Services

Quantum Associates provide continuous process improvement solutions for small to Fortune 1000 companies in the service and manufacturing sectors. We help them double labor and working capital productivity while reducing costs 20% or more.  Some of the solutions we offer include:

ISO 9000 Implementation and Training
Lean Process Improvement
Six Sigma Process Improvement
Business Process Improvement

 

ISO 9000 Implementation

Quantum Associates’ comprehensive ISO 9000 implementation process includes strategic meetings with your management team to develop your quality policy and objectives, a gap analysis to determine the scope of the project, documentation and training of your staff to implement the policy and procedures.

ISO 9001:2008 is a  commonsense standard based on continuous process improvement. It is not complicated. Its ideas are accessible and applicable to any business or organization. Quantum Associates’ comprehensive ISO 9001:2008 implementation process includes strategic meetings with your management team to develop your quality policy and objectives, a gap analysis to determine the scope of the project, documentation and training of your staff to implement the policy and procedures.

ISO 9001 One-Day Readiness Assessment

 ISO 9000 Design and Implementation

We can work within your budget constraints to help design and implement your quality system. We can offer you our accelerated plan, which limits the time your staff is diverted from their everyday responsibilities and gets you ready for your registration audit within 4 to 6 months. Our traditional plan includes working with your implementation team to ensure your documentation complies with the standard and to facilitate implementation. The traditional approach usually takes 8-12 months to achieve registration readiness. Click on the links below for some sample ISO 9001: 2008 quality system documents.

Sample ISO 9000 QSM
Sample procedures

ISO 9000 Quality System Maintenance

Many small organizations either do not have the resources to maintain their quality management system or need to deploy their available resources to more pressing business problems. We offer customized maintenance and support as well as full service programs to help you maintain your quality system. We assign an ISO 9000 maintenance coordinator who usually reports to your Management Representative. The fee for this service is calculated on an “as used” basis or can be established as a periodic retainer depending on your needs. Above all our ISO 9000 coordinators are experienced lead auditors.

ISO 9000 Internal Auditor Training

Our internal auditor workshops will help prepare your staff to conduct internal audits of your ISO 9000 quality system. We offer two workshops based on your needs. Our two-day workshop is designed for participants who are basically unfamiliar with the ISO 9000 standard and the process approach to auditing. Workshop participants acquire the tools to plan, prepare and conduct internal audits. Our one-day workshop is for experienced internal auditors. Participants acquire the tools to audit quality system processes, identify and correct problem areas and continually improve the quality system.

Online Internal Auditor Training Available

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Our Approach to Lean Process Improvement

Lean process improvement is a company-wide initiative to achieve operational excellence. It is an approach that facilitates improvement of process efficiency and quality while delivering faster service and cost reduction. Lean implementation is no longer confined to manufacturing. It can be successfully applied to service and administrative processes. Manufacturing and service companies should consider the positive impact Lean will have on all organizational processes when developing their Lean process improvement strategy.

Our business management consultants can help you transform your organization into a lean enterprise by providing a structure for lean  to ensure that you manage the change to a lean organization effectively and deliver sustainable results. 

Besides our full service consulting and implementation we offer four flexible approaches to lean process improvement that fit your budget and do not over burden your staff. (More information)

 Lean is nothing more than creating value for customers/patients/clients by eliminating wasteful activities. Any activity or process that consumes resources, adds costs or time without creating customer value is a target for elimination. Lean is a customer focused approach to improving your product or service, and optimizing quality at least cost.

Our preferred approach is to focus on ‘holistic level” improvements using our proven four step model—HAPS^SM as opposed to point improvements (we do provide point level approaches). It is this system or holistic level approach that dramatically improves profitability (bottom-line results). In order for a process to reach its full potential it is important to understand what is happening from a holistic or system perspective (end-to-end). We have devised a data-driven analytical/statistical tool to help clients understand their processes from a holistic perspective.

The next step is to transform the selected Value Stream(s)—from the request of the product or service to the actual delivery of the product or service. With our innovative analytical tool, we eliminate the potential of obtaining only minimal results and ensure your success both culturally and technically.

During the Lean journey, you select the Value Stream(s) for the Lean Transformation. The Value Stream(s) will be analyzed from a holistic perspective to create your Current State Map –identifying all the activities and relevant data to create a visual representation of customer/patient/client flow through your processing steps. We will then create a Future State Value Stream Map that looks out 3 to 12 months at what the system could look like if you eliminated or minimized the non-value-added activities. From the Future State Map we work with your team to develop an implementation plan that systematically details how waste is going to be eliminated.

The detailed implementation plan identify the Lean (or Six Sigma) tools required, where they are required, when they are required and who is responsible for applying these tools to make the transformation from the Current State to the Future State. The implementation plan eliminates “cherry picking” specific lean tools and avoids short-term thinking.

A major outcome of our HAPS^SM methodology is the creation of an environment that supports your staff to be customer/patient/ client focused in the timely delivery of products or services at the lowest possible cost and with optimum quality.

 The Link Between Lean and Profitability

We have developed a Lean profitability model to help organizations measure the link between lean and profits. This program is based on attaching costs to all the non-value-added activities in your current state process or value stream and then tracking the impact of the cost reductions on profits when these activities are removed or minimized as we move to the future state (more details).

Understanding the Potential of Lean Process Improvement

• At least 40% of operations costs are wasteful—activities that add no value to the customer. The majority of these 
   wasteful activities are caused by multiple handoffs and decision points in your service processes.

• Lean organizations identify two times more cost reduction opportunity than non-lean organizations by seeking to eliminate non-value-added activities. Furthermore Lean organizations operate more efficiently, maintaining cost-
  efficiency ratios that are considerably lower than the industry average.

• Lean is inexpensive and generates solid returns—unlike other process improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma, Lean process improvements do not require significant up-front capital investment or certification. Lean concepts are easy to apply and organizations leveraging Lean techniques report immediate results of 20% to 40%
   cost reduction in 12 to 18 months.

• Lean empowers executives and their staff to continuously challenge the status quo to redefine value in the eyes of the customer.

Lean Manufacturing

Even processes that generally add value often have individual tasks that are non-value-added. Lean Manufacturing uses a variety of tools and techniques to identify these areas of opportunity. Products and processes are redesigned, improved or sometimes completely eliminated to attack forms of waste.

The drive to eliminate non-value added activities has obvious benefits. Almost invariably, preventing a defect is more efficient than finding and fixing it. Fewer errors mean less rework. More reliable processes lead to less work-in-process (WIP) inventory and reduced space requirements. As wasteful activities are eliminated, the elapsed time to manufacture a product is reduced. The bottom line is that customers receive a better product, at lower cost and in less time- in other words more value.

By eliminating non-value added activities, companies can make huge improvements in the time it takes to deliver products or services to their customers. Reductions in the total response time of 50% to 90% are common. Many companies have slashed lead times of products built to unique customer requirements from months to a matter of hours.

A management system built around Lean not only enables you to provide exceptional customer value but also brings flexibility in the way you manage your operations. The future will require that you develop customer-oriented, robust, waste free, flexible processes. Then and only then will you be in a position to survive in the marketplace.

The success of your organization depends on how effectively you are able to provide an exceptional customer experience while achieving cost efficiency and enhanced revenues. This means providing customers swiftly with what they want, when they want it, every single time.

Counter to what you hear and perhaps believe, this doesn’t require large investments in technology. It can be achieved by focusing on the basics and utilizing the power and potential of your employees. As you struggle to stay competitive in the marketplace, Lean provides a method to achieving sustained growth.

We offer lean  process improvement expertise to service organizations and administrative departments. We can leverage the benefit of our training and implementation experience in service organizations to help you hone your competitive edge and prepare for long-term survival.  To remain competitive organizations must focus on costs. Administrative or office costs are major contributors to the cost of a product or service sold. These costs are typically 60 - 80% of the total sales price. Administrative costs must be aggressively reduced if an organization is to remain competitive. Eliminating office waste by driving costs out of your processes will help you become more competitive in the global marketplace. To help you determine the approach for implementing lean in your administrative or office areas we offer the following services:

•  Lean Administrative Implementation
• 1 Day Lean Office Event
• 2.5 Day lean Office Event
• Lean Administration Event
• Lean Healthcare
• One-Day Lean Readiness Assessment
• Lean/OPEX Opportunity Assessment

Our Capabilities

Value Stream Analysis

We can help you analyze how you deliver value to your end customers. Our value stream analysis process consist of the following steps:

• Suppliers/Inputs-Outputs/Customers determination

• Define the value the customers receive from the value stream

• Establish the business case for improving the value stream

• Develop key performance indicators

• Walk the value stream to observe and collect data

• Create "Current State" map of the value stream-product and information flows

•  Create the "Future State" map of the value stream

•  Develop action plans to achieve the "Future State"

We can help you transform your organization into a lean enterprise by providing a structure to ensure that your lean implementation team functions effectively and deliver sustainable results. You will learn to define value from your customers’ perspective, identify your value stream, eliminate the seven deadly wastes, improve the flow of work, implement a pull system, and continually improve your processes. Take a look at this example of "Achieving Operational Excellence."

Lean Enterprise Training

Our Lean Manufacturing and Lean Enterprise Training include an introduction to lean, a lean manufacturing or lean office readiness assessment, and lean simulations to stimulate the learning experience. You will explore and practice alternative solutions to traditional batch logic, be able to recognize and demonstrate the benefits of applying “Lean” techniques, and learn to measure the key financial and productivity performance of implemented changes. We also offer a Lean Office Training workshop to jump start your waste elimination efforts in the front office.

Lean Simulation Workshops

Our Lean Business Simulation workshops are highly interactive and hands-on. The workshops have been used by many organizations to introduce the core principles of the lean manufacturing and continual improvement. Your organization will develop a vision of the “ideal” production system and experience the difference between traditional and lean production systems and their impact on the bottom line. 

We also offer a Lean Office Simulation to introduce your office staff to Lean concepts and motivate them to make improvements in their office processes by eliminating waste. 

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Our Approach to Six Sigma

Quantum Associates can bring some distinct advantages to your Six-Sigma process improvement initiative. Perhaps most importantly, we will provide you with the close attention and expertise you deserve. We will assign experienced associates to handle your Six Sigma project. In addition, we have the flexibility and responsiveness to meet your training deadlines. We offer you a very high level of service along with specialized knowledge and experience to handle complex assignments quickly.

Six Sigma is a continuous process improvement initiative used to eliminate defects from processes. The goal is to create near perfection through continuous improvement that aligns the “voice of the process” with the “voice of the customer.” No more than 3.4 defects per one million opportunities (DPMO) is the goal of Six Sigma level of quality.

Six Sigma is more rigidly structured than Lean. The focus of Lean is to identify and eliminate waste through rapid implementation of change designed to create pull systems in a continuous improvement environment. Six Sigma, on the other hand, focuses on reducing defects through the creation of predictable processes with as little variation within those processes as possible. Six Sigma uses highly trained and skilled staff, master black belts, black belts, and green belts to determine the sources of defects and identify how a given process operate to reach its maximum potential

As with Lean our preferred approach is to focus on ‘holistic level” improvements using our proven four step model (HAPS^SM) as opposed to point improvements. It is this system or holistic level approach that dramatically improves profitability (bottom-line results). In order for a process to reach its full potential it is important to understand what is happening from a holistic or system perspective (end-to-end). We have devised a data-driven analytical/statistical tool to help clients understand their processes from a holistic perspective.

Our Capabilities

Our strategic partners offer the following six sigma training events. All of the workshops are facilitated by Certified Six Sigma Black Belts with over 20 years of corporate work experience.

One-Day Six-Sigma Employee Overview Training

This one-day training event is designed to increase your employees understanding of Six Sigma and includes the following topics: background and history of Six-Sigma, what Six-Sigma measures—DPM/DPMO, overview on how to structure the Black Belt and Green Belt programs, overview of the five phases of the DMAIC model and the tools/activities used in each phase, the impact of the voice of the customer on quality improvement and achieving your organization’s mission, brainstorming sessions: Roles and responsibilities for Six-Sigma breakthrough quality improvement—employees and management, and What impact will Six-Sigma have on how you manage the business?

 Three-Day Six-Sigma Champion Training

This program will prepare your executives and managers with significant overall business responsibility to: select and prioritize projects, select and mentor Black Belts, remove barriers and ensure Black Belts receive the support they need, drive Six-Sigma to produce breakthrough results, and share best practices.

 Four-Week Six-Sigma Black Belt Training

This training is spread over four months and is designed to build your Black Belts understanding of Six-Sigma methodologies so that they can: become experts on Six-Sigma tools, lead, execute and complete DMAIC projects, teach team members the Six-Sigma methodology and tools, identify major improvement opportunities and refine project details and scope, and mentor Green Belts. Candidates will be expected to have identified an approved project that could generate at least $150,000 in savings for the organization or an 80% reduction in defects, or both.

One-Week Green Belt Training

This training is intended for employees from any function or level in the organization and is designed to provide an understanding of the DMAIC methodology. These employees can be assigned to project teams. The training includes simulation and interactive exercises to sustain the following concepts: Understanding Six-Sigma and its role achieving competitive advantage, overview of the DMAIC model, introduction to Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control phases of the DMAIC model.

Six Sigma Consulting/Facilitation      

Quantum Associates can bring some distinct advantages to your Six-Sigma Implementation process. Perhaps most importantly, we will provide you with the close attention and expertise you deserve. We will assign experienced associates to handle your Six Sigma project. In addition, we have the flexibility and responsiveness to meet your training deadlines. We offer you a very high level of service along with specialized knowledge and experience to handle complex assignments quickly.

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What Is Process Management?

Our Process Management program includes training and facilitation in process mapping, process redesign, and process value add analysis. Quantum Associates Business Process Management support has helped many companies reduce their cycle times and improve customer satisfaction. Process management refers to:

• Defining a work process, with input from suppliers and outputs to customers
• Describing how a process really works
• Tracking and analyzing process performance
• Redesigning or optimizing a process to improve its performance

 Key Benefits:

• Defining a work process, with input from suppliers and outputs to customers
• Describing how a process really works
• Tracking and analyzing process performance
• Redesigning or optimizing a process to improve its
  performance

 Our Capabilities

Business Process Mapping and Redesign  

Cross Functional Process Mapping focuses on cycle time reduction reducing the time for one cycle of work to be completed (for example, from the time a request for quote is received to the time service is provided or the product is shipped). An additional benefit is that it empowers employees at all levels to be personally responsible for customer satisfaction. What make this methodology better than many others you may have tried are results? Dramatic results occur with committed and creative teamwork.

The key to cycle time reduction is determining which steps in your process add value in the eyes of the customer. Walking in the shoes of the customer both changes your perspective and your solutions. It enables your whole team to see the entire process and how it relates to the customer. Focusing on the customer does not mean adding or deleting steps that you think might be important to your customers. You must first take the time to gather the voice of your customers and determine their expectations of your process. Click on this example of a macro-map to truly see value-added steps. click on the link below for some helpful business process mapping hints.

"My department contracted Quantum Associates to perform a process mapping exercise with the goal of reducing inefficiency. The work was textbook perfect...I was initially skeptical of the value-add model used by Quantum, but I must concede this methodology was a good choice for my area". ~ Delivery Services Manager for a $53 billion Healthcare firm.

Business Process Mapping Hints

Why Map a Process?

Process maps help make work visible. Increased visibility improves communication and understanding, and provides a common frame of reference for those involved with the process. Maps are often used to show how work gets done in your organization. When used in this way, they represent a snapshot in time that shows the specific combination of functions, steps, inputs, and outputs that your organization uses to provide value to your customers. Thus business process maps help you document your current pathways to customer satisfaction. Analysis of the processes which the maps represent can help you increase customer value by identifying activities to reduce process cycle time, reduce defects, reduce costs, establish customer driven performance measures, reduce non-value-added steps, and increase productivity.

For example, we helped create a cross functional process map of one of our distribution clients incoming material receiving process. The map showed that the receiving process consisted of many more steps than anyone had previously thought. and that their were few performance measures in place. Each manufacturer had its own way of packing and shipping products. This caused our client to adapt its process to each manufacturer, which in essence, established multiple processes for the same basic function - that for receiving and verifying incoming orders. A review of the steps in the process showed many to be rework or non-value-added. This convinced our client to reduce the non-value-added steps and to establish measures to track timeliness and accuracy of incoming shipments data in order to provide feedback to the shippers of the incoming material.

Cross-Functional Process Mapping

Imagine producing a product or service in half the time it currently takes!

Reduce the total cycle time in your value delivery processes. The primary tool needed to achieve total cycle time reduction is cross-functional process mapping. We help you create "As Is" and "Should Be" maps to eliminate non-value added steps and redefine the remaining value added steps to improve process efficiency.

For every 25% reduction in cycle time you can double your productivity resulting in as much as a 20% reduction in costs.

We address the critical business issues in mapping your business processes by developing an exhaustive list of process issues impacting cycle time. These issues become action items for you to focus on in creating your "Should Be" state.

Is your company doing all it can to make sure your customers are being satisfied?

Because you are so involved in the day-to-day operations of your organization you forget the primary rule of doing business: provide value for the customer. Our team of external domain experts (over 100 years aggregate experience in business improvement) can provide the training and education vital for successful progress in today's global competitive environment.

Process Improvement for Administrative Departments Consulting/Training

Many times organizations overlook the importance of collaboration and communication between their administrative departments. Work is completed by one department and "thrown over the wall" to the other department with total disregard for the needs or requirements of the department to whom the work is handed off.

With this type of mindset poor quality documents, information, and data leads to rework and wasted time which ultimately impacts the delivery of services or products to the external customer "the one who pays the bills."

Administrative departments need to create a new mindset in which they view downstream departments as their customers because they truly are their internal customers. This approach is remarkably evident if you think of the work you do as a process. In process thinking you receive an input from a supplier which you transform into a product or service for your downstream customer. Your goal as the processor department is to make sure your downstream customer is satisfied every single time.

This training is designed to provide your staff, with proven real world tools and techniques to improve their work processes and thereby satisfy their internal customers. The  training workshop is a systematic approach to process improvement. It gives administrative teams a practical model and set of tools for analyzing and redesigning their work.

The disciplined application of the entire methodology leads to sustained improvement in administrative processes. Benefits include:

• Reduced fire-fighting

• Better collaboration between the major work groups within the organization

• Clarification of work priorities

• Systematic identification and removal of the root cause of problems

• Fact-based decision making

• Prevention of problems

Please visit our Process Management Knowledge Base to learn more about process improvement.

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Book A Consultation Now

Call 847.919.6127 for more information or to schedule your consultation.