As anyone engaged in business process improvement
activities knows, Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has become
the de facto methodology for improving process
performance. Though initially used in manufacturing,
LSS has been increasingly gaining acceptance in
the healthcare industry, which faces many of the
same issues and challenges--how to reduce waiting
time, how to increase capacity, how to best deploy
resources, etc. Many LSS practitioners have discovered,
however, that deciding what changes to make is
not always easy, nor is it easy to accurately
predict the impact of proposed changes. Dealing
with complex systems having numerous interacting
components poses the risk of making sub-optimal
or even detrimental decisions.
Example video demonstrating how simulation brings
healthcare value stream maps to life.
This paper explains how simulation,
with its powerful predictive and visualization
capabilities, eliminates the risk of making regrettable
process improvement decisions and helps ensure
that the best possible solutions are found and
implemented.
Process Simulator for LSS
Process Simulator is a simulation tool developed by
ProModel Corporation that is specifically designed for
modeling processes common to the healthcare industry.
What makes Process Simulator the tool of choice for
LSS practitioners?
Process Simulator is based on Visio, a tool most
LSS practitioners already use to create value-stream
maps, process flow charts and facility layouts. Simulation
properties can be easily added to existing process
diagrams or layouts.
With its visual animation capability, Process Simulator
enables analysts to visualize how solutions work and
sparks ideas for finding improved solutions.
Process Simulator’s scenario analyzer allows
alternative solutions to be simulated and compared
quantitatively to determine the optimal solution.
Process Simulator integrates with Minitab and automates
the statistical measurements needed for doing a Six
Sigma analysis.
If more complex modeling or 3-D graphical animation
is desired, models can be imported to MedModel, a
comprehensive healthcare modeling tool which has extended
modeling and visualization (including 3D) capabilities.
In Process Simulator, models are built and solutions
are evaluated in just hours or even minutes depending
on size and complexity. As shown below, Process Simulator
follows a simple 4-step process:
Diagram the process
Add behavioral information
Run the simulation
Analyze the results
Changes are made by either reconfiguring the process
or changing the behavioral information. Experimental
changes can even be explored systematically using a
built-in scenario analyzer.
Process Simulator also provides hierarchical modeling
capability, which allows processes to be defined at
a high level, such as the overall operation of a hospital,
and then permits the user to drill-down to various sub-processes
(OR, radiology, etc.) for more detailed analysis.
