Overview
Please review all three Articles, and provide a general review of the students response to the article. Three Articles: 100 - 150 words per article
Article One
One process within my organization that needs improvement is patient check-in at the outpatient clinic. Currently, the process is inconsistent and often leads to delays, duplicate documentation, and patient dissatisfaction. When problems arise, our current approach is reactive; staff identify issues informally and suggest quick fixes, but these solutions are rarely data-driven or systematically evaluated.
The DMAIC method (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), part of Six Sigma, offers a structured, evidence-based alternative to how we currently handle improvements. For example, rather than immediately implementing a change, DMAIC would begin by defining the problem clearly, such as long wait times or data entry errors. Next, we would measure key metrics like average check-in time or number of duplicate entries. The analysis phase would help us identify root causes, such as system inefficiencies or a lack of staff training. Only after this analysis would we improve the process through targeted interventions, followed by a control phase to monitor long-term outcomes and prevent backsliding. Using DMAIC promotes sustainable, data-informed improvements rather than temporary solutions, ultimately enhancing efficiency and patient satisfaction.
References
American Society for Quality. (n.d.). DMAIC process. https://asq.org/quality-resources/dmaic
One of my favorite brick-and-mortar stores would have to be Dick's Sporting Goods. I'm not in there too often but that is always the store that I tend to find myself in when looking for some new shoes, clothing, or gifts for family and friends. A similar online retailer would be Nike, since they sell some of the same products, similar products, operate heavily online and have few physical stores. Dick's leverages their value chain by providing the product directly to the hands of the customer before purchase. Customers can physically inspect, touch, and try products before purchasing and then take the product directly home once they have decided to buy (Acquira, 2024). Nike leverages its value chain while operating online by giving customers access to a wide variety of products. Likely, products that are going to be more difficult to find in stores. Also, they deliver straight to customers, making the entire shopping experience very convenient (Acquira, 2024). The benefit that Dick's Sporting Goods offers me, and why I choose to shop there more often than shop online, is because there is no wait time in getting the products I need. The store is also very close to my house. If I have been pushing off buying a gift for someone and need something within a day, I can go to Dick's and solve that issue. Online I would have to wait at least a week for my item to arrive.
Acquira. (2024, February 7). Brick and mortar vs. online businesses: Pros and cons - acquira. Acquira.com. https://acquira.com/brick-and-mortar-vs-online-bus...
My company is always having process improvement initiatives. Currently we measure improvements based the the amount of waste that is reduced. The waste can be waste in drug product, drug that was produced but never used for any reason such as expiration, waste such as project management fees, and waste such as unnecessary spending. For example, lets say we are allocating too much drug to a clinical trial and we unfortunately did not use all of it before it became expired. We would run a process improvement plan to understand the optimal amount of drug to be manufactured in order to prevent waste in the future. The DMAIC method would work in a similar way albeit much more detailed, and yield much better results. The DMAIC is effective for these types of problems where we can measure and analyze what we are attempting to improve (De Mast, 2012). DMAIC differs from our current process improvement initiatives because it lays out a method with insights for each step to define, measure, analyze, improve, and control the improvement. It also is a strong analysis to use with statistical techniques that can benefit some of the problems I come across in my line of work. In the end, I do feel that our process is effective and well refined for the problems we face in the pharmaceutical industry, but the DMAIC method is better, more complicated, and will yield better results for those who are trained and know how to use it effectively.
Reference:De Mast, J., & Lokkerbol, J. (2012). An analysis of the Six Sigma DMAIC method from the perspective of problem solving. International Journal of Production Economics, 139(2), 604-614.