Daily Management System of the Henry Ford Production System: QTIPS to Focus Continuous Improvements at the Level of the Work

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1-2015

Publication Title

American journal of clinical pathology

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To support our Lean culture of continuous improvement, we implemented a daily management system designed so critical metrics of operational success were the focus of local teams to drive improvements.

METHODS: We innovated a standardized visual daily management board composed of metric categories of Quality, Time, Inventory, Productivity, and Safety (QTIPS); frequency trending; root cause analysis; corrective/preventive actions; and resulting process improvements.

RESULTS: In 1 year (June 2013 to July 2014), eight laboratory sections at Henry Ford Hospital employed 64 unique daily metrics. Most assessed long-term (>6 months), monitored process stability, while short-term metrics (1-6 months) were retired after successful targeted problem resolution. Daily monitoring resulted in 42 process improvements.

CONCLUSIONS: Daily management is the key business accountability subsystem that enabled our culture of continuous improvement to function more efficiently at the managerial level in a visible manner by reviewing and acting based on data and root cause analysis.

Medical Subject Headings

Efficiency, Organizational; Humans; Laboratories; Pathology Department, Hospital; Pathology, Clinical; Total Quality Management

PubMed ID

26071470

Volume

144

Issue

1

First Page

122

Last Page

136

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