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Case Studies / Stories: Steven S Prevette

Dr. Russ Ackoff's Double-Decker Bus story illustrates how redesigning a system, rather than incremental changes, can fully dissolve problems. The city's bus system had incentivized drivers and conductors in a way that caused conflicts, but Dr. Ackoff suggested redesigning ticket collection and payments to remove the root incentives causing the issues. At the Submarine Torpedo Facility, collecting data on process times revealed engine cleaning as the bottleneck, so shifting resources there improved throughput. At Hanford K Basins, an ergonomist's inexpensive suggestions helped reduce injury rates after automated equipment failed and manual work caused rotator cuff injuries to spike.

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65 views21 pages

Case Studies / Stories: Steven S Prevette

Dr. Russ Ackoff's Double-Decker Bus story illustrates how redesigning a system, rather than incremental changes, can fully dissolve problems. The city's bus system had incentivized drivers and conductors in a way that caused conflicts, but Dr. Ackoff suggested redesigning ticket collection and payments to remove the root incentives causing the issues. At the Submarine Torpedo Facility, collecting data on process times revealed engine cleaning as the bottleneck, so shifting resources there improved throughput. At Hanford K Basins, an ergonomist's inexpensive suggestions helped reduce injury rates after automated equipment failed and manual work caused rotator cuff injuries to spike.

Uploaded by

im
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Case Studies / Stories

Steven S Prevette
Senior Statistician
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC

SPC Trending Primer/ Two Day Training


http://www.efcog.org/wg/esh_es/Statistical_Process_Control/index.htm
Case Studies

• Dr. Russ Ackoff’s Double-Decker Bus


• Submarine Torpedo Facility
• K Basins Ergonomics
Story Time

• Do not overlook the importance of story-telling


• Much of corporate culture is based upon story telling
• Charts are good, but if you can tie them to a good
story, you have a powerful combination
• Consider the 30-second elevator speech

3
Russ Ackoff’s Bus Story

• A friend approached
Dr. Ackoff with the
following problem
• A city in Europe had a
bus system with
double-decker busses

4
The System

• There are two employees on each bus – the driver and


the conductor
• Each had been “incentivized” – driver’s pay was based
upon miles driven, the conductor’s on observations of
fare collection
• The conductor was to sell passengers tickets, and be
sure as they exited they had paid for the proper
number of “zones”

5
The Workers

• The conductors were to signal the drivers if there were


any passengers to get off at the next stop.
• If the conductors were busy, they couldn’t signal and
the drivers had to stop.
• On one bus, the conductor couldn’t signal for three
straight stops. The driver stopped the bus, and beat up
the conductor.
• Violence routinely started breaking out between drivers
and conductors.

6
Absolve the problem

• At first the city tried to absolve itself of the problem.


They hoped the problem would go away.

• It did not.

7
Resolve the Problem

• Next the city tried to resolve the problem. They asked


the drivers and conductors to go back to straight pay,
no incentive pay.

• The drivers and conductors went on strike.

8
Solve the Problem

• Next the city tried to solve the problem. They hired


university professors.
• They came up with the drivers and conductors should
pool their incentive pay and split it.
• The drivers and conductors refused, they did not want
to be dependent upon the other for their pay.

9
“Solving” the Problem, part 2

• Dr. Ackoff’s friend tried to get the two parties together.


He threw dinners and drinks for four conductors and
four drivers at a fancy hotel for several nights.

• He ended up with a bill for damages to the room!

10
Dissolve the Problem

• Dr. Ackoff asked the following questions:

• How many buses were in service at peak times? -


1,250
• How many stops? – 850

• Dr. Ackoff then suggested how to dissolve the problem


through redesign.

11
Problem Dissolution

• What was his suggestion?

• Note, this story also introduces the ideas of absolve,


resolve, solve, and dissolve as problem resolution
techniques.

12
Submarine Torpedo Facility

• The Submarine Torpedo Facility Charleston had a


goal of processing 10 torpedoes per week set by
SUBLANT
• We were routinely not making the goal
• I was asked to collect data about the torpedo
maintenance process and suggest improvements

13
Examining the System

• We collected start and stop times for a week for all


work tasks
• Also looked at in process inventory
• Engine Cleaning turned out to be a key
– Only two junior personnel qualified
– Dirtiest job of the process
– Many torpedoes sitting waiting for engines
– Many engines waiting to be cleaned

14
Existing Focus

• There were four automated test equipment (ATE)


lines
• Senior personnel made sure they stayed
operational
• Usage log data showed one line was always idle
• Priorities and resources shifted from keeping all
four ATE lines up to engine cleaning

15
Success

• These two changes allowed the facility to easily


process 10 torpedoes per week
• Started running out of torpedoes to process!
• Completed 10 torpedoes even during the week of a
major inspection

16
Hanford K Basins

• K Basins at Hanford was tasked with removing


spent fuel from the basins
• Original process used automated processing
equipment
• About ½ way through processing, the
automated equipment failed, and workers had to
shift to “long pole” manual processing
• Rotator cuff injuries sky-rocketed

17
Dueling Charts
OSHA Recordable Case Rate OSHA Recordable Case Rate
9 2.5
8
SPC Version FY to date Average
7 2.0

6
1.5
5
4 1.0
3
2 0.5
1
0 0.0

Jan-02

Jul-02
Oct-01

Apr-02
Jul-00

Jul-01

Jul-02

K Basins management was using a cumulative average,


and did not acknowledge an increase until September
2002.

18
Actions Are Taken

• Denise Brooks was brought in as an ergonomist


• She observed the work process, worked with
the workers, and suggested inexpensive
improvements
• The injury rates started dropping in June 2003,
one year after the initial trend

19
Measurable Success

OSHA Recordable Case Rate


16
14
12 800,000 hours
between cases
10 Aug 04 - May 05
8
6
4
2
0
Jul-01

Jul-02

Jul-03

Jul-04

Jul-05
20
Award-Winning Success

21

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