Lean health care leaders use kaizen, or continuous incremental improvement, to address process problems and transform their organizations. When significant problems can’t be overcome with kaizen alone, the additional lean approach of 3P—production, preparation, process—can help radically redesign processes, products, and facilities to better meet the demands of the health care marketplace.

Based on the Japanese concept of kaikaku, or revolutionary change over a short period, 3P can be used to generate quantum leaps in an existing process or to design entirely new processes. It can also be used to help the implementation of new facilities, information systems, and staff workflows. 3P aims to enhance flow while simultaneously improving quality, affordability, and time to market for new products and services.

How 3P Works

Guiding you through a 3P event, our professionals help your teams with the design or implementation of the following:

• New service offerings or a combination of services previously operated independently
• New processes to accommodate changes in demand or equipment
• New facility design, major projects, or making the most of a small re-model budget
• New processes to accommodate a new facility layout that have already been determined

Workshop Overview

3P takes place through a series of preparation sessions and workshops including:

• Visioning. This one-day session aligns the vision and focus of the 3P with the business strategy, or hoshin kanri, by assessing the organization’s unique business environment, market positioning, and values.
• 3P workshop preparation. Logistics for the 3P workshop are defined including identifying participants and securing space, equipment, and supplies and key elements are identified for designing waste-free flow processes. These include data collection and understanding demand for services, lead and cycle times, average production times, and more.
• 3P design workshop. This workshop combines data analysis with creativity and innovation exercises that allow your team to develop a proof-of-concept that includes new processes to meet customer and business requirements.
• 3P implementation. Teams create the infrastructure necessary to execute the concept model designed during the 3P workshop.