Our Approach
Assessment
Assessments usually are completed just before initializing an improvement effort with one of our clients. At times, these are also requested periodically throughout our engagement to re-establish a baseline after some improvement gains are achieved. The idea is to get a good understanding of bassline performance and improvement opportunities within a short time i.e., 2 to 3 weeks. The general outcome of an assessment is a customized implementation and improvement roadmap. It largely consists of capturing information (data) from key areas and activities within the scope of improvement objectives. Data is collected and analyzed in one of three ways:
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Historical data; including slowdowns and shutdowns
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Direct Observations; understanding losses and opportunities which are not measured in the historical data
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Focused interviews; insights into key issues from process experts that are not part of historical data capture and may not be observed within the short assessment span
Issues and opportunities are assessed through four operational excellence drivers:
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Impact of Systems and People on driving improvement
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Understanding of where losses are and how do they move from process to process (variation and constraints)
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Type of Problem and best improvement methodology for each problem
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Order of improvement initiatives and resources required to deliver the best possible return
An improvement road map is then presented to the client to get an agreement on the improvement scope and requirement of resources both internal and external.
Teaching
Teaching is one of the main aspects of the A+I improvement offering. This allows A+I to be confident that clients will be able to sustain the gains once improvement initiatives are implemented and handed over to the Process owners. Our training offering is customized to meet the clients’ goals, has a measurable criterion, and takes into account adult learning techniques. There are two main types of training the A+I provides in various different improvement fields:
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Class Room training – Generally customized for the needs of our clients and given in a classroom setting to deliver key awareness and understanding of key improvement approaches, tools, and methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma Certifications, Minitab Analytics, and Statistical Process Control, Management Fundamentals, etc.
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On-demand training – specific modules and programs designed to be accessible either online through a self-paced environment or instructor-led remote offerings. Most of our classroom offerings can be customized to be available for on-demand training.
Some of our current offerings are:
Coaching
Coaching is another main offering that is essential in building applied skills for sustainability. It is a cost-effective and personalized way to support improvement teams and efforts.
There are two main types of coaching that A+I provides in various different improvement fields:
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On-the -Job coaching – is generally given to the people directly as part of an improvement scope to build their skills on the job through applied training such as on-the-job Continuous improvement skills for Supervisors allow them to recognize an opportunity and then implement it at the right level of organization.
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Improvement Manager – participate and coach senior management in daily process management towards sustainable continuous improvement and management systems
Improvement Projects
Clients usually engage A+I to either lead or support their improvement projects. These engagements usually start in one of two ways: 1). An already identified specific need through a burning platform or through the prioritized roadmap from an assessment of opportunities. A+I utilizes the systematic problem-solving approach of DMAIC (Define – Measure – Analyze – Improve – Control) to ensure the right tools are applied to the right problems and the results are sustainable.
Our approach of “Apply the Right Tool to the Problem, not the other way around” pulls on tools from Basic Problem Solving (Brainstorm, 5 whys, Fishbone, etc.), Statistical (r2, ANOVA, hypothesis testing, Design of Experiments, etc.), Lean (Wastes, Kaizen, 5S, Mistake-Proofing, etc.), Six Sigma (Variation, VOC, Causation, etc.), Theory of Constraints (Order of Constraints and Bottleneck), Performance Management (KPIs/KPPs, Lean Boards, Layered Reviews, Gemba Walks, etc.) and Change Management (Behavior Culture, Leadership, and Social Intelligence, etc.).
You can get a better understanding of A+I project offerings through our Case Studies as well as Current and Past Projects Sections.
Services
Exclusive Services
Data-Driven Analytics
The Art of Data Driven Decision Making is about distinguishing useful information from the noise which is present within the growing amount of data in any given organization. The objective here is to transform the heaps of existing data within an organization into actions which can influence outcomes towards strategic and tactical decision making.
Change Management
▪A+I Change Management model requires three steps; evaluate, execute, and embrace. Evaluate step is about understanding and hence planning for the positives and negatives of both the change and of no change. Execute stage looks into building soft skills required from individuals, teams, and organizations to implement a change through team leadership, and effective communication.
Bottleneck Optimization
A+I utilizes a Value Driver Modelling approach to quantify stochastic impact of internal and external variation within an operation.
A good manger generally knows where exactly the main bottleneck is in their operation People are genuinely interested in learning more about you, so don’t be afraid to share personal anecdotes to create a more friendly quality.
