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Capstone Project Report, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Texas A&M Universitymonths. As a result, the proposed solutions needed to reflect this and be able to be easily accessibleand understood by both new and seasoned pickers.4.0 GOVERNING STANDARDSIn this project setting, there were not any governing standards that required special attention. Theteam was not required to design solutions that had direct effects on the workers in terms ofharmful chemicals, ethical behaviors, or any environmental byproducts. Plenty of standards areapplicable to a military warehouse, but most were out of scope for this project.5.0 METHODOLOGY/APPROACH5.1 APPROACH TO PROBLEMIn order to understand the methodology that would be used, a clear understanding of the areas thatneeded improving was required. These areas were determined from observing the pickers duringthe site visit as well as the conversations with the pickers and managers. The methodologydetermined for this project was based on the various areas identified as potential areas ofimprovement. Each area of improvement followed its own methodology to determine a possiblesolution.5.2 SITE VISIT/SHADOWINGDuring a site visit from February 27-28, the team was able to spend the first day learning about theprocesses that are involved in the warehouse and getting an overview from the manager in charge.The second day consisted of the team shadowing various pickers and asking them questions abouttheir perspectives of the job. Observation analysis and picker interviews allowed for a more defineddata collection.5.3 COLLECT ARTIFACTSDuring this site visit, the team wanted to be sure to take pictures and videos of the warehouse andthe processes that are involved. This was done so there would be documentation of importantaspects as well as having a basis for the final video that would be created.5.4 TASK ANALYSISIn order to ensure that everyone involved was on the same page in terms of what occurs in thewarehouse, a task analysis of the picking process was constructed. This, along with an observationstudy of the pickers’ daily tasks, helped construct the ideal process that a picker should followwithout adding any non-value added steps. This task analysis was then used as a basis in thetraining program that was created.5.5 PLACARD DESIGNSA survey was created to assist in determining the best placard design based on the initial designideas. The survey was distributed to non-pickers in order to simulate what a new worker wouldthink when viewing each design. The survey consisted of the four placard designs that werecreated, including the current design being used, and asked a couple of questions related to eachdesign to see if the designs display the information in a clear manner. In addition, this could trackhow long it took a respondent to select the correct piece of information from given versions of theTeam 26: San Antonio Military Medical Center – SAMMC 18

Capstone Project Report, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Texas A&M Universityplacard. This provided another objective data set upon which to base design changes. Based on theresults of the survey, the design chosen was that which was deemed the most efficient in displayingthe information based on the time it took the survey participants to find each section. From thisdesign, a model of it using Excel VBA was created to automate the conversion.The team’s preference was to ensure the Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support (DMLSS)software currently employed at SAMMC was capable of implementing the changes the team hasproposed. After discussions with the team’s sponsor, it was decided that an Excel macro would bethe best way to convert the original placards to the proposed design with the use of a button.5.6 AISLE SIGN IMPROVEMENTSThe font height of the aisle signs in the warehouse was 0.5 inches and not easily identifiable. Theteam sought advice from Dr. Farzan Sasangohar, a Human Factors and Ergonomics professor andresearcher in the Industrial and Systems Engineering department at Texas A&M University,regarding methodologies used for calculating the proper font height. Three separate calculationswere done by the team to determine the minimum font height for the final design. Prior to thecalculations two constants were chosen due to the employee population and the layout of thewarehouse: the average standing eye height was determined to be 67.1 inches and the viewingdistance was determined to be 20 feet from aisle sign.5.7 TRAINING PROGRAMEach version of the training was designed with slightly different intent, as described above. In thecase of the online training, the goal was to create a training program that provided an easy andquick way for pickers to understand the process in its entirety. Comprehension, elimination ofconfusion, and ease of use were the key metrics. Thus, the process started with the knowledgegained from the site visit, and from the Power Point slide deck that was a provided trainingresource, and organized all of the relevant information. The first outline was created based on theprevious training deck, and then additional information and clarification added based on wherecommon errors were occurring, or removed where unnecessary information was beingcommunicated. This outline would be the basis for all forms of the updated training materials.For the online version, this information was intended to be as interactive as possible, so as to keepviewers interested, force them to pay attention to the material, and increase the difficulty ofanswers being passed around for quick training completion. The team researched many options forcreating this training, but many had limitations such as the type of question available, ability tograde the results, and cost. Thus, the training moved towards an unlikely candidate in Qualtrics.Qualtrics is generally marketed and used a data collection and survey tool, a capability the teamtook advantage of as well. However, its customizability made it a great candidate for training, onceits powerful feature set was recognized. Qualtrics allowed testing and building of a design thatincorporated pictures, questions of varying types, and easy online access, fulfilling all requirementsfor a training program to upgrade their current system.5.8 SPAGHETTI DIAGRAMSAs the focus of the team centered around the increase in accuracy, it became apparent that it wasimperative to better understand the picking process. During the site visit the team set out to recordthis process by shadowing many of the pickers. As a picker was shadowed two team memberswould take notes based on movements between locations within the warehouse while identifyingthe reasons for those specific movements. All notes were carefully collected and documentedduring the site visit and compared between team members upon returning.Team 26: San Antonio Military Medical Center – SAMMC 19

Capstone Project Report, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Texas A&M University5.9 HUDDLE BOARDSCurrently pickers do not have a visual outlet to view their cumulative performance or givesuggestions and feedback for process improvements based on their experience. As a team ofpickers, having an understanding of current performance compared to goals and requirements setby the hospital and superiors is necessary for growth and aids in motivation. With this in mind, theteam decided through analysis what information would be of benefit for the pickers and managersto review frequently while also providing an outlet for picker recognition and warehouse goalsetting. From there the “huddle boards” were created6.0 PROJECT SCHEDULEConference CallsFebruary 14: With CPT. Morris and TSgt. AwandaApril 12: With CPT. Morris and TSgt. AwandaSite VisitsFebruary 26-28April 17May 5 (Closeout Meeting)Team MeetingsEvery Tuesday from February - MayFebruary 23: Meeting with Dr. SasangoharMarch 21: Meeting with Dr. SasangoharMarch 27: Team MeetingApril 4: Meeting with Dr. SasangoharApril 24: Meeting with Dr. SasangoharDeadlines MetFebruary 16: Code of CooperationMarch 9: Project CharterMarch 27: Conclude Solutions BrainstormingMarch 27: Present Initial Placard DesignsApril 11: Distribute SurveyApril 17: Video StoryboardApril 17: Begin Working on Final Project DeliverablesApril 21: Preliminary Poster DesignApril 24: Final Report DraftApril 27: Final PosterMay 1: Team VideoMay 9: Final ReportMay 17: Warehouse Stand-Down DayData ProvidedFebruary 14: Work Production/Cost of Missing Items ProvidedMarch 21: Inventory Operating Balance/Item List ProvidedTeam 26: San Antonio Military Medical Center – SAMMC 110

Capstone Project Report, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Texas A&M UniversityPresentationsApril 28: Engineering Project ShowcaseMay 3: ISEN Project PresentationsMay 5: SAMMC Closeout Meeting7.0 ANALYSIS OUTCOME AND FINDINGS7.1 TASK ANALYSISWhen the task analysis of the picking procedure was mapped out, the team observed that thisprocess does not happen with regularity. There were many times that pickers went from one placeto another multiple times because they forgot to obtain a material they need or because they weresearching for a particular item and could not find it. This task analysis was done in the hopes ofsaving the pickers time during their pick as well as reduce the distance that each picker has totravel on a daily basis. This would not make a big difference in the course of a day, but if followedfor an extended period of time, a difference in efficiency and time taken to complete picks could benoticed.7.2 PLACARD DESIGNSAfter discussing the original placard design with the warehouse managers and the team, theproblem areas were quickly identified. One of the main concerns brought up by the managers wasthat when they first started working in the warehouse pickers did not know what the importantinformation was because all of the boxes and fonts were uniform. They felt that many of the pickerswould take some time trying to figure out where the required information was a result of theuniformity. This was one area of improvement that the managers felt would be beneficial for bothnew and experienced workers. Another finding was that many picking errors were a result of onlypicking half of an item, such as only the canister when it should have been a canister and lid. Themanagers felt that putting a picture into the design would alleviate these problems since the pickerswould be able to see the exact item that needs to be picked as well as how it is picked in terms ofquantity. To accommodate the issue of uniformity on the placards, it was determined that the bestway to effectively show the information that is important was to have the most important aspect,the item location, in the largest font with the other areas decreasing in font size according toimportance. In the end, the item location, the stock number, the item description, and the unit ofpurchase and unit of sale information were the areas that had the largest fonts. When thepreliminary design was shown to managers, they felt that the design would help the pickers identifythe important information on the placard to allow for a reduction in mispicked items.In order to simulate what new workers would think the first time they were to see the placards, thesurveys that were created were sent to a mix of engineering students and non-engineeringstudents. The results that were analyzed from the survey included the percentage of each questionthat was chosen correct and most importantly, the time it took for the taker to answer the question.Out of the four designs, the original placard (In Figure 1, below) design had the longest time toanswer. The two designs that had the quickest response time were als

Team 26: San Antonio Military Medical Center - SAMMC 1 5 2.0 INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC) is the largest medical facility in the Department of Defense network, and the only Level 1 Trauma Facility/Burn Center. They assist over 3,000 patients per day, with civilian and military personnel.