Continuous Improvement Cycle Research Articles

Cleaner production and pollution prevention at the electronic and electric Mexican maquiladora

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the deepening understanding of the diverging pollution prevention (PP) and occupational and safety practices undertaken in the Mexican maquiladora industry. Design/methodology/approach – This study was outlined by a modified version of the PP Program based on a continuous improvement cycle, which identifies areas of opportunity and then, proposes ideas for solving problems. This study was carried out based merely on a quantitative approach. However, when this was not possible, parameters were determined under a qualitative or semi-quantitative approach. Findings – Findings in this study have proven that Cleaner Production and Pollution Prevention (CP&PP) programs are successful to obtain not only environmental but also occupational benefits at the same time; therefore, they should not be seem only as an environmental tool but as a sustainability tool that have the potential to make possible the creation of a sustainable production system in the maquiladora industry where products and processes, and operations are designed to be not risky for Mexican workers, communities, and environment. Practical implications – The study revealed empirical environmental and occupational practices that took place in nine maquiladoras located in the Northwest of Mexico and analyzes how these practices affect Mexican workers in this industry and their environment. Originality/value – The study evaluated the feasibility and usefulness of CP&PP programs in the maquiladora industry under an integrative approach that takes into account environmental and occupational aspect in order to understand how this industry is changing their production patterns toward sustainability.

Development of a metrological management model using the AHP and SEM techniques

Purpose – The evaluation of management systems is usually based on a series of assumptions which are never questioned. The purpose of this paper is to focus on two of these assumptions, in order to further develop a quantitative model to evaluate metrological management in companies, based on the ISO 10012:2003 standard. Design/methodology/approach – First, the paper uses structural equations to identify the underlying relations between the different variables of the model and conclude that it follows the typical continuous improvement cycle formulated by Deming. And second, the paper processes the opinion of experts using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) techniques in order to prove that not all the variables included in the model are equally relevant in metrological management. Findings – The first SME analysis validates the model itself and its integration with the other management schemes in the company, all based on the Deming cycle. The second AHP analysis leads to a reformulation of the model, assigning weights to the different variables and providing better guidelines for companies to improve their metrological management. Originality/value – This constitutes a development of the management guidelines contained in the ISO 10012:2003 standard for metrological management, establishing the appropriate evaluation procedures.

Application of an Instrumental and Computational Approach for Improving the Vibration Behavior of Structural Panels Using a Lightweight Multilayer Composite

This work presents a hybrid (experimental-computational) application for improving the vibration behavior of structural components using a lightweight multilayer composite. The vibration behavior of a flat steel plate has been improved by the gluing of a lightweight composite formed by a core of polyurethane foam and two paper mats placed on its faces. This composite enables the natural frequencies to be increased and the modal density of the plate to be reduced, moving about the natural frequencies of the plate out of excitation range, thereby improving the vibration behavior of the plate. A specific experimental model for measuring the Operating Deflection Shape (ODS) has been developed, which enables an evaluation of the goodness of the natural frequencies obtained with the computational model simulated by the finite element method (FEM). The model of composite + flat steel plate determined by FEM was used to conduct parametric study, and the most influential factors for 1st, 2nd and 3rd mode were identified using a multifactor analysis of variance (Multifactor-ANOVA). The presented results can be easily particularized for other cases, as it may be used in cycles of continuous improvement as well as in the product development at the material, piece, and complete-system levels.

Special Issue on Construction Engineering: Leveraging Project and Career Success

This is the second special issue dedicated to the Construction Engineering Conference. The first issue coincided with the inaugural conference gathering at Virginia Tech in 2011. It was published through the ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. We are as pleased and as proud now as we were then to present a series of papers that bridge construction engineering academics and industry practitioners. The need for increased collaboration between academia and the industry has not subsided, and will not subside in the foreseeable future. The construction engineering academic community faces the challenge of maintaining a balanced research portfolio of both basic and applied research. Both types of research are dependent on each other in the overall spectrum of our community and feed the cycle of continuous improvement in the engineering and construction industry’s performance. Furthermore, in an industry where industry practices are constantly evolving, what and how we teach students most also keep pace with industry changes. The papers contained in this special issue follow three primary themes that mirror the theme of the overall 2014 Construction Engineering Conference. The first theme focuses on aspects of knowledge and career paths for future success. Many of these particular papers focus on the challenges, benefits, and lessons learned integrating industry knowledge into education and research at the universities. The second and third themes, sustainability and building informationmodeling (BIM), focus on specific areas of new knowledge that will continue to become increasingly critical for both the success of individuals and also the industry at large. Papers along these particular themes focus on how sustainability andBIM are not only being implemented in the industry, but how these relatively new practices are being addressed in university curriculums. Most, not all, papers were written by a team of industry and academic authors. In many cases, this was the first opportunity for the authors to meet and work on a collaborative effort. It is the hope of the conference’s organizing committee that these individual collaborations will plant the seeds for broader industry/ academic partnerships. A debt of gratitude is owed to the special issue author group for their thoughts and efforts in this overall body of work. Furthermore, we are especially grateful to the reviewers, whomade sure that the papers maintained the standards for publication in the ASCE’s Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction.

Technology Focus: Bit Technology and Bottomhole Assemblies (December 2013)

Technology Focus In previous editions of this feature, I highlighted the industry’s need for capability improvement in applied drilling optimization and we have discussed the gaps in people (knowledge), process (workflows), and equipment or technology that remain to be closed before true drilling optimization can be said to be occurring. Again this year, I have selected papers that either do or potentially can take us closer to that goal. We can see from these excellent publications that progress continues to be made. However, there are plenty of factors and trends in our industry that can make drilling optimization difficult to achieve. Do we even have time to optimize, or do we have time only for execution of repetitive plans? Is our operation so remote that other priorities and constraints dictate what we can do? Has our workforce become so affected by decreasing levels of experience that we do not even know what to look for? Is our company so small that other, bigger organizations take up the industry’s optimization efforts? These are legitimate difficulties, of course, meaning that any optimization effort is going to have to survive the challenge of prioritization. And who decides priorities? Our leaders, of course. So this article, this time, is focused on the leaders who decide where our priorities lie and, hence, how our operations are being managed. We are going to put some questions out there that may help those leaders to see the optimization opportunity. Is rate of penetration in your operations below limits imposed by the capacity of the rig? Is your operation plagued by trip time for worn-out bits or drillstring or downhole-tool failures? In your operations, is the time spent drilling and tripping for the reasons in Question 2 a meaningful portion of your total well time? If the answer is “yes” to at least two of these questions, think about this next step: Is your team supported by an impressive combination of gurus, working processes, and technology that is determinedly focused on changing those “yeses” to “nos?” The thinking is this: If we rigorously assess our optimization capability, how much capability can we really claim to have? And is that enough, given the potential prize from doing better? Of course, judging what “good” looks like is often subjective, but, for us readers, SPE’s excellent archive of technical papers can help us decide. So, while we celebrate the steps forward described by the papers in this feature, and while we enjoy the continued contribution that SPE makes to development and dissemination of technology and best practices, when we turn back to our own activities and operations, let us ask, “Have we really got the capability we need?” And perhaps, just perhaps, the revelations that may come from such self-assessment will provide added impetus toward truly optimized drilling performance. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 156136 Structured Mentoring: A Critical Component of a Global Talent-Management Strategy by Meta Rousseau, Baker Hughes SPE 164365 Filling the Experience Gap in the Drilling-Optimization Continuous-Improvement Cycle Through a Self-Learning Expert System by Cliff Kirby, Baker Hughes, et al. SPE 159948 Using Equipment Simulators for Effective Training, Increasing Competence in Well-Services Operations by Anthony Celano, Baker Hughes, et al. SPE 164993 Virtual Reality as Effective Tool for Training and Decision Making: Preliminary Results of Experiments Performed With a Plant Simulator by S. Colombo, Politecnico di Milano, et al.

Process improvement in breast cancer care: Is mammography volume associated with a greater need for process improvement?

45 Background: Chicago black women are 62% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. Previous data from 39 Chicago hospitals suggested significant variation in mammography quality (Chicago Breast Cancer Quality Consortium, 2010). We developed process improvement recommendations for sites that participated in our care process assessment (Weldon CB, et al, ASCO-Abstract-6120-2012). This study was funded through a generous grant from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. We compared improvement needs between high and low patient volume institutions. Methods: Using Deming’s PDCA cycle for continuous improvement, we created care process improvement recommendations for 25 Chicago institutions with the patient base averaging more than 50% minority patients (20 community, 3 academic and 2 public hospitals). Low mammography volume (< 5,000 mammograms/ year) was reported by 12 of the 25 sites. Recommendations are based on analysis across sites, literature, and input from institution staff. Thematic and statistical analyses were performed using simple frequencies and Fisher's exact test. Results: Improvement recommendations are classified into nine areas (see Table). We found that 100% (12/12) of low mammography volume institutions have specific improvement needs in 6 or more process improvement areas, as compared to 23% (3/13) of the high mammography volume institutions (p value > 0.0001). Conclusions: Lower volume mammography sites have a larger need for breast cancer care process improvements. [Table: see text]

Creando una cultura de calidad hospitalaria

Introduction. In Chile we have an incipient culture on quality in healthcare and changing this culture is not easy. In our country we are just beginning to use this concept with respect to the explicit guarantee on quality in healthcare provision and corresponding institutional accreditation of healthcare facilities. Purpose. To provide guidance on the meaning of quality in healthcare, geared not just toward patient safety and the external user or client, but also toward the professionals who conduct their work as a team. Viewpoint. Total quality is built around the needs and preferences of patients, is based on the participation of professionals and teamwork, and considers all stakeholders of the institution, through optimum utilization of resources. Conclusion. The optimization of processes and the enhancement of quality in our work will lead to lower financial, human and physical costs, as well as in equipment and time, thus freeing resources that become available for the provision of healthcare. Moreover, a cycle of continuous improvement can be promoted.

Technology Focus: Data Management and Communication (October 2013)

Technology Focus The questions addressed in this feature are: What does the petroleum industry need to do to catch up on the generational breach, and how will the oil industry enhance the current training schemes to serve business needs? With the well-announced generational gap, as well as the current global bonanza, the oil and gas industry is facing one of the most profound crises within current human-resources-management practices. The industry focused its efforts on motivating, recruiting, and preparing the new generation faster and more efficiently than ever; however, has it done this fast enough? The reality is that, no matter how fast we get the new generation of workers onboard, it appears that there is not enough time to catch up, not enough time to recruit and select new personnel and to train newly hired employees with the very few mentors available. Complex problems require a variety of perspectives because it is with the joint comprehension and integration of different technical disciplines that complex problems are solved and solutions are enhanced. Research has shown that learning through experience accelerates critical thinking and innovation among younger generations, and younger cohorts bring a fresh, different perspective in handling technical problems and integration workflows. Several papers selected for this feature are presented with the objective of illustrating innovative technologies and initiatives to accelerate and facilitate the learning process of the Millennials. Scenario-based learning, structured mentoring, on-the-job learning, hands-on teaching, and cross-functional data sharing are just a few of the training strategies available to cope with the challenge at hand. The industry is generally adopting a combination of structured, formal classes with innovative ways to share the knowledge and best practices available from the few available experts. The strategies point toward engaging the young groups in the learning process by self-motivation and innovation. The major findings in the literature include involving students in the learning experience by providing them the opportunity to solve relevant problems, establishing a clear path to practice and apply the new knowledge in real-life situations, and offering a clear path to further training and career development. Will the petroleum industry be able to catch up on the generational breach, even with all of the tools available? What else is needed? Is the oil industry pulling the right amount and quality of resources? Are we offering long-term sustainable career paths? Do we know how and when to motivate the new generations for their professional-growth and learning processes? I tend to think that the mentors speak and act in different frameworks, having learned with different methods and career challenges that the oil and gas industry has to offer. It is part of our duty, then, to maximize the communication strategies to ensure that the knowledge transfer is enabled, efficient, and available for the very sustainability of the oil industry. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 156136 Structured Mentoring: A Critical Component of a Global Talent-Management Strategy by Meta Rousseau, Baker Hughes SPE 164365 Filling the Experience Gap in the Drilling-Optimization Continuous-Improvement Cycle Through a Self-Learning Expert System by Cliff Kirby, Baker Hughes, et al. SPE 159948 Using Equipment Simulators for Effective Training, Increasing Competence in Well-Services Operations by Anthony Celano, Baker Hughes, et al.

Learning about Practice from Practice: A Peer-based Methodology

A recommendation from the Social Work Task Force was that all employers of social workers should conduct a regular “health check” of the social work profession to learn from practice as part of a continuous cycle of improvement. This article documents how the London Borough of Tower Hamlets has gone about this. I describe the methodological and practical pathway we followed so that others can see what we did and why we did it. Like other busy social work offices, we had to set out a plan of methodological action in order that we achieved the learning from practice to inform our health check, and it is the planning work that is engaged with in this article. We have found that by involving and engaging our staff in the health check work, we have gained more than we had set out to find. An organisational commitment to act on what social workers have told us about practice is offering the senior management team new ideas about the best ways of delivering professional and reflective support mechanisms for staff. Learning from practice is now one of the core functions for the new Principal Social Worker.

Novel Ergonomic Postural Assessment Method (NERPA) Using Product-Process Computer Aided Engineering for Ergonomic Workplace Design

BackgroundMusculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) that result from poor ergonomic design are one of the occupational disorders of greatest concern in the industrial sector. A key advantage in the primary design phase is to focus on a method of assessment that detects and evaluates the potential risks experienced by the operative when faced with these types of physical injuries. The method of assessment will improve the process design identifying potential ergonomic improvements from various design alternatives or activities undertaken as part of the cycle of continuous improvement throughout the differing phases of the product life cycle.Methodology/Principal FindingsThis paper presents a novel postural assessment method (NERPA) fit for product-process design, which was developed with the help of a digital human model together with a 3D CAD tool, which is widely used in the aeronautic and automotive industries. The power of 3D visualization and the possibility of studying the actual assembly sequence in a virtual environment can allow the functional performance of the parts to be addressed. Such tools can also provide us with an ergonomic workstation design, together with a competitive advantage in the assembly process.ConclusionsThe method developed was used in the design of six production lines, studying 240 manual assembly operations and improving 21 of them. This study demonstrated the proposed method’s usefulness and found statistically significant differences in the evaluations of the proposed method and the widely used Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method.

Cyclic Approach to Airport Pavement Management Based on Non-Destructive Deflection Testing

The Authors describe the role of non-destructive deflection tests in Airport Pavement Management System (APMS) presenting the experience developed at an Italian Airport. An original approach to APMS implementation is illustrated, based on the PDCA cycle for quality control and continuous improvement of processes. An example application for the management of the runway pavement is described. Deflection test results obtained in four tests campaign carried out over a ten years period were globally analyzed to obtain pavement bearing capacity evolution and demonstrate the effectiveness of cyclic approach to pavement management. It is showed that structural evaluation can be an invaluable tool in pavement management and assist planning activities in the medium and long term.

Exploring the age-friendliness of purpose-built retirement communities: evidence from England

ABSTRACTThis article contributes to emerging debates around age-friendly environments, providing empirical evidence concerning the relative age-friendliness of purpose-built retirement communities. Adopting a new definition – ‘underpinned by a commitment to respect and social inclusion, an age-friendly community is engaged in a strategic and ongoing process to facilitate active ageing by optimising the community's physical and social environments and its supporting infrastructure’ – the article analyses the age-friendliness of one retirement community in England. The Longitudinal Study of Ageing in a Retirement Community (LARC) encompassed two waves of a survey with residents, interviews and focus groups with stakeholders involved in staffing, managing and designing the community, and other qualitative data collected from residents. Reviewing the different data sources, the article argues that purpose-built retirement communities have the potential to be age-friendly settings but might better involve residents in a regular cycle of planning, implementation, evaluation and continual improvement if they are to facilitate active ageing. In addition, more clarity is needed on how such developments can better fit with the age-friendly agenda, particularly in terms of their capacity to support ageing in place, the accessibility of the wider neighbourhood, opportunities for intergenerational interactions, and the training of staff to work with older people.

WHO Age Friendly Cities: Enacting Societal Transformation through Enabling Occupation

Age-friendly cities and communities (AFC) is an international movement initiated by the World Health Organization in response to simultaneous patterns of global aging and urbanization. A key aspect of AFC is a commitment to a cycle of continual improvement that addresses key aspects of the environment, such as accessibility, transport, intergenerational links, respect, community participation, and service provision. Given the focus of environmental influences on activity participation, this policy initiative overlaps with the core domain of concern of occupational science, that is, occupation. This discussion paper contends that occupational science is aligned with principles of active ageing and AFCs, and has the potential to provide evidence for the link between occupation and health, and open novel ways to think about and attend to the occupational rights of ageing persons. The frameworks of active ageing and AFC provide a means for occupational science to enact its values on enabling occupation and related concepts. An occupational science perspective can emphasize the development of enabling policies and, combined with the principles of AFC, contribute to the development of social policies and their enactment within local contexts, based upon a complex understanding of occupation and its relationship to health and well-being.

Process improvement in breast cancer care: Is mammography volume associated with a greater need for process improvement?

6609 Background: Chicago Black women are 62% more likely to die from breast cancer than White women. Previous data from 39 Chicago hospitals suggested significant variation in mammography quality (Chicago Breast Cancer Quality Consortium, 2010). We developed process improvement recommendations for sites that participated in our care process assessment (Weldon CB, et al, ASCO-Abstract-6120-2012). This study was funded through a generous grant from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. We compared improvement needs between high and low patient volume institutions. Methods: Using Deming’s PDCA cycle for continuous improvement, we created care process improvement recommendations for 25 Chicago institutions with the patient base averaging more than 50% minority patients (20 community, 3 academic and 2 public hospitals). Low mammography volume (< 5000 mammograms/ year) was reported by 12 of the 25 sites. Recommendations are based on analysis across sites, literature, and input from institution staff. Thematic and statistical analyses were performed using simple frequencies and Fisher's exact test. Results: Improvement recommendations are classified into nine areas, see table. We found that 100% (12/12) of low mammography volume institutions have specific improvement needs in 6 or more process improvement areas, as compared to 23% (3/13) of the high mammography volume institutions (pvalue > 0.0001). Conclusions: Lower volume mammography sites have a larger need for breast cancer care process improvements. [Table: see text]

Institutionalization of Industrial Best Practice of Energy Efficiency: The Case of a Global Manufacturing Organization

This paper discusses an on-going effort of collaboration between the Missouri Industrial Assessment Center of University of Missouri, and a large industrial organization to institutionalize best practices of energy efficiency within the organization’s global network of manufacturing companies. It also outlines a computer-aided framework developed to help such effort, which closely follows the ISO50001 standard, and represents a comprehensive knowledge base and project tool, providing support to the processes, tasks and documentation of the cycle of continuous improvement.

A Management Model to Prevent Misuse of the Web

The Internet has brought benefits to companies. However, the misuse of this resource can cause losses in employee productivity. This paper proposes a management model to prevent misuse of the Web that provides a cycle of continuous improvement of access control policies based on contextual attributes and a software to minimize the cost of the management of access control polices. A case study in a public university demonstrated the applicability of the model in the management of wireless Internet access.

PENERAPAN TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT PADA PROGRAM STUDI MPI FAKULTAS TARBIYAH DAN KEGURUAN UIN ALAUDDIN

The purpose of this paper is to describe (1) the concept of total quality mana-gement, (2) the theoretical foundation of total quality management, and (3) the application of total quality management in Education management study program at the Faculty of Education and Teaching Science, UIN Alauddin Ma-kassar. There are some theoretical bases to support the implementation of TQM in educational institutions. One is the theory of Deming which can be identified from (a) Deming’s chain reaction model, (b) Deming’s continuous improvement cycle, (c) Deming’s theory of Variance, and (d) Deming's fourteen points of management. The application of TQM in Management Studies Program Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teaching Education UIN Alauddin have not maximized. The data indicated that 70.19% respondents said that the implementation of TQM is at a mediocre level, 0.90% respondents said good, and 1.85% respondents said that the implementation of TQM has been very good.

Management Systems and Accountability in “Ethical-Oriented Entities”

In some entities, in order to assure a systematic government coherent with values and guidelines, the traditional and main economic control systems is integrated with ethical-social, environmental and quality management systems. This process of integration guarantees the definition and the analysis of the global (economic, social, environmental) performances both inside the organization than outside when specific accountability instruments are used.The present work aims to deepen the relationship between the management instruments for quality, environment and ethical-social aspects, and the correspondents “accountability systems”.In consequence of a comparative analysis on the requirements of such instruments/systems an hypothesis is carried out for an intermediate operative framework - or “informative system” - that concurs to transfer, through the continuous improvement cycle (PDCA), main information for a correct and sustainable management of the organizations.With reference to the instruments, the analysis focuses on the relationship between accountability and the requirements for quality (ISO 9001), environmental (ISO 14001) and ethical-social (SA8000) management systems.An analysis has been conducted on a sample of all Italian companies with certified environmental and social management systems (defined as “ethical-oriented entities”). It showed that not only big entities use accountability instruments and that the number of reporting instruments is higher for “ethical-oriented organisations”.The obtained results represent the first step of a research aimed to define (i) how deep is the relation between reporting instruments and management systems and (ii) if the degree of reliability of reporting instruments is higher as a consequence of the presence of ethical-oriented management systems.

Benchmarking the use of tools and techniques in the Six Sigma programme based on a survey conducted in a developing country

PurposeSix Sigma program is an approach currently adopted by many companies, which involves a highly disciplined and guided process, in which applications of many different tools and techniques aim at generating a cycle of continuous improvement. In this sense, a survey‐based research was conducted in a developing country from which the aim of this paper is to identify and analyse the tools and techniques used in the stages of the DMAIC.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents parts of the results of a descriptive survey conducted by a postal questionnaire answered by more than 60 Six Sigma users. Specific results of tools and techniques applied in Six Sigma are compared with those prescribed in the literature.FindingsThe results confirm the use of Six Sigma tools and techniques suggested by the literature. It also points out that Six Sigma needs to be supported by measurable and reliable data, and thus that the use of tools and techniques is indispensable to the use of the DMAIC.Research limitations/implicationsThis is not a probabilistic survey and, therefore, the generalisation is not feasible.Practical implicationsThe paper may assist either academic and practitioners when teaching, researching and applying tools and techniques in Six Sigma.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the few published studies that report tools and techniques applied in Six Sigma programme in developing countries.

Learning analytics as a tool for closing the assessment loop in higher education

This paper examines learning and academic analytics and its relevance to distance education in undergraduate and graduate programs as it impacts students and teaching faculty, and also academic institutions. The focus is to explore the measurement, collection, analysis, and reporting of data as predictors of student success and drivers of departmental process and program curriculum. Learning and academic analytics in higher education is used to predict student success by examining how and what students learn and how success is supported by academic programs and institutions. The paper examines what is being done to support students, whether or not it is effective, and if not why, and what educators can do. The paper also examines how these data can be used to create new metrics and inform a continuous cycle of improvement. It presents examples of working models from a sample of institutions of higher education: The Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Wollongong, the University of Michigan, Purdue University, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Finally, the paper identifies considerations and recommendations for using analytics and offer suggestions for future research.