Improving efficiency in neuroimaging research through application of Lean principles.

Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science

Efficiency, Organizational* ; Feedback* ; Neuroimaging* ; Research*; Humans ; Personal Satisfaction ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Workflow

Introduction: "Lean" is a set of management principles which focus on increasing value and efficiency by reducing or avoiding waste (e.g., overproduction, defects, inventory, transportation, waiting, motion, over processing). It has been applied to manufacturing, education, and health care, leading to optimized process flow, increased efficiency and increased team empowerment. However, to date, it has not been applied to neuroimaging research.
Methods: Lean principles, such as Value stream mapping (e.g. a tool with which steps in the workflow can be identified on which to focus improvement efforts), 5S (e.g. an organizational method to boost workplace efficiency and efficacy) and Root-cause analysis (e.g. a problem-solving approach to identify key points of failure in a system) were applied to an ongoing, large neuroimaging study that included seven research visits per participant. All team members participated in a half-day exercise in which the entire project flow was visualized and areas of inefficiency were identified. Changes focused on removing obstacles, standardization, optimal arrangement of equipment and root-cause-analysis. A process for continuous improvement was also implemented. Total time of an experiment was recorded before implementation of Lean for two participants and after implementation of Lean for two participants. Satisfaction of team members was assessed anonymously on a 5-item Likert scale, ranging from much worsened to much improved.
Results: All team members (N = 6) considered the overall experience of conducting an experiment much improved after implementation of Lean. Five out of six team members indicated a much-improved reduction in time, with the final team member considering this somewhat improved. Average experiment time was reduced by 13% after implementation of Lean (from 142 and 147 minutes to 124 and 128 minutes).
Discussion: Lean principles can be successfully applied to neuroimaging research. Training in Lean principles for junior research scientists is recommended.
Competing Interests: JC & KB have the following competing interests: receiving salary support from DynaMed Plus, EBSCO Health. However, this does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

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Date Created: 20181129 Date Completed: 20190408 Latest Revision: 20200309

20240105

PMC6261412

10.1371/journal.pone.0205232

30485277