Bus439 Systems and Simulation Test Two Spring 2011

More needed of how a tool would help process management (PM) and then how PM would help firm success

No ES

Bus439 Systems and Simulation Test Two Spring 2011

Design and Re-Design

In our project we have looked at the current system in place for on campus recycling. The first element to consider was a needs analysis and definition which includes simulation and history. There are many different key stakeholders to identify and overall the current situation needs our group to bring together information from all sources to create a simulation of the current system and suggestions for ways to improve the system. This also takes into consideration the costs and benefits associated with each option.

Initially we met with Darin Saul, the Director of Sustainability. He was able to identify aspects of this project to include the recycling that is happening by Campus Facilities (including almost all cardboard, tin, scrap metal as well as other recycling services to most of the buildings on campus), Auxiliaries (including the Commons, Bob’s and a few residential halls), other recycling (motivated individuals and the Law School’s process). From here we began to contact each of the key stakeholders Darin identified, as well as including the Greek residential community and Moscow Recycling.

In order to successfully simulate the current process all participants and business rules need to be accounted for. Very little in this process is currently measured or controlled. Communicating definitions and estimations has been a large part of this project. We have defined all recyclable entities and modeling each as an individual waste stream depending on the path through Facilities, Auxilaries, Greek or other. Estimations for costs, time, quantities recycled, quantity lost, and profitability of final sales have all been considered.

Moving into the re-design phase of this project has allows for use of other concepts discussed in class. The current process’s level of complexity can be simplified and the needs of all stakeholders can be considered in the new structure.

We are weaving elements of Total Quality Management (TQM), lean, simulation and logical workflow into this process design. From a TQM perspective there are many different stakeholders who are not on the same page in terms of understanding systems, stakeholders have conflicting objectives, and there is not a culture that supports continuous improvement. Just for an example of stakeholders conflicting objectives are the separate processes in place by Facilities who desires less time to be spent on the waste stream and would rather focus on building maintenance, from Auxiliaries that would like to improve the percentage of materials recycled and establish a culture of sustainability on campus, and Moscow recycling that is currently only paying the recyclables brought by Facilities at 40% of market value. Utilizing TQM would be designing a process to effectively serve all of University of Idaho that is in line with the University’s Strategic Goal of becoming more sustainable. This process could be simplified and unified over all areas on campus so that it may increasincreasees volumes recycled. However it needs cross-functional employee buy-in how will your project help accomplish that implementation for the execution of the process and proper negotiations on the sale of recyclables in order to increase revenue.

When looking at the current model there are many things that could be adjusted using lean techniques, such as a reduction in wasted comingling??? and sorting, reduction in excess storage at many stages, reductions in excess transportation from buildings to campus facilities locations to Moscow recycling. The current simulation is full of areas that show room for improvement such as; contamination rates, areas where ques?? build and problems arise, so this will assist with the re-design of the processes. The 5S’s would greatly assist in some aspects of redesigning this system. For example Organization can be used to improve in all stages of the process to keep items sorted. Orderliness, in where recyclables can be placed by students and staff to maximize volumes and minimize transportation needs in pick up routes. Cleanliness, of those bins to ensure that they are only one type of recyclable and that they are not full when people want to recycle. Standardization, could improve the process through consistency in all areas of campus and during campus events. As well as Discipline to establish a culture that supports the other 4S’s of the recycling process.

One other important element is to design processes to account for the human element. This includes designs of recycling bins to not allow contamination. Education is an important factor for this and students and staff may need to be educated. Also there are things that research has shown to increase recycling from a physiological perspective, such as listing LANDFILL in bright red letters on trashcans that are next to recycling containers. In the future people may also want to be compensated for the money that can be made from their recyclables. This can be addressed and people compensated if weights would be recorded at pickup locations and the process efficient enough to produce revenue.

Implementation

In our project there is a timeline for implementation. There is a contract negotiation that will begin soon and would allow the implementation of a new system to take effect in 2013. Although Implementation is not usually a big bang, this is a drastic change that would seem like a large change to the campus community and to the current Facilities, Auxiliaries, Residential Community and Moscow Recycling stakeholders.

A large portion of the implementation rests on creating stakeholder buy-in through communication. The motivation of students at the university and higher level strategic goals are consistantconsistent with implementing a new system. Auxilaries and Residential Communities would need further education on how a new system would work and additional communication of what they would like to see in the new system. Facilities, as a stakeholder, is currently one of the parties that has voiced dissent and silent dissent of not thinking the community will support recycling and not wanting to execute the process. All factors need to be taken into consideration for the design. How will your model help accomplish the above

Management and Control

The current process has many owners(stakeholders) that are not on the same page. There is also an element of ownership for the Sustainability Center, yet they lack the authority to manage or control the system. Without autonomy this becomes a political issue between different owners. If we could gather higher level support and cross-functional involvement to not only own the project but there would be greater ability to implement a successful recycling system.

If the process could be designed to have one owner this would allow education to students and staff about proper sustainable techniques, a process so recycling could be controlled to diminish contamination, measure weights collected from stakeholders that would like compensation, establish better collection or recyclables and negotiate better sale prices for recyclables sold in the market.

Continuous Improvement

The current environment of stakeholders does not have a culture of continuous improvement. In the new system considerations for a culture of sustainability is important. Measurement of what is trash, what is recycled, what fossil fuels used could all be used as metrics. Incentive and responsibility structure of employees would need to be changed. This is especially important in Facilities with responsibility structure and the residential community compensation for large quantities recycled. Recycling is a major step in the right direction for sustainability by decreasing what is trash and ends up in a landfill. Yet it is just one aspect, and not a perfect process. There would also be a future push to reduce use rather than increase recycling. All of these aspects would need to be considered for the waste stream, such as reducing number of trash cans and effective placement of recyclable locations.