Case Study

Another phase of the project at Manitoba Mutual Insurance Co. (MMIC) involves updating the document production and distribution solution and processes. Some of the business objectives for this phase of the project are listed inTable 1.

Table 1: Business Objectives

ID	Business Objective
BO8	Reduce the cost of printing and distributing documents.
BO9	Provide an alternate (non-paper) delivery mechanism for documents (email, or via the self-serve portal).
BO10	Improve the efficiency of the document production and distribution processes to reduce operational costs.
BO11	Improve the presentation (formatting and content) of all insurance documents to improve customer perception of our business.
BO12	Eliminate redundant document types to improve efficiency and reduce customer confusion.

Regarding BO4 and BO5:These objectives are felt to contribute to the value desired by customers because having clear policy documentation contributes to peace of mind (one of the key values identified in Assignment 2).

Consider what other objectives contribute directly to value for the customer, versus internal value and cost reduction.

The project team has begun work on evaluating the current document production and distribution solution, and they are currently assessing the enterprise limitations. They have begun documenting the process of printing and distributing insurance policy documents.Figure 1shows a model of the current process.

It is noteworthy that this process has not changed much in the 20 years that the company has been in business. The printing technology has changed, but for better or worse, the process has remained more or less the same.

Figure 1: Process Model for Print and Distribute Insurance Policy Documents ExerciseExercise 1: SIPOC

Using the process model inFigure 1, fill out this SIPOC diagram for the "print and distribute insurance policy documents" process.

Suppliers	Inputs	Process	Outputs	Consumers

Exercise 2: Value Stream Considerations

Perform the initial steps of a value stream mapping of the process by categorizing each step as value-add or non-value-add. For value-adding steps, recall that they should be steps that a customer would be willing to pay for and that are required to produce the value for the customer. For non-value-added steps, recall the seven wastes discussed in the Unit 5 notes. Find and identify which non-value-add steps are also wasteful and identify to which of these "wastes" your non-value-add step relates.

Value Adding Process Steps	Non-value Adding Process Steps (with "waste" type where applicable)

Exercise 3: Analyze Enterprise Limitations

In the table provided, provide descriptions of the enterprise limitations you have observed, based on this case study. If you put yourself in charge of this process, what concerns would you have? Speak freely and be critical.

Enterprise Limitation Types	Limitation Description
Cultural Limitations
Stakeholder Impacts
Organizational Structure
Operational Capabilities