This morning was an errand day for us. One of our first stops was the Sarcan depot in our area, to return some bottles and cans. I will admit that this isn't usually one of my favourite errands. I find the depot loud, the waits slightly painful and the floor disturbingly sticky. The staff are about the only bright spot. Once we do manage to get through the line, the service is always prompt and courteous.
I was pleasantly surprised to walk in today and see that they've made some great improvements to their flow. First up - it looks like they're now using queuing theory:
I was pleasantly surprised to walk in today and see that they've made some great improvements to their flow. First up - it looks like they're now using queuing theory:
It's hard to see in the photo but there is now one line. Instead of lining up at an individual station (and introducing a lot of variation into the process), everyone is now in one line. When a clerk becomes open, you go to them. It was amazing to see how quickly people were processed through. This is a Saturday morning - any other time we've been in it's been crazy busy with line-ups and waits. Today our wait was 0.
But hey - what if the Boy Scouts just happened to come in after a bottle drive and you were stuck behind them? That would be super painful right? Too bad you couldn't just leave your bottles and have them send you the money. Oh wait, you can. Yes - they've also created this option:
But hey - what if the Boy Scouts just happened to come in after a bottle drive and you were stuck behind them? That would be super painful right? Too bad you couldn't just leave your bottles and have them send you the money. Oh wait, you can. Yes - they've also created this option:
Wow! I was so impressed with the changes. And those weren't the only improvements. I saw shining examples all over the place. They had daily visual management up on the wall, showing schedules and breaks, as well as kitchen duty. They had a sign posted reminding people that if they had two forms they only needed to sign one (nice to see they don't require over-processing).
I am curious how they make improvement part of the business. Do they involve the staff in bringing forward ideas? What kinds of visual management are they using behind the door? I would love to connect with them and learn more about where they are on their journey.
More than anything, the quality improvement nerd in me just loves the fact that they were open to re-think their processes. Just because it's always been done a certain way doesn't mean that's the only way.
I am curious how they make improvement part of the business. Do they involve the staff in bringing forward ideas? What kinds of visual management are they using behind the door? I would love to connect with them and learn more about where they are on their journey.
More than anything, the quality improvement nerd in me just loves the fact that they were open to re-think their processes. Just because it's always been done a certain way doesn't mean that's the only way.