PDSA Group Project - Lean Dream Team

By

Atikant Bali #
Lovish Moral #
HariHaran Roy Narnur #
Joseph Zack Jolly #
Job Dominic #

DOUGLAS COLLEGE
Faculty of Business
BUSN 3390
Jeff Ha
14 July 2023

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................4
Scope and Boundaries:.......................................................................................................5
Standard process of making the rotis.................................................................................6
PLAN PHASE.......................................................................................................................7
Process before improvement:.....................................................................................................7
Process after improvement or the new process:.........................................................................8

DO PHASE........................................................................................................................10
S PHASE...........................................................................................................................13
ACT PHASE.......................................................................................................................14
REFERENCES.....................................................................................................................15

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 Introduction

PDSA CYCLE
The Deming cycle or Shewhart cycle, also known as the PDSA cycle, consists of four
processes that are used to continuously improve a process by lowering variation, bringing the
mean to the desired nominal level, or removing waste from the process. (Gitlow et al., 2015;
Gitlow and levine, 2004; Deming, 1994).
PDSA which includes four steps of process improvement.
Plan -Identify the possibility, then make a difference.
Do - Try the modification. Conduct a small-scale investigation.
Study - The information and data obtained during the
implementation phase are examined/reviewed during the
"Study" step.
Act - Based on what you discovered during the study process,
take action. If the adjustment was unsuccessful, repeat the
process using a new strategy. Figure: PDSA Cycle

Our Project Objective

The objective of our group is to improve the process of roti-making in terms of time. Roti is a
flatbread made up of whole meal wheat flour which is commonly consumed in South Asian
countries daily. To improve the process of roti-making, we applied the PDSA cycle creating
the PDSA cycle framework.

Measure of Success: The primary objective of this project is to reduce the cooking time
required to make rotis by at least 15% as compared to the present standard procedure. The
roti-making process will become more effective and productive as a result of this reduction in
cooking time.
The following calculation may be used to evaluate the percentage reduction in cooking time:
Percentage Reduction = [(T_current - T_improved) / T_current] * 100
T_current – Time taken for making the rotis following the standard and current process.
T_improved – Time taken for making the rotis following the improved process.

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Scope and Boundaries:

It is crucial to organize the materials and pre-measure them to speed up the cooking
procedure. This saves time and reduces mistakes by doing away with the necessity for
numerous measures during the actual cooking process. So there are some assumptions that
our team has agreed on for the improvement process of Roti making and those are as follows:
1. Two cups of wholewheat flour (approximately 360ml)
2. A pinch of salt (half a tablespoon)
3. 2 tablespoons of any cooking oil.
4. Take approx. ¼ cup of flour on the side for dusting on the dough.
5.Take one cup of water for two cups of flour.
5. Dough is divided into approximately 5 balls in equal proportions.
6. Roll the dough ball with a rolling pin until it is approx. 5-6 inches wide in a circular shape.
7.As the dough parts are equal and all are rolled for 5-6 inches of diameter, the thickness of
the rotis is assumed to be consistent as required.
8.The cooked rotis before and after the process taste the same. The taste is maintained
constant.

Criteria/Metric Measured:

The one metric that we are focusing to improve in the process is time optimization. Time
studies can be a valuable tool for improving process time. Our team did the time studies using
the before and after approach to observe the efficiency and study if there would be any
improvement in the efficiency. Our team began collecting data individually to see where the
process is taking more time in each step, then analyzed and brainstormed to eliminate waste
in each step of the process to make a standard process. Thereafter, applying the principles of
PDSA and continually improving the system of making roti.

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 Standard process of making the rotis

1. Making Roti Dough:

 Add 2 cups of
whole wheat
flour, a sprinkle
of salt, and 2
tablespoons of
oil into a large
bowl.
 After adding the
water gradually,
begin pressing
the dough with your hands until it begins to bind.
Additionally, we may quickly bind the dough by
kneading it with our fist.
 Set aside the dough that has been kneaded and take
some more flour for dusting.

Figure1: Roti rolling process.

2. Rolling the Roti:

• To make the rotis circular, use a wooden base or any other clean, level surface.
• Make 5 equal balls of dough in a circular form.
• Roll the dough ball with a rolling pin until it is 5–6 inches in diameter.
3. Heating the rotis:
 Use a medium flame to heat the pan or tawa.
 Use tongs (chimta) to cook the roti on both sides
until it has some brown spots.
 If you gently push the roti with a flat spatula, it will
bubble up.
 After cooking the roti to a deep brown colour, flip it
several times and put it in a casserole or dish.

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 Figure2: Heating process

PLAN PHASE

Process before improvement:

The standard procedure of making rotis involves many sequential phases, as described earlier.
To get the proper rotis texture and flavors, each step is essential. In the current process,
before improvement we are carefully following this procedure step by step. We utilized a
process flowchart to gather information on how long the process took.

The flowchart in figure 3 illustrates the current process in a sequential order. The same
flowchart was followed as a standard procedure for collecting the data in the initial attempts.
To study the variation of time before and after we have collected data for a total of five
attempts.

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 Figure 3: Process Flow chart of the Current Process / Standard Process of making Rotis.

Process after improvement or the new process:

The new process follows the standard process to a great extent, including using the same
quantity of ingredients, following the method of preparing the dough, rolling the rotis, and
cooking them on the tawa. These aspects remain constant throughout the project and are not
modified in the new process.
Firstly, instead of waiting for the tawa to heat up separately, we start preheating it on a
medium flame while preparing the dough. Secondly, we have improved the rolling process.
Instead of rolling each roti individually, we now roll the rotis consecutively while one roti is
being cooked on the tawa. These improvements make the process more efficient and reduce
the overall time required to make rotis without compromising on quality.
Figure 4 is the process flowchart that outlines the detailed methodology and sequence of steps
for the improved process:

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 Figure 4: Process Flow chart of the Improved Process of making Rotis.

Data on the present flow is essential for comprehending the current process and finding
opportunities for improvement in the “Plan” phase of the PDSA cycle. In order to gather
information for this research, we observed the roti-making process. We used the normal
procedure for five attempts and used a timer to time the whole roti-making procedure. The
amount of time spent on each task, such as making the dough, rolling the rotis, and frying
them on the tawa, was meticulously noted for each step.
The current procedure may be evaluated, and potential Inefficiencies or bottlenecks can be
found using the practical and trustworthy approach of data collecting through observation.
We can get precise and up-to-date information on how long it takes to complete each activity
by personally witnessing and documenting the procedures involved. In the “Study” phase,
where we will analyze the data gathered and gauge the effectiveness of the suggested
enhanced method, this data will serve as a baseline for comparison.
Data is collected in the Table 1:

Steps Description for the Attempt 1 Attempt 2 Attempt 3 Attempt 4 Attempt 5

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 step
Time taken to
1 prepare the dough for 02:12.1 04:12.0 03:12.0 04:12.0 03:59.0
five rotis
time taken to
2 separate dough into 01:14.7 02:15.0 01:05.0 01:12.0 01:05.0
five equal portions
Time taken for setting
3 the rolling pin and 00:25.3 00:35.0 00:15.0 00:18.0 00:13.0
pad
4 time for rolling 1st roti 00:52.8 00:57.0 00:47.0 00:48.0 00:42.0
5 time for rolling 2nd roti 00:51.1 00:47.0 00:46.0 00:46.0 00:46.0
6 time for rolling 3rd roti 00:58.4 00:48.0 00:58.4 00:58.4 00:58.4
7 time for rolling 4th roti 00:50.8 00:50.8 00:50.8 00:50.8 00:52.0
8 time for rolling 5th roti 00:59.4 00:49.0 00:39.0 00:39.0 00:48.0
Time for heating the
9 tawa on high-medium 03:04.1 04:04.0 03:50.0 03:59.0 03:50.0
flame
time for cooking 1st
10 01:47.9 02:53.0 01:57.0 02:07.0 01:57.0
roti
Time for cooking 2nd
11 01:43.3 02:01.0 01:56.0 01:56.0 01:56.0
roti
Time for cooking 3rd
12 01:37.4 01:52.3 01:49.3 01:54.3 01:59.0
roti
Time for cooking 4th
13 01:41.7 01:37.0 02:01.0 01:54.0 02:11.0
roti
Time for cooking 5th
14 01:32.8 01:28.0 01:40.0 01:34.0 01:45.0
roti
Total Time taken for the
Time total process 19:51.8 25:09.1 21:46.5 23:08.5 23:01.4
Table 1: Data collected for the 5 attempts following the current process.

DO PHASE

In the "D" phase of the PDSA cycle, the experiment or test involving implementing the
proposed improved process is conducted to data collected on the time taken for each step and
analyze the results. The amount of data collected is collected for 5 attempts similar to the
number of attempts before improving the process.

The data collected of the improved process is in the Table 2:

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 Attempt Attempt Attempt Attempt Attempt
Steps 1 2 3 4 5 Description
1 02:26.7 02:21.5 02:35.2 02:22.0 Time taken to prepare the
02:20.9 dough for five rotis
2 01:35.3 01:30.3 01:34.3 01:11.5 01:40.7 time for separating the parts
3 01:04.6 00:55.0 01:15.3 01:08.8 01:07.9 time for rolling one roti
4 01:54.1 01:23.2 time for cooking 1st roti and
01:55.5 01:24.9 01:23.9 rolling second roti
5 01:45.0 01:32.7 time for cooking 2nd roti
01:26.0 01:27.5 01:22.6 and rolling the third roti
6 01:35.3 01:49.2 time for cooking 3rd roti
01:40.5 01:36.9 01:24.7 and rolling the Fourth roti
7 01:35.6 01:41.8 time for cooking 4th roti
01:27.8 01:45.8 01:45.6 and rolling the fifth roti
8 01:31.2 01:30.5 01:29.4 01:32.5 01:34.8 time for cooking 5th roti
Total Time taken for the
Total whole process of making
Time 13:27.7 12:44.1 13:09.7 12:43.1 12:42.2 five rotis
Table 2: Data collected for the 5 attempts following the improved process.
Based on the collected data, we analysed the average time taken for each step in both Method
1 and Method 2 represented in the Table 3.

ATTEMPT TOTAL TIME TAKEN BEFORE TOTAL TIME TO MAKE 5 ROTI AFTER APPLYING CI
S APPLYING CI (MINUTES: SECONDS) (MINUTES: SECONDS)
1 20:49 13:27
2 25:09 12:44
3 21:46 13:09
4 23:08 12:43
5 23:01 12:42
Avg time 23:026 13:13
Table 3: Average time of Data collected for improved process and current process.

The total times for making the rotis following the current and improved process are plotted in
charts for visual representation as in Figures 5 and 6:

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 Study of Total Time taken
30

25

20

15

10

0
1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL TIME TAKEN BEFORE APPLYING CI (MINUTES: SECONDS)

TOTAL TIME TO MAKE 5 CHAPATI AFTER APPLYING CI (MINUTES: SECONDS)

Figure 5

Study of Total Time taken

30

25

20

15

10

0
Attempt 1 Attempt 2 Attempt 3 Attempt 4 Attempt 5

TOTAL TIME TAKEN BEFORE APPLYING CI (MINUTES: SECONDS)

TOTAL TIME TO MAKE 5 CHAPATI AFTER APPLYING CI (MINUTES: SECONDS)

Figure 6
The figures 5 and 6 displays the outcomes of starting and stopping a continuous
improvement process in the roti-making process. The main goal was to cut reduce the
amount of time needed to make rotis, and we were able to do so by using the continuous
improvement methodology.
It is clear from the data analysis and the accompanying charts that the original average time
to prepare rotis was greater than twenty minutes. However, once the continuous
improvement process was put in place, a significant reduction in time was shown, with the
average time dropping to less than 14 minutes.
This improvement shows how well the continuous improvement methodology helps simplify
the roti-making procedure. The data does not offer information on the continuous
improvement strategy used, but this had an influence on the duration of time needed to
make rotis.

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The continuous improvement method has made it possible to save a lot of time by
simplifying and improving the workflow, finding areas of inefficiency, and implementing
process upgrades. This decrease in time improves operational effectiveness while also
boosting production and productivity in the roti-making process.
It is important to note that more research and observation would be beneficial to guarantee
the viability and long-term effectiveness of the established continuous improvement
activities. It is practical to keep and improve upon the time reduction gained by continuously
reviewing and changing the process while continuously aiming for improvements in the roti-
making procedure.

S PHASE

Breaking down the "S" phase in continuous improvement for roti making, both before and
after the improvement.

In the S Phase BEFORE IMPROVEMENT:

1. Making the Dough: We would begin by combining salt, water, and wheat flour to make a
dough. After that, the dough would be kneaded until it reached the proper consistency.
2. Heating the Tawa: The cook would heat a tawa on the hob after preparing the dough.
Until the tawa reaches the ideal temperature for making rotis, it is normally heated at medium
heat.

3. Rolling and Sizing: We would take a bit of the prepared dough, roll it into a small ball,
then flatten it with a rolling pin to form a circular shape once the tawa was hot.
4. Cooking the Roti: After putting the rolled roti on the hot tawa, we would watch for
bubbles to form on the surface. The roti is turned over once bubbles appear and fried on the
other side until done.
5.Repeat the Process: We cook each roti in turn, going through steps 3 and 4 sequentially.

AFTER IMPROVEMENT (S Phase with Continuous Improvement):

1. Making the Dough: Making the dough follows the same procedure as in the "Before
Improvement" phase. To make the dough, we combine the flour, water, and salt.

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2. Multitasking while heating the tawa: We use multitasking method rather than doing one
step at a time. Instead of waiting for the tawa to heat up we were flattening the rotis by that
time.
3. Rolling and Shaping while Multitasking: Taking a part of the dough, rolling it into
small ball, and flattens it with a rolling pin to produce a circular shape. This is done while the
tawa is heating. The heating of the tawa and this phase overlap.
4. Multitasking while cooking the rotis: After the tawa is hot enough, we set the first roti on
it and watches for bubbles to form, simultaneously rolls and moulds the next roti while
cooking the original roti. In this manner, we can make more rotis as the first one cooks.
5. Repeat the Process: Until all the rotis are cooked, we repeat the process, switching
between cooking and rolling/shaping the rotis.
Explanation of the Improvement: By incorporating multitasking into the roti-making
procedure, we can better make use of the time spent waiting for the tawa to heat up. The
method of creating rotis becomes quicker and more efficient because of our ability to make
numerous rotis at once rather than one at a time. As a result, the total time required to make
roti is shortened, and cooking effectiveness is raised. The roti-making process is more
efficient and productive because of this ongoing improvement because it helps to save time,
resources, and effort.

ACT PHASE

As a group, our goal was to make five roti/roti as quickly as possible. To begin the project of
continuous improvement, we first established a standard process that everyone agreed upon.
Using 2 cups of flour, water, oil, and salt, we started making the roti. To ensure accurate data,
we assigned one person to make all the roti, as different people might work at different
speeds or have varying levels of experience. This way, we avoided any errors caused by these
differences and collected reliable data.
The average time to make five roti from data 1 was 23 minutes and 02 sec. The flow chart of
the process is mentioned above figure no.3 and we understood that our current process is not

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efficient, so we asked our parents how they make rotis and they shared the process of them
making rotis and we came to identify that the spreading and cooking step in the process
which we were taking long. We started out by taking each step one at a time. must
concentrate on taking one step at a time. The roti was not cooked, and no further procedure
was carried out in between spreading the balls, thus that is all we do when we spread the roti
balls. We only start cooking in the pan after spreading the balls.
After implementing continuous improvement, we altered the procedure for the second round
of data collection the flowchart of the process if figure no.4 We began performing two steps
simultaneously rather than one at a time. While one person spread roti one, another person
would heat the pan on the stove. As soon as the pan was hot enough, we would start cooking
roti one, while at the same time, the other person would begin spreading roti two. This way,
we avoided wasting any time in between tasks. Since flipping the roti in the pan every 20
seconds didn't take much time, we used that time to spread the next roti. We continued this
process until we finished making all five roti. For example, when we were spreading the fifth
roti ball, we were simultaneously cooking the fourth roti in the pan. This method proved to be
highly efficient, and we were able to reduce the time from 23 minutes and 2 seconds to 13
minutes and 13 seconds, that is 45.84% improvement from the initial data set. Seeing the
improvement, our team unanimously adopted this second method as our new approach.
Initially we took only 15% as hypothesis but the improvement we made was 45%. This is for
a person with much experience. But anyone who is following this process without any prior
experience can also achieve a minimum of 15% improvement by just following our
flowchart.

REFERENCES
Gitlow, H. S., Melnyck, R., & Levine, D. M. (2015). A guide to six sigma and process

improvement for practitioners and students: Foundations, DMAIC, Tools, Cases, and

Certification. Pearson Education.

Arora, M. (2023). How To Make Soft Roti/Roti? | Phulka | Indian Flatbread. Piping Pot

Curry. https://pipingpotcurry.com/roti-roti-indian-flatbread/

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PDCA Cycle - What is the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle? | ASQ. (n.d.-b). https://asq.org/quality-

resources/pdca-cycle

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