Kaizen applied to computer activities and processes

Kaizen means continuous improvement that involves everyone - managers and workers alike. Improvement, as part of a successful Kaizen strategy, goes beyond the dictionary definition. Improvement is a mental fixation strongly focused on maintaining and improving standards. In an even broader sense, improvement can be defined as Kaizen and innovation, where a Kaizen strategy maintains and improves the work standard through small and gradual improvements, and innovation produces radical improvements as a result of large investments in technology and equipment..

Kaizen therefore focuses on the continuous improvement of standards in terms of quality, productivity, costs, safety, and delivery. For this, it gives primacy to quality as a central component that allows and facilitates the fulfillment of the other objectives through its realization.

Kaizen focused on computing involves both the application of philosophy and strategies, as well as the various instruments, methods, and analysis and management tools that are specific to the continuous improvement of computing activities and processes.

Computer activities and processes for a company that produces non-computer goods and services constitute activities with added value for the company, but without added value for the consumer. For this reason the size and relative costs of these activities for the organization must be conveniently reduced. Thus, each sub-activity or sub-process that compose it must be subjected to an analysis aimed at verifying its usefulness and / or need, as well as the level of efficiency with which they take place. For this, the concepts and tools of Kaizen are used.

Within this improvement process aimed at improving quality, reducing costs and improving services, the processes of standardization and elimination of molt are of vital importance.

In the current order of things, computer processes and the information they provide constitute a critical element when providing services, organizing and controlling production processes, and making correct decisions in a timely manner. For this reason, applying a system that, like Kaizen, allows the processes to be improved at a low cost and continuously, and the results that derive from it, is essential both operationally and strategically for the company.

2. Identification of molts

As previously expressed, a central element in the practice of kaizen is the systematic identification and elimination of waste or waste (muda in Japanese). Among the main moves we have:

1. Overproduction molt

2. Inventory move

3. Processing molt

4. Waiting change

5. Muda of movement

6. Change of transport

7. Removal of repairs / rejections of defective products

For each of these fundamental types, the personnel of the IT area, as well as the clients of the system, must identify the existing waste, analyze its elimination and apply measures to prevent its reappearance.

In this way and only as an example we can mention the following cases:

2.1. Overproduction

Printing of reports in quantities greater than those necessary, either because they are carried out more frequently than necessary, because a greater quantity of data is printed than required, because it is printed for sectors that do not make use of them or that making use of they could share these forms with other sectors. The other possibility is that information is printed that could be easily consulted on the screen.

2.2. Inventory

Excess supplies and spare parts. Among the supplies are reams of paper, spare parts monitors among many others.

2.3. Prosecution

It includes both the information design, data processing and loading, as well as the processing itself.

Thus we have the duplication of processes, which in some cases leads to the loading of data more than once, excess data or poor distribution of these on the forms or screens, neglecting the needs of users or customers. Designs based on the vision or point of view of the programmers.

It should be emphasized that errors caused by inappropriate planning and designs end up significantly increasing the system's operation, due, among other aspects, to costly fixes and on some occasions severe damages that errors may cause to the company's clients, to internal users and those caused by incorrect decisions.

2.4 Waits

These are caused, on the one hand, by bottlenecks, whether they are generated by a shortage of printers, problems with software or hardware speeds, printing speeds, or these bottlenecks are caused by the existence of officials acting as filters concentrate power and slow down processes, making other personnel and sectors depend on their decisions.

Among other reasons for waiting are those caused by repairs due to lack of maintenance, and those that take place due to the lack of training for new personnel, those caused by lack of elements or orders for programmers or personnel in charge of recording data.

2.5. Movements

The different technological components used to improve or reduce the movements in the data load. Example: the barcode scanners used in supermarket checkouts greatly speed up the billing process, while allowing continuous inventory status updates and merchandise orders generated. The use of special keyboards that prevent the appearance of carpal tunnel disease for operators, thus allowing greater rest, increased productivity and less absence due to illness.

2.6. Transport

We can reduce the number of personnel, if instead of transporting forms from the computing sector, they are printed in each sector.

In the same way, instead of printing internal regulations, they would have to be consulted by monitor via Intranet. In this way, printing or photocopying costs, envelope time, shipping costs and subsequent filing times are avoided, which in turn implies space costs, and at the time of consultation the cost of search time for the information in folder files.

2.7. Repairs / Rejections of defective products

Among the repairs are those of hardware and / or database, caused by a lack of prevention policy in terms of protection (Example: the lack of use of energy batteries leads to damage to files or internal devices, due to power supply outage problems).

Rejections of defective products range from the lack of quality in the programs, to the problems of defects in the prints (due to the lack of automatic control mechanisms -automatization-).

The cases given above have been mentioned only by way of example, and can be expanded through the work of the Quality Circles or the Process Improvement Teams, making use of the most diverse tools such as the Brainstorming, the Ishikawa diagram, Pareto diagram, flow charts and stratifications among others.

"The systematic detection and elimination of molts constitutes a central and priority objective in the improvement of computer processes".

3. Standardization

Standardization means documenting the best way to get the job done. This is essential in all company processes, but when it comes to the internal functioning of IT processes, it takes on even greater value. The way the system works must be precisely and clearly specified.

Daily computing activities and processes operate according to certain predetermined formulas. These formulas, when explicitly described, become standards. The Computer Management has the duty and obligation to maintain and improve these standards. This implies that in addition to adhering to current technological and operational standards, current processes must also be improved, in order to raise current standards to higher levels.

Whenever things go wrong in the gemba (in this case it would be the Computer Center), such as when faulty information is generated or dissatisfied internal customers, management must look for the root causes, take corrective action and change the work procedure to eliminate or overcome the problems. This implies carrying out the Standardize-Perform-Evaluate-Act process. Once the standards are applied and workers and processes produce results according to those standards, the process is under control, which leads to the next step. This step consists of adjusting and raising the standards to a higher level (Plan-Perform-Assess-Act).

In both cycles, the final stage of the cycle, Act, refers to standardizing and stabilizing processes. In this way, standardization becomes an inseparable part of activities or processes. Standards are the best way to ensure quality, and the most effective way to reduce costs.

The standards have the following key aspects:

1. They represent the best, easiest and safest way to do a job. The standards reflect many years of experience and know-how on the part of employees in the performance of their activities.

2. They offer the best way to preserve know-how and experience. If an employee knows the best way to do the job (say design or programming), and leaves without sharing that experience, their know-how will also go. Only by standardizing the analysis, design and programming processes does it remain in the company, despite the arrival and departure of each of its employees.

3. They provide a way to measure performance. With established standards it is possible to evaluate the performance of the processes, there is no adequate way to do it without having them.

4. Show the relationship between cause and effect. Not having or not following standards inevitably leads to abnormalities, variability and waste.

5. They provide a basis for maintenance and improvement. The following of standards implies maintenance and the improvement of standards implies improvement. Without standards we do not have a reliable way of knowing if we have made improvements or not.

6. Provide objectives and indicate training goals. Standards can be described as a set of visual cues that show how to get work done. Standards usually come in the form of written documents, but also in tables and sketches.

7. Provide a basis for training. Once the standards are established, the next step is to train the operators, to such an extent that this becomes second nature to them and they perform the work according to the standards.

8. Create a basis for auditing or diagnosis. Work standards are displayed, showing the fundamental steps and verification points of the operators work.

9. They provide a means of avoiding recurrence of errors and minimizing variability. Only when the effects of a kaizen project are standardized can it be expected that such a problem will not recur.

4. Housekeeping (5 S)

The five steps of housekeeping, which must be practiced in the Computer Center, are the following:

1. Seiri: differentiate between necessary and unnecessary elements in the workplace, discarding the latter.

2. Seiton: arrange in an orderly manner all the elements that remain after applying the Seiri.

3. Seiso: keep machines and work environments clean.

4. Seiketsu: extend the concept of cleanliness to oneself and continuously practice the three previous steps.

5. Shitsuke: Build self-discipline and form the habit of engaging in the 5 S's by setting standards.

The application of the 5 S contributes to:

1. Acquire self-discipline.

2. It allows to highlight the numerous wastes in the workplace (computers, monitors, spare parts, reams of paper among many others).

3. Disposal of waste (molts) in the gemba (workplace) intensifies the 5-S process.

4. Indicates excess inventory.

5. Reduce unnecessary movements.

6. Allows them to be visually identified, and problems related to shortages of elements are solved.

7. Solve logistics problems.

8. Improve work efficiency and reduce operations costs.

9. Reduces the probability of accidents.

5. QFD

The quality introduced in the planning and design stages allows for greater efficiency based on high quality at low cost.

As in product development processes, software development processes begin with customer expectations and end with the output of the finished program. The role of the development process is to translate the expectations of the internal (or external) customer into internal specifications, faithfully transmitting these specifications to the various functions involved.

For a better realization of the design objectives, the QFD (Functional Quality Deployment) is used. The essential characteristic of the QFD is that of being a quality tool that acts in the product design and development stage.

The Functional Deployment of Quality is a method to develop a design quality focused on satisfying the consumer (internal or external customer), so that their requirements become design objectives and essential elements of quality assurance through from the production phase (of goods or services - software in this case), so we can affirm that the deployment of quality functions is a way of ensuring quality while the product or service is in the design phase.

Among the benefits derived from the application of the QFD we have:

1. Integration of demanded quality and quality characteristics into a basic quality chart.

2. Setting of goals based on the quantification of evaluations by users.

3. Conversion of demanded quality requirements into measurable elements of design and engineering.

4. Planning for new software is more specific.

5. Planning and development activities are more tied to expectations.

6. Rank the actions objectively.

7. Reduce costs.

8. Greater customer satisfaction (internal or external).

9. Greater transparency in development processes.

10. Improvement of the quality and reliability of the product.

Among the concrete measurable results in the companies that have made use of this tool are:

- The development cycle is reduced between 30% and 60%.

- Product and process modifications are reduced between 30% and 50%.

- Launch costs are reduced by between 20% and 60%.

- Customer complaints are reduced by up to 50%.

6. Modal Analysis of Failures and Effects (FMEA)

Also known as AMFE, it is a methodology that allows to analyze the quality, safety and / or reliability of the operation of a system, trying to identify the potential failures that its design presents and, therefore, trying to prevent future quality problems. It is applied through the systematic study of failures. The objective of the study will be to correct the designs to avoid the appearance of failures, establishing as necessary a dimensional control plan, as a result of the study of the failures and their correction as necessary to avoid the appearance of defects. mentioned failures.

It is therefore a prediction and prevention tool. The application of it can be framed within the design process, being also applicable to the improvement of existing products or processes.

7. Statistical Process Control (SPC)

The use of this tool is essential both for the control and improvement of quality levels, as well as with regard to response times (processing speed), costs and productivity.

The use of this important tool makes it possible to improve decision-making related to the variations inherent in the processes, also facilitating reducing their variability, as well as controlling and improving them consistently.

In the graphs of the SPC it is possible to observe and distinguish both the random variations, related to the process, as well as those special ones related to attributable causes. The use of this tool is essential in the standardization and improvement process mentioned above.

8. Poka-yoke system

It consists of the creation of various devices aimed at avoiding the production of failures or errors, being able to apply them to the most diverse aspects. Thus, in terms of software development, a checklist would prevent the lack of compliance with certain guidelines or concepts.

In the programs (softwares) poka-yokes can be included, which consist of preventing the passage to another phase if all the required data are not complete, or calculations designed to control that the results are properly balanced.

9. Autonomization

With autonomization, the machines themselves take care of not producing failures. An example of the use of this system is its application to printers, thus avoiding the loss of material and process time, as well as having to have people available to observe the printing process.

10. Computer problems

The cost of overlooking computer problems can be disastrous. The saying "it can cost you this now and twice as much later" is as applicable to a computer problem as it does to a transmission problem in a car.

Most computer problems can be reduced to five fundamental causes, these being the following:

1. Insufficient planning. The main cause of most failures in computer systems is insufficient resources and efforts that went into planning. Computers are often acquired on impulse and more to satisfy a whim than to meet an information processing need. Systems are developed without planning their interconnection with manual systems. Staffing is based on budget constraints, not on the training and number of employees required to effectively run computer applications. Planning is a managerial function that technicians often prefer to ignore,or that they carry it out with the sole purpose of satisfying what they consider to be a superior hobby but not to establish guidelines that must be followed in the automation of the company.

2. Inability to integrate the computer into the business structure. The main purpose of computers is to meet the information processing needs of the business. Data can be an organization's primary resource - it is not owned by the data processing department, nor by the individual users who create and use the data. As long as data is not managed as one more company resource, it will not receive adequate attention from management and will be relegated to a level where its use can be poorly planned and poorly managed. It is a real shame that the data is not profited, treating it like any other investment of the company. Management may not be concerned about data deterioration,but it will never allow the same to happen to machinery and installations.

3. Negligence in obtaining the necessary training of data processing personnel. It is the responsibility of management to ensure that staff are properly trained. This involves hiring the right people, providing them with the additional training necessary to develop or enhance their skills, and evaluating their performance to ensure that staff are performing their jobs properly. Given the technical nature of data processing, management may feel insecure when assessing the necessary skills, being forced to rely on third parties to hire new staff and to consider previous experience as a sign of competence. Users also need technical training.

4. Inability to determine the true needs of the user. Technicians are often not of the opinion that determining the actual user needs is a productive function. System design, programming, and testing are jobs with visible results. However, a large number of systems are built before your project is fully structured, and many users approve of a system before knowing exactly what is being offered. Materializing what others say they want or what they approve of is of no use, if later it is not useful for the work to be done.

5. Negligence in the establishment of adequate computer controls. In an ideal environment, where everything works perfectly, controls are unnecessary. Unfortunately, computer systems are rarely ideal and therefore require control. As explained previously, manual controls may not be effective in an automated system. Controls designed for an automated system should complement the characteristics of the computer. This implies a restructuring of the controls by a person who knows the company and the computer in depth.

These root causes of computer problems can be exposed through the following five essential rules:

First rule: "Develop IT plans both long and short term, then stick to them."

Second rule: "Appoint a manager who is responsible for the data and for integrating the use of the computer into the business structure."

Third rule: “Hire the best technicians available, continuously developing their skills and evaluating their abilities to adequately perform their duties. Replacing those who do not reach the necessary skills ”.

Fourth rule: "Do not acquire or put into operation a computer application until all needs have been correctly defined and all interested parties have given their agreement."

Fifth rule: "Design and maintain an adequate system of computer controls that ensure accurate, complete, professional and timely data processing."

11. Diagnosis and Problem Resolution Matrix

The matrix provides the five types of diagnostic aid listed below:

1. Questions about the reason for concern. The user will find in the matrix a series of questions that must be asked each time a cause for concern arises. You must choose the question or questions relating to the circumstances surrounding the event that concerns you.

2. Criticism of the answer to the previous question. The information provided in the answer to the question must be critically questioned in order to determine whether or not it represents the proper way to perform the task. Questioning the answer will, to a great extent, identify the cause of the problem. The cause is what represents the real problem, and not the symptoms, which are what usually give rise to concern.

3. Most likely problem. The matrix indicates the most likely problem for each of the areas questioned by a question.

4. Good business practice that has been violated. If the problem matches what was considered most likely, the good business practice that was violated has been identified. The rectification of the infraction is what will allow to solve the problem.

5. Solution of the problem. Finally, the most likely solutions to solve the problem are listed. The chosen solution should re-establish good business practice, which in most cases will eliminate the cause of the problem.

Let's take a look at how the matrix would work in the event of an overdue report issue on the computer. The most obvious question to ask about the event causing concern is: "When is it done?" Management should ask this question of the data processing personnel and users involved. Once an answer has been provided, it should be challenged with the question: "Why then?" If the timing seems reasonable, management should ask another question if the answer has not been satisfactory. The problem that caused the reporting delay is most likely an improper sequence of events, due to a violation of good “fluency” business practice. The cause can be found in the system itself,in the preparation or delivery of input data or in the separation of copies and distribution of output reports. The obvious solution to this problem is to reconstruct the sequence of events.

12. Diagnostic instruments

The Diagnosis and Problem Solving Matrix can and should be complemented with other instruments, these being the following:

1. Intuition test: consistent tests to determine whether or not the computer is being used correctly.

2. Analytical test: it consists of a mathematical evaluation to show with numerical data the good and bad aspects of the data processing function.

3. Exploration test: made up of structured questionnaires whose purpose is to discover the defects of the data processing applications proposed or implemented.

13. Problem solving process

14. Action plan to eradicate computer problems

To eradicate a computer problem it is necessary for top management to take the first step. Information is a company resource and, therefore, must be managed like any other. Top management must establish the guidelines required for such management. The four stages of the action plan are listed below:

Stage 1: establish quality guidelines in data processing. At this stage, management must specify the level of quality it expects from the information processing.

Stage 2: appoint a person to take responsibility. The guidelines only work when a single person is assigned responsibility for their compliance.

Stage 3: establish a quality assurance function. It is the one that takes charge of the proper functioning of the information processing process.

Stage 4: establish a quality control function. Quality control must be carried out during the development and execution of each of the application systems. This function is responsible for ensuring that the products produced by the data processing function meet the standards established by management in its quality guidelines.

15. Main symptoms of computer problems

For the purposes of its detection, subsequent analysis and resolution of the problem according to the patterns set out above, a list of 43 symptoms that manifest some type of problem in the computer system is displayed below. Those responsible are advised to face this analysis as a group task or to carry out this test individually, after which these people meet to evaluate their answers. It is convenient for each point to state whether or not such a problem occurs, subsequently exemplifying it. If many points coincide in response time and if the same examples are added to this, we will have very precise points for improvement to be made.

1. Budget exceeded

2. Delays

3. Strong staff turnover in the data processing department

4. Insufficient computer time

5. Excessive computer time

6. Inability of staff to diagnose the cause of problems

7. Reports that don't add up

8. Errors in the computer output data

9. Input data is lost

10. Incorrect input data

11. Incorrect process

12. Files are lost

13. Output data is lost

14. The change is not communicated to the user

15. The change is not communicated to the data processing department

16. Unassigned responsibility

17. Postponement of major projects

18. No one accepts responsibility for a problem

19. Dispute about the contract with the supplier

20. The contract does not contemplate certain services that a product requires

21. The acquired application must be modified in the company

22. The requested hardware will not be available when needed

23. Manual adjustments are made to the computer output data

24. Excessive system change requests

25. Changes are requested too quickly

26. The user keeps duplicates of the records

27. Abnormal termination (interruption)

28. Terminal lock

29. User complaints

30. Customer complaints

31. Abuse of the system to obtain personal satisfaction

32. Involuntary abuse of the system

33. Code that cannot be maintained

34. Startup / conversion error

35. Inappropriate use of computing resources

36. The data processing staff do not understand the needs of the company

37. Conflict between data processing personnel and users

38. Lack of reservation data

39. Excessive recovery time

40. Requests for additional hardware

41. Overtime worked in the data processing department

42. Excessive response time for online systems

43. Badly designed software

16. Teamwork and Quality Control Circle

As is proper and natural to the kaizen system, it is necessary for the company to work as an authentic and solid team, with shared objectives and clear visions. Differences between sectors are common in companies, and this is even more true with the computing area, where members of the same usually consider themselves the owners of data and information, and consider themselves with the right to design the systems at their own expense. taste and measure.

It is necessary to emphasize that the systems and the information they generate are property of the company as such, and that therefore priority must be given to the needs of users, whether they are internal or external (an example of the latter case is the clients of institutions banks or customers of any company or business who want clear and precise invoices; just think about it in the telephone companies).

In order to avoid the problems of continuous changes in the systems, a correct and in-depth analysis of the various needs is necessary and proceed based on this in the design of the system. To achieve optimal use of resources, including time, it is necessary to make use of Concurrent Engineering. Methodology and process that allows to improve not only the design of the products but also the execution processes, shortening the deadlines for preparing such programs or building systems.

It is of utmost importance for all the above mentioned to tear down the walls that separate the various sectors, achieving greater fluidity in information and communication in such a way as to lead to organizational excellence.

Within this same framework and as a way to improve the quality, costs, productivity, delivery times, levels of satisfaction and security of the computer system, it is essential to establish both Quality Circles made up of members of the computer area, as well as Process Improvement Teams made up of personnel from the IT area as well as other users of the system.

Said Quality Circles or Teams will work with a group of people with the presence of a Leader and a Facilitator. They must apply the different quality tools and instruments in order to analyze the causes of the problems detected and propose the best solutions.

17. Suggestion system

System that is producing great results in Japanese companies as well as in Western companies that have started them. Although the system provides great benefits economically, its main reason for being is to increase the level of motivation of employees, in addition to making use of their daily experiences in the workplace. IT personnel, as well as other company employees (whether managers or not) and external users (especially paying special attention to large clients) can and should participate.

Taking advantage of the ideas of internal and external users in terms of forms of information on screen or summaries, ways of operating the system among others can lead to greater user satisfaction, higher levels of responses, cost savings and greater ease of use.

18. Measurement of user satisfaction levels

Implementing a system that by means of numerical measurements allows knowing how well the system is satisfying the needs of internal and external clients is of great importance. For this, the use of Statistical Process Control will allow to know what is the capacity of the computerized process to satisfy the diverse needs of the clients. "Quality means meeting the needs of customers and their reasonable expectations"; it should also be noted that quality is a matter of long-term survival.

It is essential, as in any activity or process that evolves towards total quality, to establish a clear client-supplier relationship, in this way clearly specifying the needs of the clients, the information that the suppliers require, and the objectives of the system, there will be a clear vision of the processes to improve.

Within the Planning process of the IT area, it should be established which are the Critical Success Factors (CRF), in order to then concentrate human, financial and time resources, in the most effective and efficient realization of them.

19. Bibliography