Improving writing processes using lean and Kanban

Key points •Concepts from lean manufacturing and Kanban production can usefully be applied to writing for academic publication. •Value and pull focus the author's attention on the needs of reviewers, editors, and readers. •Value stream and flow emphasize an end-to-end process of prioritization, writing, editing, revision, resubmission, and publication •Perfection places emphasis on publication quality. •A Kanban board is advocated to plan and monitor the writing and publication lifecycle. •The author's experience shows a steady improvement in output rankings and researcher reputation metrics over a four-year period

Identifying Agile Requirements Engineering Patterns in Industry

Agile Software Development (ASD) is gaining in popularity in today´s business world. Industry is adopting agile methodologies both to accelerate value delivery and to enhance the ability to deal with changing requirements. However, ASD has a great impact on how Requirements Engineering (RE) is carried out in agile environments. The integration of Human-Centered Design (HCD) plays an important role due to the focus on user and stakeholder involvement. To this end, we aim to introduce agile RE patterns as main objective of this paper. On the one hand, we will describe our pattern mining process based on empirical research in literature and industry. On the other hand, we will discuss our results and provide two examples of agile RE patterns. In sum, the pattern mining process identifies 41 agile RE patterns. The accumulated knowledge will be shared by means of a web application.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2013-46928-C3-3-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2016-76956-C3-2-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2015-71938-RED

Maximizing the Benefit of the Mobile Eye Hospital

The Armenian EyeCare Project began the Mobile Eye Hospital (MEH) 18 years ago in order to combat the large numbers of eye issues facing the Armenian population. This project focused on improving the efficiency of the MEH in order for it to reach more patients by generating recommendations for route and operational efficiency. By gathering data from the AECP and about lean management techniques, we recommended techniques and their applications and ideas for increased accessibility to the MEH

A case study of Kanban implementation within the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

The paper explores the implementation of the kanban system, which is a Lean technique, within the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain (PSC). The case study provides insight to the benefits and challenges arising from the application of this technique, within a group of cooperative pharmacists, in Greece. The research questions developed from the review of the literature were tested using evidence from field-based, action research within a pharmaceutical organisation. The reported case study contributes to the longer term debate on assessing the Lean maturity level within the healthcare sector. There are two primary findings: i) that the adoption of kanban system provides a strategic benefit and improves the quality of services. ii) it also provides a basis for a strategy of operational change; it gives the opportunity to the organisation to move away from the current push delivery and logistics systems toward improved logistics strategy models

A STRUCTURED LITERATURE REVIEW: VALUE STREAM MAPPING (VSM) IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

For the past few years, almost every sector of the manufacturing and service industries have applied some form of lean methodology. Likewise, lean-based tools have been applied to simple and complex construction projects. Value stream mapping (VSM), as a lean tool for manufacturing, is used as a basic graphical tool that aims to describe production processes and to identify and reduce types of waste. In its current state, VSM is not being implemented as successfully in construction as it is in manufacturing due to fundamental differences between manufacturing and construction. This paper’s methodology uses a structured literature review to summarize the current state of VSM application in construction industry. By finding the connection among the current research will enable the adaptation of VSM for use in the construction industry and provide a theoretical framework of the applications of VSM in construction for further research

POTENTIAL OF KANBAN IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES OF CUSTOMIZED PRODUCTS

The thesis is researching the advantages and disadvantages a Kanban system implementation might cause to the material management processes of a manufacturing facility and define the theoretical and/or practical reasons behind these results. On an empirical level the research question is analyzed by participating to a Kanban implementation project at the ABB, Motors and Generator’s business unit in Vaasa. Another research problem is to define the possibilities of improving the Kanban system with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Since the company utilizes an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, its functionalities are also considered during the whole study. Research strategy is to collect the data by utilizing academic articles, publications, case studies and material obtained during the employment at the case company and the Kanban implementation project. Research methods are a combination between structural, qualitative, and quantitative approaches. The key findings of the study are concluding that all the resources were complimenting the Kanban system as a part of operations and inventory reduction, and RFID technology enables the enhancement of the Kanban system currently being implemented. The company’s ERP system is able to perform automatic Kanban calculations in order to define parameters for improved production control. These calculations can also be done without the system and appropriate mathematical formulas are introduced and utilized. The Kanban system is not a magical solution for all the problems related to manufacturing customized products, but with a pull system and the Lean concept, it offers a significant improvement for the production operations and inventory management.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Assessing the moderating role of the extent of implementation of lean methods in predicting productivity improvement

Purpose: The argument of implementing the lean method to part or whole of an operation is explored by examining the moderating impact of varying levels of the extent of implementation of four different lean methods, along with their functionalities, in predicting productivity improvement. Design: As the focus of understanding the efficacy of lean principles is shifting from process to industry level, this study tried to generalize the approach by gathering data from 132 large Indian auto component manufacturers. This involves an assessing/monitoring approach rather than measurement. Findings: Results highlighted the interdependence or individuality of the extent of implementation of lean methods and their functionalities. Findings revealed a significant moderating effect in improving productivity to a greater extent of 50%. Research implications: Adopting an assessment approach to a measurement study provides a noteworthy contribution to bridging theory and practical consequences. The findings can be appropriately extrapolated to medium and small enterprises forming a critical connection in the entire automobile manufacturing ecosystem. Practical implications: The study showed that even if a lean method is applied to a certain extent of operations the chances of PI are significant. This is important for decision-makers as they confront problems of optimum resource allocation. Social implications: Productivity improvement, reduced cost and generalization of results would enable the auto-component industry to become more competitive. Originality: The examination of the moderation effect of a lean principle implementation extent, along with that of its functionalities to predict the improvement in productivity from its existing level, is a major outcome of this study

Moving on - beyond lean thinking

Lean Thinking is currently often positioned as the underlying theory of lean production among practitioners and academics, although its originators, Womack and Jones, seem not to have presented it as a theory. This paper endeavors to analyze whether Lean Thinking can be viewed as a theory of lean production. For this purpose, a critical assessment of Lean Thinking is carried out. Lean Thinking is argued to lack an adequate conceptualization of production, which has led to imprecise concepts, such as the term “value”. The five principles of Lean Thinking do not orderly cover value generation, and they do not always encapsulate the core topics in their respective areas. The failure to trace the origin of lean concepts and principles reduces the opportunity to justify and explain them. Despite claims for generality, the application area of the five lean principles is limited to the transformation of mass production, with, for instance, one-of-a-kind production and construction being largely out of scope. It is concluded that it is opportune to move on beyond Lean Thinking, towards a generic theory of production, for acquiring a solid foundation for designing, operating and improving production systems

Software Process Improvement Using Agile Methods in Financial Institutions. LHV Bank Case

Töökorraldus suurtes finantsinstitutsioonides ja finantstehnoloogia ettevõtetes on rajatud erinevatele alustele. Selgemalt kui kusagil mujal on see näha nende ettevõtete tootearenduses, kus tuleb välja oluline erinevus uue toote turule toomise kiiruses ja tarkvara arendusprotsessis tervikuna. Paljud finantsinstitutsioonid püüavad lahendada probleemi, mis on seotud tootearenduse ja tarkvara arendusprotsesside kiirendamisega, et vastata ärikeskkonnast tulenevatele muutustele.Ajalooliselt on suured finantsinstitutsioonid tuginenud oma tarkvara arendusprotsessides kose-meetoditele, mis tõid varem häid tulemusi, kuid mis ei vasta enam muutunud ärikeskkonnast tulevatele vajadustele. Suurem üleminek kose-meetodil toimivalt tarkvara arendusprotsessilt välk-meetodil toimivale tarkvara arendusprotsessile on nendes organisatsioonides toimunud alles viimase viie aasta jooksul. Uue põlvkonna finantstehnoloogia iduettevõtted on aga rajanud kogu oma tegevuse välk-meetodil põhinevale tarkvara arendusprotsessile.Magistritöö eesmärgiks on leida vastus küsimusele, kuidas skaleerida väledaid tarkvara arendusprotsessi meetodeid finantsinstitutsioonides. Selleks viiakse läbi LHV Panga tarkvara arendusprotsessil põhinev juhtumiuuring. Magistritöös kirjeldatakse LHV Panga olemasolevat tarkvara arendusprotsessi, analüüsitakse läbi teoreetiline kirjandus ja viiakse läbi praktilised intervjuud. Võttes arvesse analüüsi tulemusel kogutud tähelepanekuid, pakutakse LHV Panga näitel välja ettepanekud, kuidas kiirendada tarkvara arendusprotsessi finantsinstitutsioonis.Magistritöös tuuakse välja kaheksa ettepanekut protsessi kiirendamiseks LHV Pangas. Kogu organisatsiooni tasemel tuleb väledad meetodid ja juhtimiskultuur tervikuna kasutusele võtta laiemalt nii juhtimises kui ka äri-, toote- ja IT-arenduses. Selleks tuleb korraldada vajalikud koolitused. Meeskondade tasemel tuleb arenduse kiiruse tõstmiseks moodustada konkreetsed tootemeeskonnad, seada ühised eesmärgid kõikidele meeskonnaliikmetele ja anda meeskondadele suurem otsustusvabadus. Protsesside tasemel tuleb üle vaadata hetkel kehtiv tarkvara arendusportsess ning täiendada seda viimaste praktikate ja organisatsiooni enda poolt viimase viie aasta jooksul kogutud kogemustega. Tehnilisel tasemel tuleb automatiseerida tarkvara kasutuselevõtmisprotsess ja kasutada rohkem väiksematest osadest koosnevat infosüsteemi ülesehitust.Large financial institutions and fintech companies have fundamentally different ways of working. More clearly than anywhere else, this is seen in their product development cycles. There is significant difference in time to market for new products and in speed of software development. The problem where many financial institutions find themselves now is the need to respond faster to the changes in the business environment and have faster product and software development processes.Large financial institutions have historically relied on waterfall-inspired methods for software development. These methods have delivered great value for a long time, but are not corresponding to the current changing needs in the business environment. A larger shift from waterfall towards agile software development in these organizations has taken place just in the last five years due to the changes in the competition, where the new generation fintech companies have relied purely on agile development.In light of this context, this thesis addresses the research question of how agile software development process can be scaled up within the context of financial institutions. This is achieved by means of a case study carried out on LHV Bank software development process. The current processes at LHV Bank are mapped, suggestions for changes are derived through review of existing research on agile methods and from in-depth interviews. Based on the analysis, the findings that are the most important for benefiting from agile development are identified and suggested for improving the software development process at LHV Bank.There are eight key recommendations for improving the process at LHV Bank. On the organizational level, the agile methods and management culture should be introduced in larger scale, including the management, business, product and software development, with relevant trainings to be organized. On the teams level, to increase the efficiency of the development, concrete product teams should be assembled, common objectives set for team members and more autonomy given to the teams. On the process level, the agile development method used with its components should be reviewed by learning from the latest best practices and experience the organization has collected during the last five years when implementing agile practices. On the technical level, the release process should be automated and modular system architecture and microservices should be used more

Exploring the Application of Lean Best Practices in Remanufacturing: Empirical Insights into the Benefits and Barriers

Remanufacturing processes have been widely identified as being important elements of a sustainable economy. However, the commercial viability of this product recovery route is significantly influenced by several operational challenges that are different from those that occur in conventional manufacturing. One of the most widely used systematic process improvement methods in conventional manufacturing is lean production, which seeks to minimize all forms of waste throughout an operation. As the academic study of lean best practices in remanufacturing processes is relatively new, there is a lack of knowledge regarding implementation and impact. As such, this paper presents multiple case studies investigating the application of lean methods in industrial remanufacturing operations. These studies focus on the automotive industry, where both conventional and remanufacturing operations have been the leading adopters of lean thinking and practice. The results of the investigation identify specific lean methods that help manage the inherent complexity of the remanufacturing processes, and consequently improve the overall productivity of the process. Similarly, factors that limit the application of lean practices within remanufacturing are also identified and discussed. Matrices for opportunities and threats are developed to enable the simple adoption of these findings. Overall, the research provides a more holistic understanding of the application of lean within a remanufacturing environment, with benefits for both academia and industry