Contents | Quality Encyclopedia | Discussion Blogs

Applications in Practice: A Look at the Seven Management and Planning Tools

Sharon A. Youngblood, Principal
Youngblood & Associates
520-624-1544

Due to the tremendous growth of the Southwest, engineering and architectural consulting firms have seen their businesses grow at a rapid rate. These firms who perform the complicated up-front engineering and planning of difficult projects typically do whatever it takes to satisfy their external clients, and usually succeed. One firm that not only succeeds, but excels in the quality of service they provide to clients is Cella Barr Associates (CBA). CBA has corporate offices in Tucson, Arizona and branch offices in Phoenix, Nevada and California. In an ever increasing quest to better serve their clients, both internal and external, CBA instituted a Process Improvement Program. CBA determined that the service to the external client was very good, but the stress on the internal client, associates within CBA, could be excessive. Realizing that one of their greatest resources is their associates, CBA looked at their internal processes to improve working conditions.

A year into the Process Improvement Program, CBA decided to retain the management consulting firm of Youngblood & Associates to assist primarily with performance measurements of processes. Youngblood & Associates designed a program for CBA which relied heavily on the 7 Management and Planning Tools (7MP Tools) and the 7 Quality Control Tools (7 QC Tools). For example, goals for the process improvement teams were established by using the Affinity Diagram and the Interrelationship Digraph. The first team used these powerful tools to yield a clear direction that the team would follow in their improvement efforts. There was only one problem with the tools, the same problem that is always present when these tools are used manually: THE PROCESS OF MANUALLY DEVELOPING AN INTERRELATIONSHIP DIGRAPH IS VERY TEDIOUS!! It is a testament to the dedication of the team that they spent the hours necessary to complete the interrelationship digraph. They all agreed that the powerful results made it worthwhile, but the 6 hours it took were formidable, as was the repetitive tedium.

The next time the company used the Interrelationship Digraph several individuals who were on the first team were also on the second. Those individuals did not look forward to the 6 to 8 hours it might take to create the Interrelationship Digraph, but because they knew the benefits of using the tool, they agreed. The teams objective was to streamline their Architectural process. It was at this time that Youngblood & Associates introduced to CBA Quality America’s 7 Management and Planning Tools software program, 7MP-PC IVTM. Using 7MP-PC IV to compare 37 variables, the team was able to determine the root causes of difficulties in their process and begin to develop a new process. In the trial implementation of the new process, preliminary indicators show that the new process could bring significant cost savings to CBA. In addition to cost savings, CBA achieved their overall goal of reduced stress on their associates and improved working conditions. As an unexpected benefit, CBA found that in using the 7 Management and Planning tools, the level of communication, teamwork, and cooperation increased among the employees.

The chart CBA developed represents over 1200 comparisons which would have taken the team approximately 5 1/2 hours to complete manually. However, using 7MP-PC IV, the team finished in 2 1/2 hours. In addition to time saved in comparing each of the variables, the team saved considerable time evaluating the data and drawing the diagram. 7MP-PC IV compiled the data and generated a complete printout of results, as well as a graph of all of the inter-relationships, saving the team at CBA at least 7 hours (or a minimum of 49 staff hours). Furthermore, the individuals who had done the process manually in the past were very pleased with the speed and convenience of the software. Those who had not created an Interrelationship Digraph previously did not find the process (using the software) tedious, and were willing to use the tool in the future.

CBA’s results using the Affinity and Interrelationship Digraph are very powerful when done either manually automated by software. That is to be expected as 7MP-PC IV does not modify the 7 Management & Planning Tools but rather facilitates their correct and efficient use. Having used the 7 Management Tools both in the U.S. and Japan, Youngblood & Associates is committed to their effectiveness and using the Quality America Software improves an already good tool in some very important ways. One of the challenges in getting U. S. companies to use the tools consistently, even though they acknowledge that the tools are very effective, is that Americans just do not have the patience to go through the lengthy manual process.

Americans are conditioned culturally to seek a quick answer. Quality America’s software provides a quick answer without losing the power of the process. All of the tools in the 7 MP and 7 QC software are being integrated into CBA's Process Improvement Program. It is questionable, given the extreme demands on the time of associates in professional service firms, that the tools would be used as effectively without the availability of easy-to-use software. Cella Barr Associates continues to be a leader in the professional service community and their process improvement program has taken a firm, powerful step with the additional tools now available to them.