Michael Kl Reflection : Visualization 

 Challenge 

 Competitive organizations continuously face evolving market conditions , customer preferences ,   and changing laws and regulations within their respective industry . Therefore , it is essential to   lean on , as well as advocate for , continuous improvement and innovative practices . The   challenge that I have recently faced is at an assembly manufacturing organization that is   comprised of a large warehousing space and two large production rooms . Within these   production rooms , various components enter and are either prepped for production ( e.g. , cutting   tubing , counting gauze , stacking towels , etc . ) or go straight into the assembly process , but both   occur at the production line in its current state . Where the challenge begins within this process is   figuring how to effectively separate prepped components from production to maintain teammate   headcount , but increase productivity . Being tasked with this project along with a team of various   professional backgrounds , miscommunication , misalignment , and misinterpretation occurred . 

 Selection 

 When implementing improvement initiatives , various change models are utilized to ensure that   the improvement project is on time , covering all aspects of the respective process , and   sustainable for the long - term . Additionally , consistent , professional , and creative forms of   communication are taken advantage of to ensure that all active teammates fully understand the   progress , barriers , and actions of the project . In this particular instance , the team and I resorted to   utilizing the visualization design tool to ensure that each teammate , as well as stakeholders , had a   solid understanding on the new process flow , material flow , and work cell layout of the   preparation area . When using the visualization tool , teams communicate with imagery to make   ideas more visible . In other words , visualization is about visual thinking and assists a team with   communicating more effectively . Further , the visualization tool was ultimately vital in   successfully communicating the future state of the preparation process to stakeholders , both   vertically and horizontally . 

 Application 

 At first , the team communicated ideas , suggestions , and concerns verbally to one another in an   attempt to make progress on the improvement initiative . After some time , and getting more in- depth into the project , teammates experienced confusion about the future state process flow ,   material flow , and physical layout of the preparation area . At this point as the project lead , I   decided to create visual representations of the process flow , material flow , and layout of the   work cells to assist the team in identifying areas of interest , misunderstanding , and barriers to a   successful implementation . Having each functional area now represented by a layout map , the   team was able to effectively identify what their concerns were , as well as ideas to make the   project more of a success . Applying the visualization tool assisted the team in gaining a clear   understanding of one another ’s concerns , ideas , and suggestions . 

 Insight 

 When applying the visualization tool , I found that teammates were more engaged when   comparing it to situations when I was essentially attempting to verbally communicate the future 

 state of the improvement initiative . Additionally , having the visual component of the initiative   allowed the team to generate questions and develop answers in real time , all while referencing   the visualization tool , or the various process flows and physical layout of the preparation process .   However , when looking back at the initiative , a design tool that I would have used in parallel   with the visualization tool is that of mind mapping , which is utilized to identify how ideas from   the team correlate with the main purpose of the project , as well as the ideas of their respective   teammates . In all , the visualization tool enhanced the thought process and effectiveness of the   team in ensuring that all barriers , ideas , and possibilities were appropriately addressed to ensure   a successful improvement initiative . 

 Approach 

 As previously mentioned , applying the visualization tool during this improvement initiative was   an effective decision that paid of tremendously in the form of increased participation and clearer   communication . However , incorporating the mind mapping tool would have offered me the   ability to capture the thought process of the team during these sessions and identify how each   teammates ideas and concerns correlated with the purpose of the improvement initiative .   Although , I have found that the visualization tool made a positive impact of the outcome of the   project , has been added to the organization ’s arsenal of project tools , and has paved a lasting path   for other design tools to make their respective mark on future improvement projects to come . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: Michael Kl
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Michael Kl Reflection : Visualization 

 Challenge 

 Competitive organizations continuously face evolving market conditions , customer preferences ,   and changing laws and regulations within their respective industry . Therefore , it is essential to   lean on , as well as advocate for , continuous improvement and innovative practices . The   challenge that I have recently faced is at an assembly manufacturing organization that is   comprised of a large warehousing space and two large production rooms . Within these   production rooms , various components enter and are either prepped for production ( e.g. , cutting   tubing , counting gauze , stacking towels , etc . ) or go straight into the assembly process , but both   occur at the production line in its current state . Where the challenge begins within this process is   figuring how to effectively separate prepped components from production to maintain teammate   headcount , but increase productivity . Being tasked with this project along with a team of various   professional backgrounds , miscommunication , misalignment , and misinterpretation occurred . 

 Selection 

 When implementing improvement initiatives , various change models are utilized to ensure that   the improvement project is on time , covering all aspects of the respective process , and   sustainable for the long - term . Additionally , consistent , professional , and creative forms of   communication are taken advantage of to ensure that all active teammates fully understand the   progress , barriers , and actions of the project . In this particular instance , the team and I resorted to   utilizing the visualization design tool to ensure that each teammate , as well as stakeholders , had a   solid understanding on the new process flow , material flow , and work cell layout of the   preparation area . When using the visualization tool , teams communicate with imagery to make   ideas more visible . In other words , visualization is about visual thinking and assists a team with   communicating more effectively . Further , the visualization tool was ultimately vital in   successfully communicating the future state of the preparation process to stakeholders , both   vertically and horizontally . 

 Application 

 At first , the team communicated ideas , suggestions , and concerns verbally to one another in an   attempt to make progress on the improvement initiative . After some time , and getting more in- depth into the project , teammates experienced confusion about the future state process flow ,   material flow , and physical layout of the preparation area . At this point as the project lead , I   decided to create visual representations of the process flow , material flow , and layout of the   work cells to assist the team in identifying areas of interest , misunderstanding , and barriers to a   successful implementation . Having each functional area now represented by a layout map , the   team was able to effectively identify what their concerns were , as well as ideas to make the   project more of a success . Applying the visualization tool assisted the team in gaining a clear   understanding of one another ’s concerns , ideas , and suggestions . 

 Insight 

 When applying the visualization tool , I found that teammates were more engaged when   comparing it to situations when I was essentially attempting to verbally communicate the future 

 state of the improvement initiative . Additionally , having the visual component of the initiative   allowed the team to generate questions and develop answers in real time , all while referencing   the visualization tool , or the various process flows and physical layout of the preparation process .   However , when looking back at the initiative , a design tool that I would have used in parallel   with the visualization tool is that of mind mapping , which is utilized to identify how ideas from   the team correlate with the main purpose of the project , as well as the ideas of their respective   teammates . In all , the visualization tool enhanced the thought process and effectiveness of the   team in ensuring that all barriers , ideas , and possibilities were appropriately addressed to ensure   a successful improvement initiative . 

 Approach 

 As previously mentioned , applying the visualization tool during this improvement initiative was   an effective decision that paid of tremendously in the form of increased participation and clearer   communication . However , incorporating the mind mapping tool would have offered me the   ability to capture the thought process of the team during these sessions and identify how each   teammates ideas and concerns correlated with the purpose of the improvement initiative .   Although , I have found that the visualization tool made a positive impact of the outcome of the   project , has been added to the organization ’s arsenal of project tools , and has paved a lasting path   for other design tools to make their respective mark on future improvement projects to come .
### Output: 