I am able to work with a small number of selected lean healthcare clients through my company - Constancy, Inc. The name of the company refers to Dr. W. Edwards Deming and his idea that organizations need a long-term “constancy of purpose” in order to continually improve quality and organizational results.
“constancy n
1. the quality of having a resolute mind, purpose, or affection; steadfastness”
As an independent practitioner, I am not the type of consultant who can be on-site with you every week for a long-term engagement. What I prefer to focus on are short, strategic engagements to provide specific experience or value to your organization and leadership team. For larger engagements, I am able to bring additional expertise and resources from my partner Lean Pathways, Inc.
It is my style to teach and coach I guide your leaders and team members in practicing Lean methods and learning Lean mindsets. One former client said, in a published case study, “Lean wasn’t done to us. We participated in the process and learned from it.” Another client, a front-line staff member, said recently, “You’re not like other consultants. You’re teaching us how to figure things out ourselves.”
Areas where Constancy, Inc. might be able to help:
- Lean healthcare strategy – how to get started, selecting a long-term consultant, etc.
- Diagnosing your existing Lean transformation approach – what is working well, what are opportunities for improvement?
- Designing a high-level, multi-year Lean program for your organization, focused on building your internal capabilities
- Executive Lean education and coaching
- Establishing systems and processes for harnessing staff suggestions and improvement ideas, coaching managers and leaders in the mechanics and the soft skills of “kaizen” (as featured in my upcoming book Healthcare Kaizen).
- Designing and implementing kanban systems for effective materials management
- Teaching your staff members how to observe their work in a structured and systematic way to identify waste
- Current-state and future-state value stream mapping
- Coaching managers and front-line staff in identifying waste, with an eye for improving quality and improving flow
- Leading “Lean design” activities with staff, leaders, and architects
- Patient flow improvements
- Lean laboratory flow and turnaround time improvements
Use the “Contact” button in the top menu or click here to reach me for more information.
Published case studies and articles about Mark Graban’s work:
- Riverside Medical Center, Kankakee, Illinois - PDF
- Children’s Hospital (confidential location) - PDF
- NHS Northampton General Hospital, England – General Case Study PDF, Kanban System PDF, Level Loading PDF
- Blog post from HKS architects, about “lean design” work done jointly at Riley Hospital for Children
