Evaluating Methods of Change Nancy Kress Head, Bookstacks Department University of Chicago Library.

Evaluating Methods of Change

Nancy Kress

Head, Bookstacks Department

University of Chicago Library

The ChallengeUsers expect books to be on the shelf at all

times

Bookstacks Mission:The Stacks Department serves library patrons through quick, accurate re-shelving of library

materials.

Methodologies for Change 2003 - present

• Process mapping– 2003-2005

• Continuous process improvement– 2004-present

• Lean Manufacturing– present

What wasn’t solved?

• Peak book returns– 4 quarterly due

dates– Normal weekly

book returns avg. 8,000

– Peak weekly returns avg. 35,000

Best Practice Models

• Other Libraries• Similar process organizations

– U.S. Post Office– Library Bindery

Heckman Plant Tour

• View lean manufacturing process• Improve Bookstacks efficiencies at

Regenstein

What is “Lean Manufacturing?”

• Lean manufacturing is aimed at elimination of waste

• Organize processes to add value to the customer

• Deliver goods “just-in-time”• Service organizations also using

lean

History of Lean

• “The Machine That Changed the World”

• Toyota auto manufacturing

• “Value chain”

Basic Lean Principles

• Add nothing but value– Eliminate “muda” – waste

• Do it right the first time• People doing the work add value

– Team oriented

• Deliver on demand– “Pull” instead of push

Lean learned from Heckman

• Key Principle #1: Pull…– …means work

isn’t done until a downstream process requires it

– Make only what the next process needs – when it needs it

“Pull” becomes “Immediate Shelving”

• The Process:– Only full shelves

pulled to cart– One shelf = 30

minutes

Lean learned from Heckman

• Key Principle #2: Batching– Key to rapid

delivery is small batch sizes

“The Goal” by Eliyahu M. Goldratt & Jeff Cox

•“This book is about progress. It’s about the creation and acceptance of improvements – change for the better.”

More from “The Goal”…

• What is the Bookstacks Department’s ONE goal?– Quick, accurate

reshelving– All books on the shelf

in correct order, ALL THE TIME

Are we meeting the Goal?

Throughput Books coming IN

InventoryBooks WAITING to

be shelved

Operational Expense Payroll COST

Our Challenge for Lean

• Peak Book Returns

• 4 Quarterly Due Dates– Normal weekly

returns: 6,000– Peak returns:

35,000

Weekly Returns SpQu05

Week

Total books 17974 42102 41430 17541 15642 12033 12782 13638 13589 14068 17382 24453 23400

Interim 1 2 3Sp 05

45 6 7 8 9

Sp 05

10Finals Interim

Brainstorming Session

• Book knowledge can only go so far…– Best way to learn is by DOING

• Begin where the greatest need exists

Creating “level pull”

• “Level pull” is basically a replenishment model– Replenish Bookstacks shelves

• Create a “level” daily schedule of work– Use inventory to buffer against large

swings in work

Keys to level pull

• Create inventory– “supermarket”

• Organize how inventory is stored– Consolidate similar types

Optimize the Bottlenecks

• Reduce batch sizes– Eliminate uneven

amounts of work

• Put the best people on the bottlenecks– They set the pace

The Lean SolutionOLD NEW

Bottlenecks go to overflow shelving

Only non-bottlenecks go to

overflow

No “immediate shelving”

Bottlenecks are “immediate shelving”

Everything goes through same

process

2 processes – bottleneck and non

Future Outcomes?

• GOAL: measurable results• VALUE: high use books are on shelf

Actual Outcomes

Winter 2005 Winter 2006

Reserve books turnaround 4 days

Reserve books turnaround 2 days

Search requests found in pre-shelving: 14%

Search requests found in pre-shelving: 7%

High use books stored in overflow

unavailable to users

High use books carted, sent to

stacks available to users

Future Goals

• Bionic Bookstacks– Better– Stronger– Faster

Exercise: Identifying Waste

• What activities add no value to library users?

Waste Categories

• Overproducing• Inventory• Waiting• Extra Processing• Correction• Excess Motion• Transportation• Underutilized

People

ReferencesGoldratt, E. M. & Cox, J. (1992). The goal: A process of ongoing improvement 2nd rev. ed.). Great Barrington, MA: North River Press.

Keyte, B., & Locher, D. (2004) The complete lean enterprise: Value stream mapping for administrative and office processes. New York: Productivity Press.

Madison, D. (2005). Process mapping, process improvement, and process management: A practical guide for enhancing work and

information flow. Chico, Calif: Paton Press.

Nalicheri, N., Baily, C., & Cade, S. The lean, green service machine. http://www.strategy-business.com/

Poppendick, M. (2002). Principles of lean thinking. http://www.poppendieck.com/papers/LeanThinking.pdf

Rother, M., Shook, J., & Lean Enterprise Institute. (2003). Learning to see: Value stream mapping to create value and eliminate muda (Version 1.3 ed.). Brookline, MA: Lean Enterprise Institute.