Quality Time With MoreSteam Simulating Success with Dr. Lars Maaseidvaag
On this episode of Quality Time with MoreSteam, Dr. Lars Maaseidvaag joins the show to talk about one of his areas of expertise, process modeling and discrete event simulation. Lars has worked in continuous improvement for over 30 years. He's also from Ann Arbor, Michigan, which creates some good natured tension when he talks to Ohio State graduate (and your host) Dan Swartwout.
In easy-to-understand terms, Lars explains discrete event simulation and why it matters. For example, he tells us about helping a large hospital during the pandemic. The hospital had a thousand people backed up in the parking lot trying to get screened. Lars and his team quickly built a simulation model to address the situation. As a result, they found solutions that saved the hospital thousands of dollars per day, with no new equipment required.
Most Lean Six Sigma tools handle stable processes just fine. But what happens when you've got fluctuating demand and everything depends on everything else? Lars walks us through how simulation helps with these messy situations. He also talks about MoreSteam's own Process Playground, which lets you run simulations without learning to code or buying expensive software.
Lars and Dan bond over bratwurst and argue about the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry. They also discuss George Box's line that all models are wrong but some are useful. As this episode shows, some podcasts are useful, too.
In this episode, you will hear about:
1:16 - Meet Lars
5:20 - What is discrete event simulation?
8:02 - The process at a coffee shop
11:58 - How process modeling helped reduce wait times at a hospital
15:39 - How simulation reveals solutions that other Lean tools might miss
20:10 - Interdependencies and interactions in simulation modeling
23:04 - Examples of interdependencies in blackjack
25:15 - Using Process Playground in EngineRoom
28:45 - The building blocks analogy
32:27 - Pitfalls to avoid: analysis paralysis
36:22 - Process modeling and roller coasters
42:09 - All models are wrong, some are useful
Additional Resources:
The Impact of Process Modeling: Reducing Queue Times for COVID Testing
Quality Time With MoreSteam on Facebook
Quality Time With MoreSteam on Instagram
Quality Time With MoreSteam on LinkedIn
QTWM Episode 31: Solving Healthcare Bottlenecks with Process Modeling
Subscribe to MoreSteam's Newsletter
Subscribe to Quality Time With MoreSteam