NNPHI Kaizen Program: Johnson County Department of Health and Environment—Supply Ordering Process
Summary
The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) supply ordering Kaizen project focused on improving order accuracy and decreasing process cycle time. The Kaizen team included seven representatives of front-line staff and program managers to reflect the individuals who actually do the work. The team first determined the present state of the supply order process. Documenting the present state in a process-mapping format took it step by step, which allowed the team to visualize gaps and waste in the process. Next, the team prioritized the current state issues, came up with solutions, prioritized the solutions using 2x2 ranking matrices, and created a future state plan for supply ordering. The Kaizen team was empowered to make decisions for the department in the future process of supply ordering. Testing the future state of supply ordering showed that JCDHE had 69% potential improvement in the cycle time, or a decrease from 365 hours per year to 113 hours per year. Other positive results included labor time savings, including clarification time; a decrease in the number of orders from as needed to monthly; improved receiving (due to increased accuracy); improved morale and Leadership Empowers All People (LEAP) principled environment; improved inventory management; and item standardization.
Whiteman, D. Public Health Quality Improvement Exchange. NNPHI Kaizen Program: Johnson County Department of Health and Environment—Supply Ordering Process. Tue, 09/26/2017 - 11:20. Available at https://www.phqix.org/content/nnphi-kaizen-program-johnson-county-department-health-and-environment%E2%80%94supply-ordering. Accessed December 7, 2023.