Hjärtmottagningen vid Alingsås lasarett upplever problem som långa köer och variation i resurstillgänglighet, något som idag är vanligt i vårdorganisationer. Detta är en problematisk situation med tanke på att köerna består av patienter som behöver undersökning och vård. Denna studie har som mål att finna lösningar på hur ett effektivare flöde kan uppnås och hur detta kan skapa kortare väntetider och en tillgängligare vård. Slutsatser som tas upp är att fokus på flödeseffektivitet är högst väsentligt för att få ett bra flöde på en vårdmottagning. Detta påverkas av planeringen på mottagningen, resurstillgängligheten och kommunikationen. Att minska den variation i resurstillgänglighet som råder i dagsläget leder till att det är lättare att matcha efterfrågan med resurser vilket i sin tur påverkar köer och flödet. Kommunikationen kan förbättras med hjälp av kontinuerliga möten och förbättringsgrupper som leds av personalen på mottagningen. Processkartläggning är också något som är viktigt då detta leder till att personalen lär sig om varandras arbete och får förståelse för detta. Processkartläggningen leder också till att onödigt arbete kan elimineras och istället lägga fokus på bra vård.

Background: The continued success of Lean thinking beyond manufacturing has led to an increasing interest to utilize it in software engineering (SE). Value Stream Mapping (VSM) had a pivotal role in the operationalization of Lean thinking. However, this has not been recognized in SE adaptations of Lean. Furthermore, there are two main shortcomings in existing adaptations of VSM for an SE context. First, the assessments for the potential of the proposed improvements are based on idealistic assertions. Second, the current VSM notation and methodology are unable to capture the myriad of significant information flows, which in software development go beyond just the schedule information about the flow of a software artifact through a process. Objective: This thesis seeks to assess Software Process Simulation Modeling (SPSM) as a solution to the first shortcoming of VSM. In this regard, guidelines to perform simulation-based studies in industry are consolidated, and the usefulness of VSM supported with SPSM is evaluated. To overcome the second shortcoming of VSM, a suitable approach for capturing rich information flows in software development is identified and its usefulness to support VSM is evaluated. Overall, an attempt is made to supplement existing guidelines for conducting VSM to overcome its known shortcomings and support adoption of Lean thinking in SE. The usefulness and scalability of these proposals is evaluated in an industrial setting. Method: Three literature reviews, one systematic literature review, four industrial case studies, and a case study in an academic context were conducted as part of this research. Results: Little evidence to substantiate the claims of the usefulness of SPSM was found. Hence, prior to combining it with VSM, we consolidated the guidelines to conduct an SPSM based study and evaluated the use of SPSM in academic and industrial contexts. In education, it was found to be a useful complement to other teaching methods, and in the industry, it triggered useful discussions and was used to challenge practitioners’ perceptions about the impact of existing challenges and proposed improvements. The combination of VSM with FLOW (a method and notation to capture information flows, since existing VSM adaptions for SE are insufficient for this purpose) was successful in identifying challenges and improvements related to information needs in the process. Both proposals to support VSM with simulation and FLOW led to identification of waste and improvements (which would not have been possible with conventional VSM), generated more insightful discussions and resulted in more realistic improvements. Conclusion: This thesis characterizes the context and shows how SPSM was beneficial both in the industrial and academic context. FLOW was found to be a scalable, lightweight supplement to strengthen the information flow analysis in VSM. Through successful industrial application and uptake, this thesis provides evidence of the usefulness of the proposed improvements to the VSM activities.

This thesis is focused on lean thinking and its application on a real case of a logistic process in a manufacturing company. Firstly, the concept of lean thinking is described together with its history and relation to other management concepts. Key terms for lean thinking are defined, such as value and waste. Value stream mapping method and basic inventory management models are also described. Secondly, the real case part is focused on process optimization of procurement of cutting tool in a company that manufactures aluminum pistons mainly for automotive industry. The value stream was mapped and lead time calculated. Several data analyses were performed, such as ABC analysis, analysis of inventory costs and description of consignment stock option. Finally, several measurements for optimization of the cutting tool procurement process were recommended based on theoretical and practical research. The goal was to increase the process stability, flexibility and to reduce cost. The measurements include formalization of the whole process and implementing supplier evaluation system. The part includes detailed proposal of such system. The goal of this thesis was to verify a hypothesis that application of lean thinking tools can help with optimizing the cutting tool procurement process. The hypothesis was verified on theoretical level. The actual implementation of the measures will show the real benefits for the company.

Customer satisfaction in healthcare organizations has higher priority than in industrialcompanies because the patient is the customer and the health of patient is the aim. So, amethodology like Lean which can help to increase patient satisfaction is practical and usefulfor implementation in healthcare sectors. This dissertation is based upon a Lean healthcare inthe emergency ward of Sahlgrenska hospital and explains that the main step of Leanhealthcare is to change the culture from traditional thinking to Lean thinking. In order toreach this goal, the research instruments used are: interview, triage data base, spending timeat emergency ward, and value stream mapping. The focus of this thesis work is to find thebest combination of medicine doctors and surgeons that would optimize the performance. Byusing Arena simulation software, it has been identified that three medicine doctors and threesurgeons can decrease the non-value added time and total time in sequence 13.1% and 1.6 %for each patient. Indeed, the 5S steps in all parts of the emergency ward have been practicedas best suited to the surroundings of the ward. The place of Triage room two for the patientswho arrive by ambulance is extended for better and faster service. A Lean team is trained forfollowing up the Lean principles in the ward and report the progress to the management.The results and suggestions are in two kinds. First are short term suggestions like to hire onemedicine doctors and two surgeons, to hold more training classes for all staff, and to allot anumber for each patient bed. Second are long term recommendations such as to change thelayout of the emergency ward and use a partition instead of a room.

This project was carried out because of a need for increasing the production efficiency atSKANSKA Byggsystem. The current production takt is 20 modules per week which at first stepshould become 24 modules per week and in a second stage, 28 modules per week.In this regard, the lean approach is applied to modify the procedures the productionprocesses are based on. Value Stream Mapping is used as one of the lean tools to illustratethe total image of the operations and lead times. Although it is essential to consider both theproduction and administrative procedures in analysis and implementing Lean tools, in thisproject the focus is on production operations and material flow rather than the informationflow.In the empirical study, different production areas in the factory are considered and thematerial flow is described from storage of raw material until storage of finished modules. Theempirical study has resulted in a description of the current situation of the factory andcurrent value Stream Map is drawn based on that.In the analysis part, different areas of waste in the production stages are defined andmodifications for eliminating waste and increasing efficiency are suggested; having the maincriterion of enabling the production to produce 28 modules per week, these changes haveresulted in a future state Value Stream Map of the factory. In addition, modificationsregarding the factory layout and outsourcing strategy are described as well.Finally, it is discussed that with minor changes it is possible to produce 24 modules per week.It is shown that by keeping the same resources and production methods, it is impossible tohave 28 modules per week, although, outsourcing the bathroom module results in a greatimprovement, however this is not enough for providing required extra capacity. The mostapplicable approach is to implement the changes and improve the production procedures toget to the maximum available capacity and add extra resources to provide the requiredcapacity of 28 modules per week. / Uppsatsnivå: D

Orient. na IETA Eng. Joaquim Soares / Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Mecânica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2010

Introduction: To improvement the target company’s manufacturing process by applyinglean principles, including using and analyzing the internal value stream mapping. Asmore and more companies have paid attention to implement lean thinking in theirmanufacturing process, the value stream mapping played an important role for manycompanies to make a transition from their traditional production systems to lean systems.The content and resources of this master thesis come from an American furniturecompany named KAMA which mainly produces office furniture with different components.Although there are various types of products, the authors merely focus on the officechair products. This research is an attempt to understand and analyze the problemsin the production flow on the example of KAMA’s office chair products that includesPH product family as the target research part.Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to investigate, analyze and find out solutionsfor waste-related problems in the office chair manufacturing flow of KAMA.Method: A single case study will be applied in this study paper. Data should be collectedfrom telephone interviews with company’s managements, the studying ofKAMA’s internal documentation and the secondary data from lean project report collectedby Consultant EIMI. In order to improve the production process, the valuestream mapping method will be applied to build the current value state map of CompanyKAMA and identify the potential wastes during the manufacturing process, andthen analyze and give the solutions for future improvement. Additional, other methodsincluding the order penetration point analysis, make-to-stock theory, and the CONWIPanalysis have been subsequently applied in designing a draft of the future state map.Conclusion: From the constructed current value stream mapping of KAMA officechair manufacturing process, it can be found that the most essential wastes are overproduction,waiting, unnecessary inventory and unnecessary movement. In addition, theimproper workstation arrangement and unnecessary waiting time have been identified asthe critical wasting reasons. Thus, any solutions to reduce or eliminate the identifiedwastes have been considered and would be given in the future state. In order to improvethe efficiency and reduce the unnecessary movements, adopting the appropriate cellularlayout in the mechanical workshop is quite beneficial. The mentioned methods to reducewastes have been summarized in the draft of the future state map of the company.The main benefits of the proposed future state value stream mapping are faster and accurateorder fulfillment process, reduction of unnecessary movements in workshop, lowinventory, high productivity and reduced costs in the flow of KAMA’s manufacturingprocess.

Introduction. Improvement of the product flow by means of applying the lean principles, including the value stream mapping tool has become an important component in the at-tempt of many companies to make transition from traditional production to the lean manu-facturing system. It often implies modernization of organizational structure, relationships with sub-contractors, suppliers and transportation companies. The topic of this master the-sis originates from company HAGS Aneby AB that produces playing systems comprising different components. This report is an attempt to understand and analyze the problems in the product flow on the example of playing system Agito that includes Origo product fam-ily components as the main constructive part. Purpose. The purpose of this case study has been to identify, analyze and propose solu-tions for waste-related problems in the Origo product flow, by applying the lean thinking principles and the data collection methods. Method. The proposed case study methodology combines both theoretical and empirical approach. Data collected in interviews with sub-contractors and suppliers, and observa-tions at the mechanical workshop and warehouse, have constituted the input for the value stream mapping method. The value stream mapping method has been applied to construct the current state map of the Origo value stream and identify the wastes. Furthermore, other methods including the decision point analysis, the postponement theory, and the supplier/buyer dependence grid have been subsequently applied to analyze the company relationships with key business partners and assist in designing a draft of the future state map. Conclusion. It has been concluded from the constructed current state map of Origo value stream that the most critical wastes are waiting, transportation, unnecessary inventory, un-necessary motion and defects. Furthermore, the requirement of minimum quantity of raw material to be purchased from the supplier and the improper workshop layout has been recognized as the main reasons for the wastes. The measures to reduce the identified wastes have been pointed out. It has been proposed to better integrate the key actors into the HAGS supply chain. Adopting the cellular layout in the mechanical workshop has been found beneficial as well as orientation of production on customer orders rather than on forecasting. The mentioned measures to reduce wastes have been summarized in the draft of the future state map. The main advantages of the proposed future state are faster order fulfillment process, gained visibility and control of raw material and reduced costs in the flow of Origo components.

In their strive for success in competitive markets companies often turn to Lean philosophy. However, for many companies Lean benefits are hard to substantialize especially when their ventures have met success through traditional manufacturing approaches. Traditional Lean tools analyze current situations or help Lean implementation. Therefore productions facilities require tools that enhance the evaluation of Lean proposals in such a way that decisions are supported by quantitative data and not only on a gut feeling. This thesis proposes how Discrete Event Simulation may be used as an evaluation tool in production process improvement to decide which proposal best suits Lean requirements. Theoretical and empirical studies were carried out. Literature review helped define the problem. A case study was performed at Alfa Laval to investigate through a holistic approach how and why did this tool provide a solution to the research questions. Case study analysis was substantiated with Discrete Event Simulation models for the evaluation of current and future state Lean proposals. Results of this study show that Discrete Event Simulation was not designed and does not function as a Lean specific tool. The use of Discrete Event Simulation in Lean assessment applications requires the organization to understand the principles of Lean and its desired effects. However, the use of traditional static Lean tools such as Value Stream Mapping and dynamic Discrete Event Simulation complement each other in a variety of ways. Discrete Event Simulation provides a unique condition to account for process variability and randomness. Both measurement of and reduction in variability through simulation provide insight to Lean implementation strategies.

<p>Introduction. Improvement of the product flow by means of applying the lean principles, including the value stream mapping tool has become an important component in the at-tempt of many companies to make transition from traditional production to the lean manu-facturing system. It often implies modernization of organizational structure, relationships with sub-contractors, suppliers and transportation companies. The topic of this master the-sis originates from company HAGS Aneby AB that produces playing systems comprising different components. This report is an attempt to understand and analyze the problems in the product flow on the example of playing system Agito that includes Origo product fam-ily components as the main constructive part.</p><p>Purpose. The purpose of this case study has been to identify, analyze and propose solu-tions for waste-related problems in the Origo product flow, by applying the lean thinking principles and the data collection methods.</p><p>Method. The proposed case study methodology combines both theoretical and empirical approach. Data collected in interviews with sub-contractors and suppliers, and observa-tions at the mechanical workshop and warehouse, have constituted the input for the value stream mapping method. The value stream mapping method has been applied to construct the current state map of the Origo value stream and identify the wastes. Furthermore, other methods including the decision point analysis, the postponement theory, and the supplier/buyer dependence grid have been subsequently applied to analyze the company relationships with key business partners and assist in designing a draft of the future state map.</p><p>Conclusion. It has been concluded from the constructed current state map of Origo value stream that the most critical wastes are waiting, transportation, unnecessary inventory, un-necessary motion and defects. Furthermore, the requirement of minimum quantity of raw material to be purchased from the supplier and the improper workshop layout has been recognized as the main reasons for the wastes. The measures to reduce the identified wastes have been pointed out. It has been proposed to better integrate the key actors into the HAGS supply chain. Adopting the cellular layout in the mechanical workshop has been found beneficial as well as orientation of production on customer orders rather than on forecasting. The mentioned measures to reduce wastes have been summarized in the draft of the future state map. The main advantages of the proposed future state are faster order fulfillment process, gained visibility and control of raw material and reduced costs in the flow of Origo components.</p>