Process improvement within a HR division at a UK police force

A structured approach to process improvement is described in the context of the human resources division of a UK police force. The approach combines a number of established techniques of process improvement such as the balanced scorecard and process mapping with a scoring system developed to prioritise processes for improvement. The methodology described presents one way of ensuring the correct processes are identified and redesigned at an operational level in such a way as to support the organisation's strategic aims. In addition, a performance measurement system is utilised to attempt to ensure that the changes implemented do actually achieve the desired effect over time. The case demonstrates the need to choose and in some cases develop in-house tools and techniques dependent on the context of the process improvement effort.

Using simulation to assess the introduction of technology in a continuous operations process

Purpose – To investigate the role of simulation in the introduction of technology in a continuous operations process. Design/methodology/approach – A case-based research method was chosen with the aim to provide an exemplar of practice and test the proposition that the use of simulation can improve the implementation and running of conveyor systems in continuous process facilities. Findings – The research determines the optimum rate of re-introduction of inventory to a conveyor system generated during a breakdown event. Research limitations/implications – More case studies are required demonstrating the operational and strategic benefits that can be gained by using simulation to assess technology in organisations. Practical implications – A practical outcome of the study was the implementation of a policy for the manual re-introduction of inventory on a conveyor line after a breakdown event had occurred. Originality/value – The paper presents a novel example of the use of simulation to estimate the re-introduction rate of inventory after a breakdown event on a conveyor line. The paper highlights how by addressing this operational issue, ahead of implementation, the likelihood of the success of the strategic decision to acquire the technology can be improved.

Using business process simulation within a business process reengineering approach

This paper presents a case study of the use of business-process simulation within the context of a business-process-reengineering approach to change. The process-based change methodology provides context to the simulation technique in that it connects the aims of a business-process simulation (BPS) study to the strategic aims of the organisation and incorporates a consideration of human factors in order to achieve successful implementation of redesigned processes. Conversely, the ability of BPS to incorporate system variability, scenario analysis and a visual display to communicate process performance makes it a useful technique to provide a realistic assessment of the need for, and results of, change.

A redesign of a road traffic accident reporting system using business process simulation

Business process simulation (BPS) is used to evaluate the effect of the redesign of a police road traffic accident (RTA) reporting system. The new system aims to provide timely statistical analysis of traffic behaviour to government bodies and to enable more effective utilisation of traffic police personnel. The simulation method is demonstrated in the context of assisting process change enabled by the use of information systems in an organisation in which there had been a historically mixed pattern of success in this activity.

Design and development of an agent-based information system for process improvement

To meet changing needs of customers and to survive in the increasingly globalised and competitive environment, it is necessary for companies to equip themselves with intelligent tools, thereby enabling managerial levels to use the tactical decision in a better way. However, the implementation of an intelligent system is always a challenge in Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Therefore, a new and simple approach with 'process rethinking' ability is proposed to generate ongoing process improvements over time. In this paper, a roadmap of the development of an agent-based information system is described. A case example has also been provided to show how the system can assist non-specialists, for example, managers and engineers to make right decisions for a continual process improvement. Copyright © 2006 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

The transformational implementation of JSD process specifications via finite automata representation

Conventional structured methods of software engineering are often based on the use of functional decomposition coupled with the Waterfall development process model. This approach is argued to be inadequate for coping with the evolutionary nature of large software systems. Alternative development paradigms, including the operational paradigm and the transformational paradigm, have been proposed to address the inadequacies of this conventional view of software developement, and these are reviewed. JSD is presented as an example of an operational approach to software engineering, and is contrasted with other well documented examples. The thesis shows how aspects of JSD can be characterised with reference to formal language theory and automata theory. In particular, it is noted that Jackson structure diagrams are equivalent to regular expressions and can be thought of as specifying corresponding finite automata. The thesis discusses the automatic transformation of structure diagrams into finite automata using an algorithm adapted from compiler theory, and then extends the technique to deal with areas of JSD which are not strictly formalisable in terms of regular languages. In particular, an elegant and novel method for dealing with so called recognition (or parsing) difficulties is described,. Various applications of the extended technique are described. They include a new method of automatically implementing the dismemberment transformation; an efficient way of implementing inversion in languages lacking a goto-statement; and a new in-the-large implementation strategy.

Explaining process and performance in the co-production of knowledge:a comparative analysis of collaborative research projects

Despite considerable and growing interest in the subject of academic researchers and practising managers jointly generating knowledge (which we term ‘co-production’), our searches of management literature revealed few articles based on primary data or multiple cases. Given the increasing commitment to co-production by academics, managers and those funding research, it seems important to strengthen the evidence base about practice and performance in co-production. Literature on collaborative research was reviewed to develop a framework to structure the analysis of this data and relate findings to the limited body of prior research on collaborative research practice and performance. This paper presents empirical data from four completed, large scale co-production projects. Despite major differences between the cases, we find that the key success factors and the indicators of performances are remarkably similar. We demonstrate many, complex influences between factors, between outcomes, and between factors and outcomes, and discuss the features that are distinctive to co-production. Our empirical findings are broadly consonant with prior literature, but go further in trying to understand success factors’ consequences for performance. A second contribution of this paper is the development of a conceptually and methodologically rigorous process for investigating collaborative research, linking process and performance. The paper closes with discussion of the study’s limitations and opportunities for further research.

Process and performance in international collaborative research

Motivated by policy goals to develop international research capability and our experiences of collaborative research, we wanted to learn more about the factors that influence success in collaborative research. This article presents a review of the academic literature on collaborative research, focusing on multinational teams doing international comparative research. We address the question ‘what accounts for variation in process and performance of collaborative research projects?’, through 11 themes: context; vision; reward and commitment; leadership; structure; contract; task capability; sociability; communication; finance; rhythm and pace. We then propose an agenda for future research with an analytic framework and, finally, our conclusions.

Expansion, harvest and cryopreservation of human mesenchymal stem cells in a serum-free microcarrier process

Human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) therapies are currently progressing through clinical development, driving the need for consistent, and cost effective manufacturing processes to meet the lot-sizes required for commercial production. The use of animal-derived serum is common in hMSC culture but has many drawbacks such as limited supply, lot-to-lot variability, increased regulatory burden, possibility of pathogen transmission, and reduced scope for process optimization. These constraints may impact the development of a consistent large-scale process and therefore must be addressed. The aim of this work was therefore to run a pilot study in the systematic development of serum-free hMSC manufacturing process. Human bone-marrow derived hMSCs were expanded on fibronectin-coated, non-porous plastic microcarriers in 100mL stirred spinner flasks at a density of 3×10⁵cells.mL^-1 in serum-free medium. The hMSCs were successfully harvested by our recently-developed technique using animal-free enzymatic cell detachment accompanied by agitation followed by filtration to separate the hMSCs from microcarriers, with a post-harvest viability of 99.63±0.03%. The hMSCs were found to be in accordance with the ISCT characterization criteria and maintained hMSC outgrowth and colony-forming potential. The hMSCs were held in suspension post-harvest to simulate a typical pooling time for a scaled expansion process and cryopreserved in a serum-free vehicle solution using a controlled-rate freezing process. Post-thaw viability was 75.8±1.4% with a similar 3h attachment efficiency also observed, indicating successful hMSC recovery, and attachment. This approach therefore demonstrates that once an hMSC line and appropriate medium have been selected for production, multiple unit operations can be integrated to generate an animal component-free hMSC production process from expansion through to cryopreservation.

An analysis of police interview discourse and its role(s) in the judicial process

This study analyses the current role of police-suspect interview discourse in the England & Wales criminal justice system, with a focus on its use as evidence. A central premise is that the interview should be viewed not as an isolated and self-contained discursive event, but as one link in a chain of events which together constitute the criminal justice process. It examines: (1) the format changes undergone by interview data after the interview has taken place, and (2) how the other links in the chain – both before and after the interview – affect the interview-room interaction itself. It thus examines the police interview as a multi-format, multi-purpose and multi-audience mode of discourse. An interdisciplinary and multi-method discourse-analytic approach is taken, combining elements of conversation analysis, pragmatics, sociolinguistics and critical discourse analysis. Data from a new corpus of recent police-suspect interviews, collected for this study, are used to illustrate previously unaddressed problems with the current process, mainly in the form of two detailed case studies. Additional data are taken from the case of Dr. Harold Shipman. The analysis reveals several causes for concern, both in aspects of the interaction in the interview room, and in the subsequent treatment of interview material as evidence, especially in the light of s.34 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. The implications of the findings for criminal justice are considered, along with some practical recommendations for improvements. Overall, this study demonstrates the need for increased awareness within the criminal justice system of the many linguistic factors affecting interview evidence.