Transportation

Ÿ Movement of work or paperwork, sample, from one step to the next step in the analytical process or from one place to the other

Ÿ Long distance movement between buildings or time consumed to reach the next location for processing

Ÿ Sample management-proper packaging and storage for sample transportation

Ÿ Make the distance over which something is moved as short as possible

Ÿ Consider work cells and co-located teams

Ÿ Establish chain of possession forms and adhere chain of custody and sample integrity

Inventory

Ÿ Any supply that is in excess or less, hence performing stocktaking to avoid pending cases, creating backlogging. Any form of batch processing

Ÿ Producing more profiles, analytical or computing statistical data, than customer demand or submission

Ÿ Movement of people, staff reallocation and placement

Ÿ Purchase only enough to satisfy your downstream sample process and what is submitted to the laboratory

Ÿ Ensure that work arrives at the downstream process when it is required and does not stay pending or put away for storage

Ÿ Reducing batch sizes eventually to a batch size of one where necessary, thus reducing the amount of reagent usage

Ÿ Create print on demand processes for reports and documents for the specific sample/exhibit of the case-file reducing stationary usage

Motion

Ÿ Movement of analysts during processing Use of network for data transfer

Ÿ Limitation of staff from different work areas into other restricted or private

Ÿ Arrange work areas to reduce movement

Ÿ Consider cell type processing (each process to have its own cubicle)

Ÿ Part trays located close to the worker

Ÿ Provide extra fax, copy machines and computers and locate files at work stations

Ÿ Use color codes as much as possible to differentiate processing areas or laboratory coats