Using Lean Techniques to Cut Waste in GME Program Administration

Amy L. Motta, B.S. and Andrea Bake, B.S. Department of Pathology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

INTRODUCTION

The job of Program Coordinator entails many tasks and can be challenging to stay organized and remember to do everything. It is helpful to develop tools to stay organized and complete tasks on time. Although this journey started with the need to cross-train the Residency Program’s Assistant Coordinator, it ended up being an exercise in incorporating Lean techniques to reduce waste in day-to-day activities.

SEARCH TIME

It is impossible to remember everything, even if your Program Director expects you to. Having How-To’s acts as a repository for vital information.

PROCESSING

Processing is where the most waste can be cut, specifically wasting time, because it is so much of what Program Coordinators do. How-To’s or procedures have been written for the majority of Program Coordinator tasks. Everything from recruiting to orienting new chief residents has a How-To. Write the How-To starting with an overview. This will help someone who is covering for you in addition to help the Program Coordinator tie all of these different tasks back to the big picture. Write the How-To in chronologic order. Group tasks together where the natural breaks in workflow are. Actually do the task as you write the How-To. At each step ask yourself “Why do I do this?” If

CORRECTION

Even if you have done a task a hundred times, have the How-To document open and follow it when you do the task. Read the section headers so you do not forget a step and have to go back and correct it. Also, referring to the How-To’s allows you the opportunity to change them as procedures change.

CONCLUSION

Not only do written processes (How-To’s) save time but they also cut down the time it takes to make corrections and search for information as well as to weed out overly complex procedures. An added bonus is that the How-To’s can be used to cross train!

COMPLEXITY

Ask yourself “Is there an easier way to do this?” Do not be afraid to ask the people around you for help. An easier way may be obvious to someone else because they are not entrenched in program administration every day.

you do not have a legitimate answer (i.e. the step has no value), then cut it. Be concise and include everything that someone who is not familiar with the task needs to know in order to complete the task. In other words, spill your brain onto the paper. Someone else should be able to use the How-To and do the task successfully. Include what resources someone will need to have to do the task including websites, contacts and location of documents. Include the due dates for each step. Start at the last step and work backwards to the first step taking into account how long each step takes. Have someone who isn’t familiar with the task do the task only using the How-To. You will be amazed at all of the steps you forgot because you do the task all the time, steps that when not done will prevent someone else from completing it. The tasks from all of the How-To’s are entered into the Master To-Do List. Add tasks from all areas of your job on the To-Do list and include due dates.