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08/16/2012 11:30 AM
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How to determine the value added/non-value added process or time for a drug development process? I have in fact just one source that speaks about the relevant topic.
This source does not describe in detail about the value added process.
Please find the attached document.
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08/16/2012 11:48 AM
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The answer is the same no matter what the process:
Look at your process steps, and for each one ask the question "Is what I am doing something that the customer is willing to pay for?".
If it isn't, either find a better way or eliminate the step.
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08/16/2012 12:08 PM
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And Harshavardan, just to be clear, the "value-added" in development is knowledge - knowledge about how to better meet customer needs, what the new drug value stream will look like, and knowledge that can be used in future projects. If you treat your development value stream just like a production line, your analysis may not give you the most useful results. For instance, we may think a development failure was waste, but it may not be if we learned something we can re-use or it prevented us from investing more in a bad direction.
Brent
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08/17/2012 11:11 AM
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The challenge with a development process is determining who the customer is. The prior responses are great and should be considered in the context of being crystal clear on who the customer(s) of the value stream is. Generally speaking the primary customer of a development value stream is not be the end user of the product that is ultimately developed.
Eric
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08/17/2012 01:00 PM
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Eric,
Could you clarify your comment a bit? I don't see a value in specifying a primary customer for this value-added exercise. One of the challenges (and differences) in development is that the customer focus and priority changes throughout the process. In drug development (and I am greatly over-simplifying here) market need and end-user efficacy is first, then it shifts to manufacturing / value stream creation, then distribution and marketing. Of course all of these should still be occurring in parallel from day one, but at any point in time, the primary focus may be different.
But maybe a better way to look at it is that ALL customers need to be satisfied during development or else there is no product. At the end of the day, the purpose of development is to create a value stream that delivers products and services to end-users while sufficiently satisfying all the stakeholders.
Brent
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08/20/2012 12:28 PM
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Brent,
Your final statement was exactly what I was getting at. There are many customers of the development value stream and they all must receive value from the process.
I have always found it helpful to identify all the customers of the value stream and clearly define what value means to them. Face to Face (if possible) discussions with perceived customers is always beneficial in clearly identifying value.
In some cases teams I've worked with have defined loops of the value stream around the primary customer of that loop. This helps clarify what is value vs. waste in that section. For instance in the early loop, where the decision to proceed with the new product takes place, the primary customer tends to be company executives and their needs (value) are radically different than the production floor which takes place later in the development cycle.
Hope this helps to clarify.
Eric
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08/24/2012 11:53 AM
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Sometimes the discussion about value and waste gets a bit esoteric.
Ultimately... if you look at an activity:
1) Can you stop doing it?
2) Can you less of it?
Without damaging your business in the long run? Can you do these things more efficiently? With better quality?
There's no easy answers, just analysis, discussion, and judgment in many cases.
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