« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
APPENDIX 3: INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
Evaluation of Lean Thinking in the Public sector
Case Studies August 2005 -January 2006
Interview outline/schedule
Location
Name
Job Title
Interviewer
Date
Introduction
Thank-you for agreeing to take part in this research that Warwick Business School is conducting on behalf of the Scottish Executive. The aim of the research is to examine the suitability and impact of advanced operations management methods that have been used within public sector organisations particularly in order to improve process flow 12. The work has been commissioned so that the Scottish Executive can make decisions about the development and use of Lean Thinking as a possible efficiency improvement methodology.
We are especially interested in understanding how you have improved your processes and the sustainability of these interventions. We are looking at both the content of what you have done and the process by which it has been implemented.
- Use of tape or video
- Open by inviting interviewee to briefly describe their job and role
Reference to anything of interest in background documentation
The first few set of questions (sections 1 -4) relate to the organisation/ department in general in terms of its approach to change and improvement programmes as well as its culture and structure. The second half (sections 5 - 7) refer to 'Lean' directly understanding how it is defined, what projects have consisted of in terms of 'Lean' and why and, how has 'Lean' been implemented and then monitored and assessed in terms of outcomes.
1. Contextual Factors (This section focuses on the organisational context, history and structure relating to change/ improvement projects and initiatives)
- Please describe the 'Lean' or 'Improvement' projects/s that you have been involved with that have focused on process improvement/ flow.
- What were the critical incidents or crises that sparked the change?
- What are the current key challenges facing the organisation?
- Are there any particular reasons why the organisation is facing forces for change at the moment?
- Are there any specific Government initiatives that are currently pertinent in encouraging improvement or change projects?
- Please describe any other improvement or change projects that the organisation has embarked on in the past ( e.g. job development, IT projects)
Pick Ups
Is the 'Lean' project having to fit in with a larger scale programme where methodology, strategy or objectives are "given"?
Who has championed the change?
Is the 'Lean' project seen as a short-term or developmental process
2. Organisation Strategy (This section focuses on the organisations understanding, awareness, approach and process of developing strategy)
- How would you describe the organisations approach to strategy?
- How well developed is the organisation in terms of its work on strategy?
- Describe the formal strategic planning process
- Who is involved in strategy?
- Who are the usual dissenters of the strategy? (issues of clinicians versus managers, elected members versus managers etc..)
- Are there any links between the strategy and the improvement activities/ initiatives?
- Is there a defined "operations strategy"?
Pick-ups
Get a copy of the strategy if possible/ what is the strategy??
How realistic are the objectives for the strategy?
Are timescales seen to be realistic?
Has there been any policy deployment?
Does 'Hoshin Kanri' mean anything to you?
Have stakeholders been involved in the strategy process?
How publicised is the strategy?
3. Organisation Readiness (This section focuses on the extent which the people in the organisation and the organisation itself understands, is aware of, any problems, issues, change or improvement programmes and projects.)
- Do you feel that there is an awareness that improvements need to take place within the organisation/ department?
- Does everyone accept that problems/ issues exist?
- Are the problems./ issues made visible?
- Is there a critical mass of people who are able to take responsibility to improve the processes?
- How are improvement processes/ problems analysis managed? (What level of resource is usually committed?)
- Is the organisation experienced at improvement?
- How extensive is/was team-based working?
- How would you describe the organisations middle management?
Pick-ups
Are there issues with professionals?
What training has already taken place as part of professional development or graduate management development?
Can the "culture" be described?
Extent and breadth of improvement projects.
4. OD perspective and Potential Organisational Barriers (This section focuses on the awareness of the level of barriers/ issues within the organisation)
- Is there a "customer" focus within the organisation?
- Is the organisation "process-based" or departmental? (get evidence if possible - organisational charts)
- Do people have a systems/ process perspective? (get examples)
- What quality measurement systems exist?
- What team-based working is part of a normal day?
- Describe improvement tools and techniques that are used within the organisation.
- Which current processes do you think are, and are not, capable of delivering what they intend to do? (Why? And what is being done about the poor ones?)
Pick-ups
Can they provide copies/examples of quality records?
What "market research" evidence is there about customer needs?
How do they define quality and quality improvement tools and techniques.
5. Lean thinking content (This section focuses on how they define and consider Lean and what they think the organisation or projects have done related to it)
- How do you define the term "Lean thinking"/ "kaizen" / "systems improvement"?
- Which elements of the concept are most important for you?
- Which aspects of Lean do you think have been tried within the organisation?
- Get a list of concepts, tools and techniques, projects etc.. that they feel have been used related to 'Lean'
Pick-ups
Which ideas have worked best and why?
Are some ideas more relevant?
Are some tools and techniques irrelevant/ unsuitable?
6. Implementation (This section focuses on how the improvement or Lean concepts have been implemented - there maybe some overlap with section 1)
- Who has been involved in providing the training and development for the improvement or 'Lean' projects?
- Describe the implementation strategy that has/ is taking place?
- What timescales are involved?
- How has the project been communicated?
- What proportion of the workforce are involved?
- How resource intensive was implementation for both participants' time and central support?
- How politically sensitive were/ are the changes?
- Did Lean have a good message to sell? Do you think that people could engage in the concept?
Pick-ups
How were change management issues addressed?
How were dissenters dealt with?
Are there areas where change is more patchy through implementation issues?
With hindsight, how much time is really needed?
7. Outputs and Outcomes (This section focuses on the actual outputs and outcomes of the 'Lean'/ improvement project)
- What outcomes were set for the project at the start?
- Have/ were the objectives been achieved? (get examples)
- How has/ are the outcome been measured? (get examples and any paperwork if possible)
- Have/ Are the changes been sustainable? (get example)
- Have some changes showed initial success then faded? (get example)
- Would you say that the process/ processes are now more efficient? Why?
- Have the changes addressed strategic performance, e.g. speed, quality etc.?
- How has/ did the project affect the rest of the organisation?
Pick-ups
Do they have SPC charts? If so, get some examples.
Has measurement continued after the initiative?
Are there hidden benefits?
Are there benefits for the taxpayer?
Have they scaled up the approach? Are they planning to?
« Previous | Contents | Next »