Library Collections, Acquisitions,

& Technical Services 29 (2005) 283 – 294

The impact of an accelerated improvement workshop on

ordering and receiving
Gwen AlexanderT, John H. Williams
Wichita State University Libraries, Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260, USA
Available online 26 October 2005

Abstract

In collaboration with the Boeing Company, Wichita State University (WSU) Libraries and the
Wichita State University Industrial Engineering Department employed Kaizen and Lean Management
principles to successfully implement an accelerated improvement workshop (AIW) in the Libraries’
Technical Services Department. This case study explains the development of the Kaizen team, planning
and training, Kaizen, and Lean Management theory and terminology, and the method used to reduce
processing time. Materials processing time was reduced from 25 to 15 days. The team concluded that the
AIW event had beneficial results and suggests AIW applications in other library units.
D 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Kaizen; Lean Management; Accelerated improvement workshop; AIW; Materials processing

1. Introduction

Wichita State University’s (WSU) Libraries and Department of Industrial Engineering

collaborated with the Boeing Company on an accelerated improvement workshop (AIW) [1] to
improve processing time of direct-order library materials. Associated Kaizen [2] and Lean
Management [3] training was provided by Boeing over a 6-week period. The library team of
library employees, engineering students, and Boeing engineers was coached by a trainer,

T Corresponding author.
E-mail address: gwen.alexander@wichita.edu (G. Alexander).

1464-9055/$ - see front matter D 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.lcats.2005.08.003
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consultant, and sensei (master) from Boeing before and during the AIW, which was the focus
of the Boeing Global 2003 Kaizen Seminar September 29–October 3, 2003 [4]. Preparatory
training and participation in the AIW is estimated to be worth $35,000 to WSU in employee
and student development, not including the significant improvement to productivity that has
and is anticipated to accrue over time.
The library team [5] focused on improving processing time of direct-order library materials,
based on the premise that developing operations techniques that swiftly place newly arriving
materials into the hands of patrons increases circulation. Both Bradford [6] and Pareto [7] imply
that processing efficiency will be rewarded with increased volume of circulation (the 80/20, or
the bvital few and trivial manyQ rule). This graph (Fig. 1) corroborates that 80% of circulating
materials are in the 20% newest imprint years.
As UCLA’s Marcia Bates points out in a somewhat different context, bSystems have to be
designed to work with the Bradford Distribution, rather than trying to fight it.Q [8] The AIW
event focused on firm order monographs processing (the system) to smooth the progress of new
materials into the hands of patrons. The earlier the materials can be retrieved for use, the earlier
patrons have access to the 20% of the collections’ imprints that account for 80% of circulating
materials.
Project goals were to redesign the physical layout of technical services to facilitate flow,
reduce in-process inventory time, and reduce the time it takes for a volume of library material to
wend its way through the processing system. To reduce in-process inventory time, we designed
and fabricated a smaller book truck and moved work spaces closer to the inventory of materials.
As a result of these and other modifications, cycle time for book processing was reduced from 5
to 3 weeks and a plan was devised to further reduce it to 8 days, including a 5-day review period.

2. Literature search

For this paper, we reviewed the University of Oklahoma Library and Information Science
course materials from 1981, Emporia State curriculum from 2002, and current syllabi from the
University of Texas, Austin, and Southern Connecticut State University for the inclusion of
management techniques [9]. None offered so much as an overview of operations research, time
and motion studies, or materials handling procedures at even a rudimentary level. This is
indicative of the lack of attention to crossover theories and practices that could be incorporated
into continuous improvement of library processes.
The alphabet of techniques found in continuous improvement literature includes Just in Time
(JIT), Total Quality Management (TQM), Computer Information Model (CIM), Supply Chain
Management (SCM), and more. Unlike Lean Management techniques, these are either highly
mechanistic (JIT and CIM) or address remedial employee psychology (TQM). Kaizen and Lean
Management are historically related to manufacturing instead of office or service modalities;
however, industrial engineers are borrowing these attitudes and modifying them to fit various
circumstances. Our survey of library literature evoked few references to Kaizen, Lean
Management, or other continuous improvement methods, although TQM was found to be
considered occasionally [10].
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Fig. 1. Circulation of charges.

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The library literature is overwhelmingly concerned with LibQUAL [11] and SERVQUAL
[12] as a measure of quality in academic libraries, which is based on customer service. Fostering
an environment of continuous improvement by incorporating theory and methods from other
disciplines into technical services processes has not been extensively explored in the literature.
bPursuing the Three Ts: How Total Quality Management, Technology, and Teams Transformed
the Cataloging Department at Penn StateQ [13] and bData Driven Decisions: Using Data to
Inform Process Changes in Libraries,Q [14] however, are two journal articles that come close.
Typically, library human resource management methodologies assume, after Frederick
Taylor, [15] the bawkward, inefficient, or ill-directed movements of men.Q Lean Management
and Kaizen techniques, to the contrary, exploit Elton Mayo’s finding in the 1920/1930s Western
Electric Hawthorne Works Experiments; [16] namely, that social dynamics and freedom foster
productivity. We found this to be the case in the project reported on here.

3. Planning and training

The library team limited the scope of the AIW to direct orders because other monographic
acquisitions (standing orders and approvals) are handled in disparate ways. Focusing on the
handling of direct orders enabled the team to devote attention to mastering operations
techniques as well as producing the specific project goal of reducing process time.
The Boeing Production System (BPS) is based on Lean Management, which includes
placing a high value on people and their contributions, an emphasis on quality in products and
processes, the total elimination of waste, focusing resources based on customer demand, and
developing partnerships and long-term relationships with suppliers. In other words, the
implementation of Lean Management is dependent on a collaborative team environment, a
precept that was stressed throughout the training period.
As in Lean Management, Kaizen also stresses the role of all stakeholders. Yoshio Oba, Kaizen
sensei from the Shingijutsu Consulting Company of Japan, [17] emphasizes that all stakeholders
must understand the compelling reasons for the disruption and change as well as the benefits
expected to accrue from the expenditure of time and resources. In a talk at WSU, Oba stated that
the dialogue must be open and honest, even when it results in conflict, to provide the opportunity
to develop awareness through understanding the root issue or belief that is going to be
challenged. The communication aspect of managing change was an essential part of this project.
The AIW Handbook, [18] prepared by the BPS Department, Wichita Division, Boeing,
became the foundation for 6 weeks of training in basics. We learned the theory of Kaizen and
Lean Management; what is likely to happen before, during, and after the AIW; the details of
AIW forms; and how to prepare and present a final report. An integral and mandatory
component of the project was the use of templates and forms to plan and track progress. We
were trained in the concepts, protocols, and uses of forms such as the following:

! Situation at a glance—a form that provides a bsnapshotQ of the current situation and
improvements the team is planning to implement. It illustrates the need for an AIW
workshop through graphic depiction.
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! Time observation form—this form documents the time required for each element of a
person’s work. It is based on numerous observations of the process and is also used to
identify waste within the current process.
! The standard work combination sheet—used to visually define and display the
combination of work elements. Since every process has variation in it, the more
occurrences that are observed, the more data points will contribute to developing standard
times to complete an operation.
! The percent load chart—used to identify unbalanced work conditions, optimal staffing
levels, and work load per person compared to takt time (pace).
! The standard work sheet (spaghetti chart)—illustrates the path inventory travels while it is
in process. The actual number of feet traveled is recorded on the chart.
! The target progress report—a grade card that is filled out before, during, and after the AIW.
It includes daily progress, percent change, and the future target.
! The improvement newspaper—shows problems to be resolved, action needed, who is
responsible, the creation and completion date, progress clocks, and quantified results. A
daily summary of the number of open and closed newspaper items is included in the daily
report.
! The improvement detail chart—a depiction of what it was like before the problem
resolution and a depiction of what it is like after the problem resolution.

The concepts behind the use of these forms were initially foreign to the library staff. The
industrial engineering viewpoint helped to identify where beneficial changes could be made
and prioritize project tasks (Fig. 2).
A crucial part of the planning process was to familiarize the industrial engineering and
Boeing teams with library processes and terminology. We accomplished this by conducting
several on-site familiarization tours. The library team members explained the materials
selection process, the acquisitions process, the cataloging and processing that the materials
are subjected to after delivery to the library dock, and the role of the library faculty in
selecting and reviewing the materials.

4. The accelerated improvement workshop (AIW)

The project title was From dock to shelf: Reduce flow time between receipt of books/other
materials and shelving. The mission was supported by a project plan with the following
goals:

! redesign physical layout;

! reduce inventory on hand; and
! reduce lead time.

Keeping in mind the Kaizen principle of producing the highest quality at the lowest cost in
the fastest time, we began the AIW by asking bwhy?Q many times about all related factors. To
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Fig. 2. Project task management form used to establish the library team accelerated improvement workshop plan.

further inform the discussion, we prepared a floor plan of the technical services area and
outlined steps in the flow of materials through cataloging and processing, from the time
materials are delivered to the library until they are ready to be shelved for use. We transferred
the outline to the bimprovement detail chartQ to represent flow (Fig. 3).
Using the floor plan and the Improvement Detail Chart, we discussed the current location
and configuration of processing stations and the path of library materials. Arriving materials
were loaded onto large trucks which, when filled over several days, were then pushed a total
of 555 feet over a 6-week period before the contents were ready to be shelved. It was obvious
that the work stations needed to be relocated in logical bstart to finishQ order instead of being
scattered around the area. Also obvious was the delay that results from filling the large book
trucks at the point of receipt before sending them on their processing journey. The same delay
was repeated at every station as workers completed each book truck batch of materials.
We concluded that smaller trucks that handle a batch of approximately 40 items would be
more efficient and easier to handle than the larger trucks. The industrial engineering students
on the team completed a design for a prototype to be fabricated at Boeing the following day.
The library team revised the interior configuration of the cataloging unit and carpenters,
who were standing by, were called to remove the lower units of a shelving wall. We
transformed the shelving wall into bcart portsQ for the book trucks, which eliminated moving
the materials from the trucks to the shelves and resulted in a new product transportation
system.
The next day, two team members built a prototype book truck from Textube components
and brought it back to the library. In the meantime, other team members relocated work
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Fig. 3. The improvement detail chart shows the flow of materials through cataloging and processing before and after the AIW.

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station partitions, desks, file cabinets, and tables to create improved transportation paths. The
new configuration reduced travel distance from 555 feet to less than 300 feet and enabled
visual surveillance of the status of workflow.
The processing cycle time of 25 days was reduced to 15 days by eliminating five working
days of waiting to fill a cart in the receiving area and reducing review time by faculty to 5
days. The 15-day cycle time begins at the receiving area with unpacking materials (1 day); the
batch (40 books) of materials is then transported on a book truck to an invoicing area (2
days); and on to the review area (5 days); it then goes to the cataloging area where the loaded
trucks are parked below the book cases in the bcart portsQ (5 days), to processing (2 days), and
then out the door for shelving.
The 8-day cycle depends on a steady flow of batches released into the system each day.
To reduce the cycle time to 8 days, 16 small book trucks are required to support two
cataloging stations: 2 trucks for receiving/invoicing, 10 for reviewing, 2 for cataloging, and
2 for processing/delivery. One day of unpacking and 2 days of invoice processing are
compressed to 1 day. The book trucks are then moved to the reviewing station and tagged
with the date. After 5 days in the review station, the book trucks are moved to a cataloger’s
station for cataloging (1 day) and then on to a processing station (1 day). The result is a
maximum of ten small book trucks in the review station on any particular day, with two
departing and two arriving. The key to realizing the further reduction in wait time is to
provide small book trucks, each holding one batch to be moved to the review area once a
day (instead of once a week).
On the third and final day of the AIW, the team conducted a simulated work cycle with the
prototype book truck for both the 15- and 8-day cycles. Major immediate improvements were
reducing the space used for processing from 860 to 752 square feet and moving workers
closer to the materials. Cycle time for the review process was reduced from 10 to 5 days, a
reduction of 50%. People travel was reduced from 665 to 403 feet (39% reduction) as a result
of reconfiguring the work landscape. Product travel was reduced from 555 to 293 feet by the
same process, a 47% reduction. Safety issues related to pushing heavy book trucks were
eliminated by use of the smaller trucks.
Team leaders made daily reports to the sensei in the presence of the team coach and
coordinator. We reported on what our teams did and learned that day and plans for team
activities for the next 24 hours. We identified any roadblocks and showed the team’s
updated Target Progress Report and Improvement Newspaper. The sensei asked questions,
made comments and suggestions, and challenged the team leaders to seek even more
improvement in the process. When we achieved our original goals, he encouraged us to
find a way to reduce processing time still further, resulting in a plan to decrease it to only 8
days (Fig. 4).
At the end of the third day of the AIW, the team prepared a 12-minute group presentation
to document final results. The presentation was part of a celebration of achievement by all 14
teams (mostly Boeing) taking part in the Kaizen seminar. It summarized the progress that was
accomplished in just 3 days: we moved and reconfigured three work stations, planned and
demonstrated a streamlined workflow using a smaller book truck, and realized an immediate
40% reduction in processing time.
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Fig. 4. The lead-time reduction chart shows progress in reducing lead time from 25 to 15 days and a plan to reduce it to 8 days.

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5. Evaluation

We evaluated the AIW on the basis of immediate and follow-on results. Beyond learning
that the processing time for direct-order materials could be reduced from 5 to 3 weeks and a
plan organized to reduce it to 8 days, we found first hand that:

! it is important to determine the scope of the project and make preparations in advance;
! we think more effectively all together than individually;
! a person with decision-making authority needs to be on the team and able to solve
problems as they arise; and
! there are many unused ideas for beneficial improvement that can bloom if given a chance.

We learned that diversity of background and experience lead to synergy, the ability to make
on-the-spot decisions is critical, change will elicit varied responses from stakeholders, and
crude and fast over slow and fancy gets immediate results and can be refined later.
Surprisingly, individuals volunteer to handle specific preparatory assignments and subgroups
form naturally in support of committee objectives, another validation of Mayo’s findings at
the Hawthorne Works.

6. Future directions and applications

The AIW is a specific event and close-ended, unlike Kaizen and Lean Management, which
are continuous improvement approaches based on specific principles. The AIW was
engineered so that materials handling, production, and political leverage goals are specified
and the end of the event coincides with the accomplishment of the goals. It is one increment
of a larger progressive strategy.
The strategy behind the AIW workshop, beyond immediate results, is to transfer
empowerment to workers in the affected workplace. The residual effect of a successful AIW
is to redirect attention to any other facet of technical services production that has not been
included in the event. Ideally, as staff recognize improvements, they will have suggestions for
more beneficial changes and will feel empowered to share their ideas.
As transfer of ownership takes place from the AIW team to staff, they have the opportunity
to embrace the recommendations for the future and try them, modify them, or replace them.
The event also serves as a change model for other units within the organization. By learning
about Kaizen and Lean Management, and observing a successful AIW event, staff in other
units are exposed to how the same process could be used to improve their product or service.
Among areas that can (and should) be scrutinized are the following:

! Approval book plans. An AIW event might be useful to move an organization away from
lengthy review/reject paradigms and toward acceptance of shelf-ready books.
! Vendor interactions. In a highly interactive, sole-sourced vendor/library relationship, it is
important the partners understand the extent to which their actions impact one another.
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Inefficiencies in USMARC record supply, timeliness of purchase order/invoice EDI

(Electronic Data Interface) loads, and an even supply of books over the fiscal cycle can
easily be dealt with during an on-site AIW event involving library and vendor staff.
! Workload increases from special projects. As libraries fill with materials, moving less-used
materials through the technical services system in reverse, to shared or compact storage
facilities, will impact already fully tasked units. An AIW event can assist a team in
collectively identifying sectors of the unit that can accommodate the workload and identify
times when these materials can be out-processed. Similarly, retrospective conversion
projects (some large academic libraries are still not done, either with converting from
Dewey to LC call numbers or with entering records in bibliographic utilities and catalogs),
archives and special collections cataloging projects, and digitization of unique materials
(manuscripts, theses/dissertations, and archives) can all be programmatically addressed
through Lean Management and focused AIW.

7. Conclusion

Kaizen and Lean Management techniques in general, and AIW events in particular, do
differ in one respect from other materials handling and production methodologies employed
in the business sector. [19] Most methodologies assert the need to manipulate the individuals
to accomplish group goals (i.e., efficiency). What Kaizen and Lean Management techniques
have that is distinctly their own, however, is their optimism about the overall direction of
individual and group behavior. Lean Management exploits the perspective that, over time, the
group will seek incremental improvement in the techniques it applies collaboratively to
improve processing efficiency. What the AIW event accomplishes is the compression of that
incremental improvement into a very short, intense period of time.

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the guidance supplied by Tom Greenwood and Dennis Moon,
coaches; Steve Hudson, team consultant; and Steve McConnell, sensei; all of The Boeing
Company, Wichita Division, and research assistance provided by Joan Brichacek Wilson,
M.L.S., Wichita State University Libraries.

References

[1] The Accelerated Improvement Workshop applies Kaizen and Lean Management principles in a limited
amount of time to obtain immediate results.
[2] Kaizen is a Japanese idea that translates to a bsustained, continuous, incremental, progressive improvement
towards perfectionQ or buninterrupted change instead of innovative change on an occasional basis.Q It is a bway
of beingQ that is ongoing and results in continuous adjustments and a never-ending improvement process.
[3] Lean Management: Adapted from lean production, an assembly-line manufacturing methodology, Lean
294 G. Alexander, J.H. Williams / Libr. Coll. Acq. & Tech. Serv. 29 (2005) 283–294

Management is applicable to all organizations interested in eliminating waste and improving quality.
Engineer Ohno developed the principles of lean production, which is also known as the Toyota Production
System. See also Tapping, D., & Shuker, T. (2003). Value stream management for the lean office: Eight steps
to planning, mapping, and sustaining lean improvements in administrative areas. New York: Productivity
Press.
[4] Boeing Global 2003 Kaizen Seminar September 29–October 3, 2003.
[5] From the WSU Libraries, Gwen Alexander, Associate Dean, team leader; ShaLi Zhang, Chair, Technical
Services, team co-leader; Beth Smith (Mohler), Science and Engineering Librarian; Beverly Henline and
Connie Basquez, Library Assistants III in Technical Services; and John Williams, Manager of Acquisitions,
team consultant. From the WSU Industrial Engineering Department, Dharmesh Patel and Tamer Mohamed,
graduate students, and Hem Patil and Thuan Mai, undergraduate students. Bob Roggenbach, Boeing engineer
(Seattle).
[6] Bradford, S. C. (1948). Documentation. London7 Crossby Lockwood & Son.
[7] Pareto, V. (1974). The ruling class in Italy before 1900. New York7 H. Fertig.
[8] Bates, Marcia (2002). After the dot-bomb: Getting Web information right this time. Retrieved January 12,
2005, from http://www.hastingsresearch.com/net/08-net-information-retrieval.shtml
[9] Syllabi reviewed. University of Texas Austin’s course syllabus: Owens, Irene (2004). LIS 387: Managing
information service organizations. Retrieved January 12, 2005, from http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~lis387io/;
Southern Connecticut State’s course syllabus: Brown, Mary E. (2005). ILS 566: Library personnel
management syllabus, Retrieved January 12, 2005, from http://www.southernct.edu/~brownm/;
The University of Oklahoma course taught by Charles R. McClure in 1981 used: Rizzo, John R. (1980).
Management for librarians: Fundamentals and issues. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press;
Emporia State University’s curriculum was found in collected excerpts and readings in: Salvatore, Cecilia
(2002). LI 805XA/XR coursepack: Organizational theories for administering information agencies. Emporia,
Kansas: Emporia State University.
[10] Nitecki, D. A. (1996). Changing the concept and measure of service quality in academic libraries. Journal of
Academic Librarianship, 22(3), 181 – 190;
Bednar, M. L., Brisson, R., & Hewes, J. (2000). Pursuing the three Ts: How total quality management,
technology, and teams transformed the cataloging department at Penn State. Cataloging & Classification
Quarterly, 30(2/3), 241 – 279.
[11] LibQual+ is an assessment program centered on a Web-based survey offered to libraries through the
Association of Research Libraries (ARL). More information can be found at LibQual, www.libqual.org.
See also Heath, Fred M., Kyrillidou, Martha, and Askew, Censuella A. (Eds.) (2004). Libraries act on their
LibQUAL+ findings from data to action. Haworth Information Press;
Hipps, K., & Kyrillidou, M. (2003). Library users assess service quality with LibQUAL+ and e-QUAL.
ARL: a Bimonthly Report, 230/231, 8 – 10.
[12] SERVQUAL is an assessment tool to measure service quality through customer survey responses.
[13] Bednar, M. L., Brisson, R., & Hewes, J. (2000). Pursuing the three Ts: How total quality management,
technology, and teams transformed the cataloging department at Penn State. Cataloging & Classification
Quarterly, 30(2/3), 241 – 279.
[14] Veldorf, J. R. (1999). Data driven decisions: Using data to inform process changes in libraries. Library &
Information Science Research, 21(1), 31 – 46.
[15] Taylor, F. W. (1947). Scientific management, comprising shop management, the principles of scientific
management [and] testimony before the special house committee. New York7 Harper.
[16] Mayo, E. (1960). The human problems of an industrial civilization. New York7 Viking Press.
[17] Shingijutsu homepage. (2001). Retrieved January 12, 2005, from http://www.shingijutsu.co.jp/index_e.htm
[18] The AIW Handbook is produced in-house by the Boeing Production System (BPS) and includes a timeline
for AIW preparation, planning, rules, waste, don’ts, tools (forms), and assessment guidance.
[19] The standard survey of authors discussing principles of organization is: Pugh, D. S., & Hickson, D. J. (1997).
Writers on organizations, (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.