Streamlining Dashboard Reporting
In the Life and Health Reinsurance sector, the dashboard preparation process involved manual tasks such as data collection for multiple companies, report formatting, manual graph creation, and meticulous presentation formatting. This manual approach resulted in errors and consumed a significant amount of time, approximately two days per month (appro. 14 hrs. monthly, 168 hours annually), excluding reworks. Accurate and timely dashboard preparation was mandatory for leadership reporting.
Goal
The Lean project was initiated with the goal of reducing the time spent by 50% on dashboard preparation while ensuring accuracy. The aim was to automate the entire process to enable timely and error-free dashboard reporting for leadership.
During the project planning phase, the following steps were undertaken:
- Identification of the specific pain points and inefficiencies in the current dashboard preparation process.
- Definition of key success metrics, including reducing the time spent and eliminating errors.
- Investigation and selection of suitable automation tools and techniques to streamline the process.
- Development of a clear implementation plan for automation, including a timeline and resource allocation.
The plan was to reduce reporting timeliness by 50% within four weeks of initiating the project. The project timeline included one week for planning and data collection, the completion of analysis and solutioning by the end of the second week, implementation during the third week, and the fourth week for the launch and training on the new process.
For execution, the project leader, along with the relevant stakeholders, conducted process mapping to identify bottlenecks and organized brainstorming sessions to pinpoint causes and solutions. Subsequently, the team proceeded with the automation of the dashboard preparation process by introducing appropriate software and tools. In this case, the team recognized that most of the tasks were repetitive and could be automated by developing VBA code in Microsoft Excel. This automation encompassed the creation of automated report templates, real-time data integration, as well as graph generation, and presentation creation. It’s worth noting that the interpretation of data, which required human intelligence, was intentionally left out of scope.
This Lean project applied several key techniques, including the MUDA concept, process mapping, and automation. Notably, the project distinguished between two types of waste: the first encompasses activities that cannot be immediately eliminated, while the second includes activities that can be quickly eliminated by conducting a Kaizen event.
To check for consistency, after implementing the automation, the dashboard preparation process was closely monitored. The post-implementation process was assessed based on the time spent, the accuracy of the reports, and the overall efficiency compared to the previous manual process. The results were…
- Time spent on dashboard preparation reduced significantly, from 14 hours monthly (168 hrs. annually) to just 2 hours monthly (24 hrs. annually).
- The occurrence of errors decreased significantly.
- Real-time data integration improved the accuracy and timeliness of the dashboards.
Based on the positive results, the following actions were taken to ensure sustainability and consistency:
- A new automated process was documented to ensure consistency.
- Standardized templates were created.
- The process was automated, and additionally, Excel-based alerts were implemented to notify anomalies in data.
- Training sessions were conducted to enhance team members’ capabilities in effectively using the automated tools.
Conclusion: The PDCA cycle was successfully completed, resulting in a streamlined dashboard preparation process in the Life and Health Reinsurance sector. The implementation of automation significantly reduced the time required, eliminated errors, and enhanced the overall efficiency of the process. The lessons learned from this PDCA case study underscore the value of continuous improvement and the positive impact it can have on complex processes in a fast-paced industry.
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