In my last blog, I described my daughters experience, and mine with Ontario's court system, which is similar to that used in the US, UK and many other countries.
I experienced many of the Eight Wastes including delay, defects, over-processing, and inventory in my fellow prospective jurors!
I spent much of the time is a thick fog and felt anxiety and frustration. Chats with friends & colleagues suggest my experience was not unusual.
Yet, our trial by jury process is precious & we need to support it.
So, how might we improve?
We might start by doing a SIPOC analysis: Supplier - Inputs - Process - Outputs - Customer.
Here's how our SIPOC might unfold. Let's start, as ever, with the customer.
Who is the customer? Why, the public.
What does the customer expect? Here are a few thoughts:
- Justice for both the victim and the accused,
- Reasonable speed -- we might set a lead time or throughput target
- No bad guys should get off because of court delays,
- No unreasonable hardship for jury members
What's the process? At the highest level, process seems to be:
1. Jury Panel Selection --> 2. Jury Selection --> 3. Court Case
What can muck up the process? Based on my experience, here are some possibilities:
- Poor information flow at step 1 -- (as a result you show up when you're not needed, sit for days with nothing to do & no info etc.)
- How many jury panel members and jurors do we need?
- When, and for how long, do we need them?
- How many do we currently have? Is this above or below our standard?
- What do we need to do get back to standard?
Without this info, we're likely to call too many jury panel members, for too many days, thereby generating delay, over-processing, defects & other forms of waste.
So, information flow seems an important direct cause.
What are the root causes? I don't know enough about the process to say. But the countermeasure seems obvious:
- Use information technology better so al to provide jury panel members with answers to questions posed above. ◦ For example, can we not communicate with jury panel members by cell phone and e-mail?
- "We won't need you tomorrow..."
Again, I don't want to be misunderstood. The problem, is in the jury selection process, not the people, who I found to be courteous, competent and cheerful.
(I'd welcome their comments & insights.)
More to come.
Best,
Pascal
In case you missed our last few blogs... please feel free to have another look…
Ambidexterity - How to Get Started
Can Lean & Agile Help to Fix Our Courts? Part 1
Key Differences Between Protecting the Core & Igniting New Growth
Why is Business Transformation so Hard? Lessons from the ‘Back Pain Industry’
