Latest News & Ideas
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February 2011: Bonita Matushewski and Dale Schattenkirk Lean Methodology: Reducing Residents' Breakfast Wait Times
"Do angels work here?" an extremely frail resident asked upon admission to the Swift Current Care Center. Sadly, not an odd question for long term care.
January 2012: by Dale Schattenkirk Lean Methodology: Reducing Shift Times
The people working in Long Term Care (LTC) are some of the most compassionate souls I have ever had the pleasure to meet and work with. The nurturing and understanding that flows from the caregiver's hands can lift residents in their time of need or help them share a laugh. Being fortunate enough to work with people from the many disciplines within the LTC setting has made my days in LTC process improvement extremely rewarding.
October 2011: by Dale Schattenkirk Applying Control Measures: Completion of the Valleybrook Lean Project
In this month’s article we will bring the Valleybrook Lean project to completion. The project team has made their way through the Define, Measure, Analyze and Improve phases of the DMAIC cycle and now just need to finish the Control phase to make sure it doesn’t slip.
September 2011: by Dale Schattenkirk Measure and Improve: Creating a baseline ensures subsequent changes make a quantifiable improvement to the system
In this month’s article we look at the Measure and Improve phase of the Valleybrook Lean project. The reason we measure is to create a baseline, our starting point to an understanding of our current state. By knowing this we can ensure the changes make a quantifiable improvement to the system.
August 2011: by Dale Schattenkirk The Importance of Teamwork: It's great to have early and eager supporters on board, but just as important to select Lean program skeptics
In this month's article we look at the Define phase and start into the Measure portion of the Valleybrook Lean project. The first step for any Lean project, once it has been selected, is to pick the appropriate team to guide the project through the 120-day cycle. Let's pause and discuss the need for a maximum time frame. There are several reasons any project should be scheduled for this maximum 120 days.
July 2011: by Dale Schattenkirk Applying Lean in Agriculture: 'Significant savings' going Lean
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