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As the 3rd anniversary of Collins' introduction to Lean approaches in August, the next step in our journey will occur next week.
A field focused Value Stream mapping activity will take place. Key stake holders from each branch in field supervisory roles will take part in the mapping process. A Value Stream maps all the steps in a given process. For example, Collins preconstruction value stream maps jobs from Pursuit to Prefab as they pass through Estimating, Project Management, Design, Purchasing and Prefab. It’s a very detailed process but very enlightening.
Value Stream mapping for the field will begin (Trigger) once a job is awarded to Collins and conclude (Done) once final payment is made.
It will address start up activities, recurring tasks, and closeout items. Ultimately, this could be 100 tasks! One objective of the VSA is to find items which could be standardized across the Enterprise (every branch does them the same way). It may be that 18 of the 100 tasks can be standardized, whereas the remaining 72 tasks are addressed in a creative way by the Foreman, General Foreman and or Superintendent.
As we are all aware, Collins has been a successful company for a long time. Part of that success can be attributed to the men and women in the field. Their creativity and problem-solving skills are recognized industry wide. In a dynamic marketplace evolution is necessary; Value Stream mapping, Lean and CBS are tools that give Collins the opportunity to address market forces in an intelligent and encompassing manner. Times are changing and we need to change with the times – we don’t use pagers or flip phones anymore, right?
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