Reduce Unique ICDs by Redesigning the Product or the Process

The objective of this activity is to reduce the number of ICDs by reducing the occurrence of an ICD in producing a unit of Output, or by reducing the number of separate ICDs used in the Output. A unique ICD is one of the key activities in the work center's contribution to the final product (O). It is separate and distinct from any other activity in the work center. For example, the fastening of a part onto a subassembly and a quality control check of the subassembly would be unique ICDs.

B. Redesign the process of producing the ICD or Output

Change the process used to produce the ICD or Output to eliminate activities.

3. Automate an ICD

Write software to automate a repetitive task: Deliver information to or from user:
Information on customers or employees

No.	Industry SIC	Year	Notes
1	0	2007	The U.S. military is employing wireless devices to give doctors quick access to patient records in the field. However, the ability to modify records is dependent on wireless access, something that is not always constant.
2	3571	1994	HP uses Edify's software to automate a quarterly wage-review process that covers 13,000 sales people. The software performs the same tasks that a team of 20 administrators has been doing by hand.
3	3576	1999	In February of 1995 Cisco reworked its software to allow access via browsers. Now every part of Cisco has been "netized" Cisco screens, recruits job candidates over the web. Managers can pull up staff records and information on competitors.
4	4513	2004	Cutting-edge technology has been implemented in the company to be able to shorten up the delivery times at all levels. When an incoming call is received, a complex system is able to immediately recognize the caller and pulls up its complete information from the database to the computer screen.
5	4800	2007	Several new technologies can allow in-the-field service providers to increase productivity. Wireless handhelds reduce the amount of time service providers spend filling out paperwork and accessing necessary account information, which facilitates maintenance and up selling efforts.
6	5141	1997	Frequent-buyer cards also help cut inventory and speed distribution because they reveal how quickly certain products are selling and how fast so stores can order more closely to their needs.
7	5311	1992	To sign up a new merchant, Discover Card used to take 6 forms and an average of 14 days to process. Today, portable computers capture the same info just once, and a central mainframe helps a team of workers complete the approval cycle in just one day.
8	6021	2004	During the same period that banking transaction costs were reduced, transaction volumes more than doubled, since customers check their balances and make withdrawals more often than they did in the days when they had to wait in line at a branch. The result has been an increase in the overall cost of serving customers.
9	6159	2005	Credit Acceptance Corp. advances dealers less than most other subprime lenders – under 50% of the total amount due on a loan, including interest. In turn, it promises dealers it'll approve a loan on any vehicle in its lot within 30 seconds. The entire process is conducted over the Internet on Credit Acceptance's origination platform.
10	6311	1992	2 years ago, Connecticut Mutual Life stored files in a warehouse the size of a football field. Vans stuffed with paper shuttled between the office and warehouse every hour. Now, all forms and correspondence are in electronic form. Response to queries is down from 5 days to a few hours, 20% fewer people are involved, and productivity is up more than 35%.
11	6331	1996	Allstate hires Acxiom to run a system that retrieves records on insurance applicants. The info is fed into Allstate's own automated underwriting system.
12	8062	2006	Hospitals are creating new procedures aimed at reducing miscues as nurses and doctors transfer patients to next shift. Some large hospitals and academic medical centers have had tremendous success with automated logs to document transfers, though such technology is still rare. Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston has used a computerized sign-out system for several years, and says electronic systems are the only way to ensure the safe hand-off of large numbers of patients.

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