Delta.
The methodology that AZ Delta uses as a baseline in their management approach is LEAN management. And LEAN is all about added value. Imagine that you take thousands of pictures of nurses in a hospital during different shifts. In how many of these pictures will there be a nurse who is delivering added value directly to a patient? Studies are clear. One out of three nurses. The aim of LEAN- management is to increase this percentage following a series of different steps. With an evidence - based LEAN-education and LEAN-implementation plan, the percentage of added value will increase by 20%. This represents almost one hour of extra time per patient per day.
The first step starts with the elimination of waste out of the processes. The tools are known and the results are achievable. Once waste is eliminated, it is important to look at variation in processes. The concept variation is one of the least understood concepts in hospitals in health care. On top of that, a lot of managers are not aware of their lack of knowledge of variation in their processes. Tools to reduce variation are mostly unknown. When knowledge tests are given to managers, their perception of their own knowledge regarding variations is a lot higher than when measured with a valid knowledge test. The consequences are immense but awareness is mostly missing.
In today’s connected world, smart buildings and smart logistics provide endless opportunities. These solutions are often dazzling. However, based on literature and my own research there are some important warnings and pitfalls. LEAN-management can help tackle these challenges.