1. Lean, Kaizen Blitz and 5S at the University of Aberdeen
Chris Banks: University Librarian, University of Aberdeen
Pat Browne: Lean Kaizen Specialist and Performance Coach, Exceed

2. Kaizen Blitz What is it? Why do it?
Focused effort with a feel good factor requiring:
Visible and genuine management support
Careful planning and orchestration
A realistic yet ambitious scope
A means of measuring whether it’s made a difference
Why do it?
As a taster to experience what lean methods could bring
To engage staff in positive change
To resolve an issue and potentially bring about a step change
To train internal change agents
To train lean methods through practice on real issues

3. Kaizen Blitz Timeline How is it done? Plan and Enrol
Pin down a subject
Set a vision for improvement and a set of goals
Assign roles and responsibilities
Choose a team
Coordinate diaries, appointments, focus groups
Collect baseline information
Raise awareness and allay fears

4. How the process started at Aberdeen
Pat presented on Lean Kaizen to a meeting of Directors
The University Secretary undertook to fund two projects
University Librarian immediately volunteered (having had experience of Lean in a previous role)
1 day with managers and influencers
identifying a subject and testing the scope and complexity
Introducing the concept and gaining buy-in
Invited a Lean champion from another HE library
Linked the activity to the forthcoming move to new premises - some 22 months away and only at the digging out foundations stage

5. The context for this project
Ancient University with significant special collections in need of resourcing to enhance documentation
A feeling that not all automated systems and processes were being fully utilised for the purchase and documentation of modern collections
A feeling that there may be some duplication across teams

6. Plan and Enrol Used the journey of a new book
Goals around time taken and the staff time around the process
Appointed a team manager from cataloguing as project leader
Pulled together a team from acquisitions /cataloguing and subject floors
Lined up managers and peers to attend open sessions
Used existing performance indicators and a sample for additional analysis
Engaged in advance with academics, students and library representatives

7. Kaizen Blitz in the QML - engagement

8. Kaizen Blitz in the QML –engagement

9. Taking ownership and pride

10. Kaizen Blitz – the tricky bits
Employee engagement
“We were given this tremendous opportunity to really understand what everyone was doing and what we could be doing much better. Why wouldn’t we make good decision for the organisation?”
Initially sceptical team member
Managers letting go
“My employees are more likely to respond positively to a change process if they have some say in the new approach, and therefore the organisation’s structure. That means it is not only important to listen to what they say, but they should also be given the opportunity to design and implement the process themselves, based on the parameters specified. “
Senior Manager /Local Authority

11. Tangible benefits Reduced staff time to support the process :
Acquisitions: 39% (1.4 FTE)
Cataloguing: 20% (0.7 FTE)
Floors and sites: 50% (1.8 TE)
Enabling in particular the cataloguing team to concentrate on rare books and floor staff to be more customer facing

12. Kaizen Blitz in the QML Other Benefits Simpler Faster Greener Cheaper
Using a standardised, single, clear, unambiguous guided online form
Faster
Reducing the time spent on each order
Saving time for the Acquisitions team
Ensuring greater efficiency all round
Greener
Saving paper
Cheaper
Eliminating expensive mistakes
Allowing customers to pick cheapest format
Clearly defining ‘date required by’, reducing the number of urgent orders incurring additional charges and maximising the discounts from our preferred supplier
Better
Ensuring customers get exactly what they want quickly and have more money for extra books
Helped with the planning for the environment

13. Kaizen Blitz legacy Shift in thinking What’s been done since
More challenge about whether we’re doing the right things
More acceptance about the introduction of other events e.g. 5S (workplace efficiency)
Significant development for some staff members
What’s been done since
Internal facilitators trained on 5S and basic improvement tools
5S events prior to the move – including one involving SMT
Experimentation with A3 reports
Influenced the wider University approach to continuous improvement

14. 5S in QML

15. 5S in QML

16. Kaizen Blitz in the QML Other Benefits Greener Cheaper Better
Saving paper
Cheaper
All furniture in the new library was to be newly purchased: less was needed
Reduced requirement for removal of unnecessary paperwork from QML to the new library
Better
Better and more efficient office environments