Lean Process Improvement Leonardo DRS

Results Case Studies

Case Study Snapshot

Results At A Glance

RFP Estimating Speed

+40%

Engineering Systems

Consolidated into One

TDP & BOM Uploads

Automated

Redundant Data Entry

Eliminated

Key Takeaways

  • VSM and SIPOC benchmarked the process and clarified roles across departments.
  • Consolidated three engineering systems into one, eliminating redundant data entry.
  • Automated TDP and BOM uploads, removing the biggest RFP kickoff bottleneck.
  • Linked SC pricing to engineering and estimating, cutting rework on proposal changes.

Where This Approach Fits

Best for teams with multi-step commercial or bid workflows where speed and consistency drive win rates.

Business Process Improvement Lean Assessment

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Problem / Challenge:

An aerospace, security and defense contractor needed to improve its Request for Proposal (RFP) process to speed up response time.

The RFP process for these highly technical and critical products is complex, yet it needs to be swift and accurate. An RFP estimated poorly can cause losses for years on large multi million-dollar programs and damage the company’s ability to win future projects.

The RFP process spans many departments including site specific as well as remote personnel from around the country.

The improved process needed to serve a broad group of company stakeholders and their different critical needs.

Lean Assessment

  • Benchmark Current RFP Process
    • Identify the key value steps with roles & responsibilities for each
    • Quantify current state performance
    • Identify areas for improvement and launch related sub-projects
  • Improve Data and System Interface Between Engineering Design, Manufacturing Engineering and Operations
    • Multiple engineering systems have similar data and uses, but they don’t interface well and require redundant, manual data entry
    • Manual data entry is prone to error
    • Redundant data entry is time consuming and wasteful
  • Optimize Supply Chain Pricing Tool
    • SC pricing tool does not interface well with engineering planning systems and requires manual data entry from RFP process
    • RFP pricing adjustments required during the proposal generation phase result in excessive rework by SC personnel
  • Improve Import of Customer Technical Data Packages (TDP)
    • Uploading of the TDP and BOM is often manual, very time consuming and error prone
    • Estimating can’t begin until the TDP is loaded resulting in critical lost time for RFP submission
    • Done differently by different people

Benchmark RFP Process – VSM & SIPOC

  • VSM benchmarks the current state performance of the business and serves as a tool to monitor future performance after improvements are implemented
  • SIPOC (Supplier-Input-Process-Output-Customer clarifies the roles and responsibilities required, which ultimately account for the time and process steps required for the RFP process
  • SIPOC includes both internal and external customers and their requirements
  • Together VSM and SIPOC provided a basis for determining areas for improvement, changes or compromises needed to achieve goals, and other critical decision making for going forward.

Current State PFM for Post Proposal Submission & Pre-award Risk

Process Flow Mapping to Improve Processes

  • PFM was used to improve key sub- processes identified in the VSM
  • Identified and eliminated non-Lean activities
  • Identified system interface issues and generated recommended improvements

RFP Sub-Processes Improved

  • Consolidated Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering and Operations Planning Systems into a single system
    • Better data quality
    • Less redundancy of data entry
    • Increased speed
  • Automated TDP and BOM uploads
  • Linked SC pricing software with Engineering and Estimating Processes

Results

  • Increased RFP Estimating speed by 40%+
  • Significant reductions in back office (redundant) data entry
  • Standardized and documented RFP process and related sub-processes

Learn more about Lean Process Improvement in the Office.

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