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:

Lars Maaseidvaag on LinkedIn

The Impact of Process Modeling: Reducing Queue Times for COVID Testing

MoreSteam's YouTube Channel

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

MoreSteam's Website

Subscribe to MoreSteam's Newsletter

MoreSteam on LinkedIn

Dan Swartwout on LinkedIn

  

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