Credit Voucher Turnaround Time
- Demonstrates administrative application of improvement tools and methods
- Median turnaround time for processing credit vouchers dropped from over 55 days to less than 3 days
- Customer satisfaction increased and cash flow improved significantly
- Customer data indicated sales of a new model of a popular luxury car were slow due in part to the absence of a distinctive styling feature
- Typical time-to-market for revising features would be 16 months or more; in this case it was done in just 4 months
- Demonstrates the need for all functions to work cooperatively to identify and overcome bottlenecks
- Demonstrates the need for follow-through on process improvements
- Changes were not implemented until managers took responsibility to make them a part of every day work
- Errors caught at final editing stage dropped dramatically and staff improved its ability to get fast-breaking stories in press the same day
- Illustrates use of basic process improvement tools in a service application
- Callers to a toll free number were often shunted to several departments before reaching the person they wanted
- Simplification of auto attendant and clearer descriptions made the system easier to use and more customer responsive
Improving Service Order Delivery
- Illustrates use of the guidance team/project team model to improve a core business process
- Shows roll out of major organizational effort
- Installation time dropped from 3 days to "noon tomorrow" for 96% of new orders and "first-time through" rose from 67% to 94%
- Demonstrates organizational strategy for checking progress on multiple project teams
- The biggest problems were beyond the team's control. It took action at senior levels to create an organizational environment that increased the likelihood of teams being successful.
- Defects in a key product were reduced to an industry record low
- Built strong bond with key customers
- Demonstrates need to use data in addition to teamwork
