only this limited amount of information. As an illustration, insight into booking capacity for each piece of equipment is definitely needed. Our overall capacity is clearly impacted by having equipment out for a day or two to a few technicians. WHAT TO MEASURE - AND IMPROVE Here are a couple of techniques I have adapted from the Toyota system to improve technician productivity and CSI scores. KNOW WHAT YOUR PROCESS INCLUDES One of the basics of any lean system is understanding the workflow, commonly called the value stream. Laying out all of the steps involved in a repair order on a single piece of paper, as I have done in the graphic, is the first step to identifying areas of improvement. Either manually with a stopwatch or timer, or using a digital system, capturing how long each step takes will provide some amazing insights. Best practices regarding your value stream can be used to understand both the average time and the distribution of these times. For example, one process may average 30 minutes in length and usually takes between 25 and 35 minutes. A second process may average 60 minutes, but can take between 15 minutes and 3 hours. Understanding the distribution of these times enables you to dig in and identify opportunities to improve. Each step in the value stream map is an opportunity for you to ask if it can be eliminated, automated or improved? MAY JUNE 2022 || FIXED OPS MAGAZINE 43http://rapidrecon.com