RajSaxena

What is this curve?
Kubler Ross curve is also known as ‘Five stage of Grief’. This model was introduced by Swiss-American Psychiatrist Elisabth Kuber-Ross in her 1969 book ‘On Death and Dying’. This book and the work she had done was inspired by her work with patients who were terminally ill.
It’s a series of various level/stages of emotions which are experienced by: -
-          A ill patient prior to death
-          A person who is going to approach death
-          A person who is a survivor of close acquainted to death
-          A person who have lost a loved one
 
These five stages are: -
1.       Denial: - Its first stage.
           a.       Short lived stage mostly but sometime some people may remain in the state of denial for longer time
           b.       Doesn’t accept what is happening and that its happening to him/her
           c.       Individuals believe the diagnosis is somehow mistake
2.       Anger: - Second stage of Kubler Ross curve.
          a.       Individual recognize that denial can’t continue
          b.       Realization of actual situation
          c.       Psychological response (ie. Why only me? Why would this happen?)
          d.       Frustration, short tempered and always remain irritable
3.       Bargaining: - Third stage comprises hope.
          a.       Ways to postpone
          b.       Trying to find best thing left behind
          c.       Negotiate in the situation and come to a point of compromise
          d.       Search for dissimilar outcomes which helps in less traumatic
          e.       Attempt to bargain for more time to live
4.       Depression: - Fourth stage of sadness.
          a.       Losing interest, not bother about whats going on
          b.       Individual hopelessness at the recognition of their mortality
          c.       Sadness, fear, regret, Guilt
5.       Acceptance: - Fifth and last stage of resigned.
          a.       Embrace mortality or unavoidable future
          b.       Accepting the reality that grief will not go away
 
What are the learning for the organizations?
 
This is very reliable tool to understand/help the different stages of employee who are going through significant transformation in organization. It also helps department head to understand the transition of his team mates to one position to other or one department to other department. And this further helps manager to build a good road map or different strategy to support employee transition to finally make controlled situation and successful task completion.
 
 
Trying to explain with some real example “Change of role”.
 
Stage-1
          -          Denial: - He doesn’t accept the sudden change. He start thinking why it’s happened to him only.
          -          Overcome with situation: - Give clear communication why there is change of role. What is purpose behind it and why its require? It may be need of organization with his specific skills.
Stage-2
          -          Anger: - so employee understand the denial can’t continue and he realized the situation but there is anger and frustration.
          -          Overcome with situation: - when people leave their comfort zone then they need time to adopt the situation and this adapt situation make sometime people frustrating. Other than communication, they also need support to adopt with current situation and spare some time. This is natural reaction as changes are not really smooth always.
Stage-3
          -          Bargaining: - Employee start negotiation to reach on the point of compromise. They may try to find best place to fit themselves.
          -          Overcome with situation: - Understand/assess the current level of employees and feed them with good training skills which make them more productivity instead of working in compromise way.
Stage-4
          -          Depression: - Adjustment with situation or adjusting in different team with different skill people is not always easy which make employee feel sad and depressed.
          -          Overcome with situation: - More astonishing training, finding easier way to explain situation, try making situation ease for employee so that he can adjust, make social gathering within office with team members.
Stage-5
          -          Acceptance: - Employee finally accepting the changes. Some start working with new change and some may resign due to unfit the situation.
          -          Overcome with situation: - Productivity improved as employee either with you working as per new changes.
 
Thanks to resource:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kübler-Ross_model
https://www.cleverism.com/understanding-kubler-ross-change-curve/
 

Distinguish Critical Path Method from Critical Chain Method: -
 
Critical Path Method
Critical Chain Method
Definition: -
CPM is an algorithm for scheduling a set of project activities and commonly used in conjunction with the program evaluation and review technique. CPM has developed in the late 1950 by Morgan R Walker. CPM helps to identify critical and non-critical tasks from project’s start to end and helps in short-term prevention. The longest path is known as the critical path, and the duration of the critical path is the duration of the project.
Definition: -
CCM is based on methods and algorithms derived from Theory of Constraint. It was introduced in 1997 and it has been credited with achieving projects 10%-50% faster and cheaper than traditional methods.
 
 

Advantages: -
1. Offers a Visual representation of the project activities
2. Provides time to complete the tasks and overall project.
3. Helps in tracking critical activities
Advantages: -
1. Removes bottleneck to resolve constraints (Theory of Constraints)
2. Lean: Eliminate wastes & Six Sigma: Reduce Variation
3. Helps in Planning and control process
Terms Used & Difference: - Float
1. Calculated Difference between the critical and non-critical path
2. Float is Zero.
3. Can't be used as tool to check Project status.
4. Activities - early start or late start, early finish or late finish possible.
5. Types - Free & Total floats
Terms Used & Difference: - Buffer
1. Based on contingencies
2. Buffer is not Zero
3. Can be used to analyze Project status
4. Activities - only a start and an end
5. Types - Project, Feeding & Resource Buffer
Method: -
CPM is all about Managing activities
1. Resources will be provided whenever they are needed.
2. It’s not useful to gain time by completing an activity as next task can't be stared before its early start time. So you can't utilize the time by completing previous activity early.
3. Member will not start activity till its late start, and utilize the float if an activity has a float.
Method: -
CCM is all about Managing buffers
1. Consider Resources availability is limited and builds a realistic schedule based available resources. Provides more realistic and better schedule
2. Whenever an activity is completed, you can start the next activity and the time remains will be added as buffer.
3. Buffer is placed at the end of project and each task has its real time.
 

 
 
How does Critical Chain method relate with Theory of Constraints or with Lean Management practices?
 
CCM is an outgrowth of the Theory of Constraints to scheduling and managing manufacturing.  
1.       Theory of Constraints focuses on identifying and fixing bottlenecks to improve throughput and CCM focuses on bottlenecks. Example, Manufacturing Company was facing delay with new product approval. It was found that bottleneck was expert testing engineer to analyze more test results. And Expert testing engineer hiring cost is more than the revenue expected to launch the products to market sooner.
2.       CCM is the realizing component to the theoretical TOC which typically has applied through five steps.
3.       CCM and TOC both are concentrating more into the micro elements for a specific process.
4.       CCM and TOC is more focused on the management of time, duration and uncertainty of Projects.
5.       CCM and TOC can have distinguishing and remarkable outcomes for tasks completion and monitoring.
6.       CCM focused on bottleneck similar like Lean management practices where Lean management talks about the improvement lean by eliminating the bottlenecks.
 
Thanks to resource:-
 
https://blog.pmsprout.com/critical-path-method-versus-critical-chain-method/
https://www.invensislearning.com/resources/pmp/critical-path-critical-chain-method
http://apppm.man.dtu.dk/index.php/Critical_Chain_Theory
https://www.ijser.org/researchpaper/A-Comparison-Between-Lean-Implementation-and-Critical-Chain-Management.pdf

Brook’s Law
Brook’s Law is: “Adding additional resources to a late software development project will make the project later”.
 
Q1. Whether Brook’s Law applies to delayed Lean Six Sigma Projects?
Answer: Yes it applies to Lean Six Sigma Projects.
 
Q2. How Brook’s Law applies to delayed Lean Six Sigma Projects?
Answer:
Brook’s Law can also be applied to dissimilar types of Projects (could be challenging or methodological projects) where highly skilled and experienced workforce are required.
There are following reasons which tells how this Law applies.
a.       Adding new people in existing projects takes more time for them to become productive. And this what has been called “Ramp Up” time as per Brook’s law. The biggest concern of adding new people in existing running project is: it distract the resources who are already working on the project and this distraction results in productivity loss of old resources and at the same time new resources are not yet contributing.
Why existing resources becomes less productive?
1.       Existing resources are being used to educate the new added people.
2.       They have to spare their work so that training can be conducted for new resources.
3.       Temporary movement from existing work to training will stop the focus and work on running project.

 
b.  Communication overheads increases as the new resource added. Since everybody on this project needs to be in sync in order to make task aligned. So when new resources are added then more discussion, more meeting to be make everybody in sync and they spend more time to understand others work.

 
 
Brook’s Law in SIX SIGMA Project
If we talk about Brook’s Law in SIX sigma project typically in DMAIC approach the here is the answer.
 
Define & Measure Phase:
While Brook’s law doesn’t applies on early stage of project so it can be considered that if we add more people during the Define and Measures phase which is considered as early phase where we define problem statement and getting understand then Brook’s law may not be applies.
 

 
Analyze, Improve & Control Phases:
Let’s understand how it’s applied in these three phases,
-          Analyze - While working for analyzing and validating and selecting the root cause, one has to be aware with the data collection method along with Problem statement.
-          Improve - Adding people during improve phase will make project delays as in this phase team is already working on testing and implementation phase and new added people needs complete information about the validation and selection of root cause before understand the testing process.
-          Control – addition on new people in control phase will surely create some delay as existing resource will be distract to make new people understand the whole project.
 
Simulation of Project Delay & Brook’s Law: -
-          Project Starts: Planned to Complete in 12 months
-          Month 10: Project manager proposed to add two new resources in the existing project for targeting to complete this project in 12 Months Whereas Engineers has said that they have already completed 70% of Project and 30% of Project will be completed in next two months.
-          Month 11: Team has informed that it can’t be completed in month 12 as per commitment. Discussion started on Brook’s law and Project manager added two new resources and postpone to complete this project in 13 months.
-          Month 13: Project is not yet ready and Engineers recalled to Project Manager for violating Brook’s law of adding new people.
Month 14: Project is ready and released late by 2 months.
 
 
Co-relates why Simulated Project delayed and How Brook’s Law applies: -
-          Educating New added resources: - Existing/experience (Or Best known project people) resources are being use to educate new resource which distract them from the running project work and consume their work in training work. This makes them less productivity thus its resulting in Project delay. Example – if we explain above simulation, you will see that project was 1 month delay and to cover this 1 month, project manager added two new resources and violated the Brook’s Law. In this case, when existing resources started focusing on education of new people then they would be requiring more time to complete their work and this explains why the project is delayed more.
-          Multiple Communication: - To make a good and successful project the communication is key and keeping every individual in sync is important. Since new resource have been added in project then more communication require to keep them in sync and also to keep watch on what every individual is doing. This requires ample time to make everybody aware with project details and keep in sync which justify the fact of delaying the project as it distracts the existing resources.
 

CONWIP
 
CONWIP stands CONstant Work In Progress. CONWIP is a one type of pull system which uses a single global set of cards to control Total WIP anywhere in the system or shop floor.
Raw material can enter in CONWIP only when there a demand, it receives through the authorized cards and this same card authorize raw material to move throughout the system till production completion. This cards will only be released when the final product moved out from system and then this card will be used to enter new material in system as per demand.
In CONWIP system, WIP is not controlled at the individual workstation level. In CONWIP Card limit the total number of work that can be anywhere in system.
In CONWIP system, when demand occurs and material enters in the system, material flows freely similar like Push system and WIP accumulates in front of the bottleneck stations.
CONWIP is easier to manage as there is only one set of Global card that needed review and adjustment. Kanban System is more difficult to manage but it support strict WIP Control system as its card control is implemented at workstation level.
CONWIP differs from Kanban in three mains ways:-
1.       Use of backlog to dictate the part number sequence
2.       Cards are associated with all parts produced on a line rather than individual part numbers
3.       Jobs are pushed between workstations in series once they have authorized by a card to start at the beginning of the line.
 
 
Advantages and disadvantages of using CONWIP against KANBAN
 
Advantages of CONWIP against KANBAN
1.       Number of Variants
Kanban works with high quantity but low variety because every card has permanent number associated with the card. And this works when there is a continuous demand for specific product number.
                Example – Made to stock parts that sold in large quantity.
                                                        
                Above both the examples show single variant product which is easy to manage even with high quantity. In both examples product is unique then Unique Kanban require for this product. As we know Kanban is assigned to a part number then it makes difficult.
 
 
 
 
Here CONWIP wins as it has no part number assigned by default to CONWIP card hence it can be assigned temporarily to CONWIP part even if the part is produced once. And it’s more suitable for made to order parts. 
Example – Made to order parts that sold in large variety.
                           
 
 
2.       Better Performance than Kanban
In a single line, CONWIP System has better performance than Kanban system with N circulating card.
Lets look at with the below explained example. Here we are comparing two Kanban and CONWIP system applied in an assembly system given the same number of circulating cards within the system. Consider an assembly system fed by two fabrication lines with three stations for each fabrication lines as well as the assembly line in below picture.
We can see the below picture giving us  the simulation results consist of systems throughput and average WIP of both Kanban and CONWIP systems, when the total number of circulating cards within the both systems is identical and equal to 13.

In above picture, k denotes the number of kanbans at i station of j fabrication line in the Kanban system. That is, 11 k , 12 k and 13 k denote the number of kanbans at stations 1, 2 and 3 of the first fabrication line, respectively. Similarly, 21 k , 22 k and 23 k denote the number of kanbans at stations 1, 2 and 3 of fabrication line 2, respectively. 1 k and 2 k also denote the number of kanbans at stations 1 and 2 of the assembly line, respectively.
So in above picture, average WIP and throughput in the both systems given the same number of cards
 

 
From the table above, two systems has the same rate of throughput (equal 3.75 parts per hour) and, average WIP equivalent 1.09 and 1.45 parts achieved by Kanban and CONWIP system, respectively.
Henceforth, when the total number of cards in both Kanban and 28 CONWIP systems is equivalent, average WIP can be less in Kanban system than in CONWIP given the same level of throughput. Since final demand is unlimited, the number of Kanban’s at the last station of the assembly line is not relevant in Kanban system. Thus, the last station (station 3) is not shown in the above table.
 
Disadvantages of CONWIP against KANBAN
1.       Doesn’t manage the sequence
Kanban manages production sequence automatically. Kanban system automatically reproduced what is required to produce if this system has enough Kanban for each part type.
Whereas CONWIP needs human input to reproduce the required produce.
 
Assume you have a system with 50 CONWIP cards. If someone messes up your backlog priority and puts 50 times the same product as a priority, then your entire system is full with this one product. You cannot even produce something else unless you sell one of the other products.

 
Source:-
http://webuser.bus.umich.edu/whopp/Reprint/CONWIPPullAlternative.pdf
https://www.informs-sim.org/wsc01papers/122.PDF
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.453.6307&rep=rep1&type=pdf