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.

4.
Reduce movement of an Input (People, Purchases or Capital)

No.	Industry SIC	Year	Notes
1	2840	1988	P&G usually assigns a packaging engineer to a development group in the earliest stage.
2	3669	2002	Newly affordable wireless technology, especially handheld, is changing the way companies manage their business. It can be used to keep track of inventory and it is especially helpful at sites with no wiring set up.
3	4841	2008	Companies with large field service teams find it hard to raise productivity mainly because they underestimate what can be done in a day and fail to recognize the huge number of cancellations per day. One way to solve this problem is by giving teams more work than they can actually complete knowing that some customers will cancel. Companies can also dispatch teams in the field more flexibly by reassigning them on the spot as jobs are canceled and new ones pop up. Manager should also assign "ride-alongs" to observe teams at work and use the information to raise efficiency.
4	5311	1996	Sears cut down the channels through which store managers had to order products from 12 to 4. That helped increase the average load of delivery trucks to 90% of capacity from 60%.
5	6324	2004	Aetna Inc. is taking steps to cut down the costs of healthcare by turning to medical experts. At Aetna in Ohio, it noticed that too many members went to the ER for things that required doctor attention, but that could be monitored safely at home rather than a hospital. In 2001, it launched a pilot project in Cincinnati that encouraged doctors to send home patients with simple pneumonia, dehydration, or gastroenteritis. An Aetna nurse would visit the patient's home to set up intravenous hydration, antibiotics, oxygen, and 24-hour monitoring devices. Doctors could keep in contact over the phone and still get paid for services. The average episode of simple pneumonia costs $7,155 to treat in the hospital but only $1,650 to treat under Aetna's home program.
6	8062	2007	As the financial and human costs of medical errors become apparent, some hospitals are working to improve their system and reduce costs. Analysts at Cincinnati Children's found that prescriptions traveled 2,100 feet before they were ready for delivery. The pharmacy was redesigned to reduce the distance pharmacists must travel. The turnaround time for non-urgent bedside medicines was reduced from 23 hours to 5 hours and the number of medicines that had to be discarded because patients had already been discharged was reduced by half.
7	9700	2007	The Air Force has adopted the tactics of commercial airliners to improve fuel efficiency. It has reduced the amount of onboard fuel, mapped more direct routes and scheduled more efficient midair refueling missions. The Air Force hopes to reduce usage by 10% in five years.

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