~~Continuous Improvement
Over-Processing
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies. Groucho Marx
"They've done studies, you know. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time." -- Anchorman
In January’s blog, waste was defined as, “anything beyond the absolute minimum amount of materials, manpower, or machinery needed to add value to a product or service”. (Flinchbaugh & Carlino, 2006) As I mentioned in that blog, there are seven main sources of waste in the dental practice; this month we will cover over-processing:
• Overproduction
• Waiting
• Unnecessary Transport
• Over-processing
• Excess Inventory
• Unnecessary Motion
• Defects
Over-processing is defined as “Doing more to a product or process than the customer requires.” (Flinchbaugh & Carlino, 2006) Waste is generated when you provide higher-quality products than are necessary. (Liker, 2004)
This may seem counter-intuitive when we’re putting an emphasis on having a value-added practice. But, that’s actually why over-processing is hard to detect. It’s usually disguised as “we are doing more for the customer”. Flinchbaugh & Carlino (2006) point out that processes that exceed what customers value, yet offer no benefits are, indeed, waste.
Here’s an easy example: it’s nice to offer patients in the reception room a bottle of cold water on a hot day, but coffee, hot chocolate, cookies, etc. in addition are perhaps better saved for a “waiting” room. You know, like at a tire store where you know you’re going to be waiting for an hour for the service to be performed. Too many amenities in a waiting room may give the message, “Come in, relax – you’re going to be here a while.”
Let me give you another example. In aesthetic dentistry, detail is everything. When constructing an anterior restoration, would you agree that careful attention must be paid to a large number of considerations: occlusion, incisal translucency, proper blending of layers of colors and shades, proper placement of anatomical features and characterizations, and a host of others?
Now, let’s say you’re doing a posterior restoration. Yes, shade is important, but not with all the subtleties that are required for an anterior restoration. Occlusion and a number of other considerations are important, but, although your dad, the dentist, would be proud of your conscientiousness, spending several minutes carving oblique ridges, pits, dissectional grooves, secondary grooves, etc., etc. would definitely be considered over-processing. Nobody’s going to see it, and frankly, the patient is not going to say to their best friend, “Hey – you’d love my dentist, just look at the occlusal anatomy on this upper second molar! He must have taken half an hour to make this so beautiful!”
Small, unnecessary things done repeatedly will not add value to the practice, and will, in fact cost you in time, effort, and even materials in the medium to long-run.
So, don’t be like the politicians Groucho mentions. Find the simplest best way to perform, then, do it that way. Remember, waste is “anything beyond the absolute minimum amount of materials, manpower, or machinery needed to add value to a product or service”.
This does not mean that you don’t offer anything less than quality care and materials to your patients. But, look for those action, processes, materials, motions, and services that are not really necessary to provide quality, value-added service to your patients.
~~Works Cited
Flinchbaugh, J., & Carlino, A. (2006). The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean. Dearborn: Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Liker, J. K. (2004). The Toyota Way. New York: McGraw-Hill.