1. I don't see my industry listed here. Is Catena right for me?

2. Is my information secure?

3. What do I need to buy & run Catena?

4. Which module do I need?

5. What do I need to participate in virtual consulting?

6. What hardware and systems do I need to participate in virtual consulting?

7. What do I need to participate in webinars?

8. What do I need to participate in online demos?

9. How long will the process take?

10. I forgot my username/password. What should I do?

11. Can I share these tools with coworkers/supply chain/friends/other?

12. I need to contact someone about: “----- ------”

13. My question is not here. What do I do?

14. What is Catena?

15. What is the relationship between OpEx and Catena?

16. How do I select a team?

17. How do I select a first project?

18. What is the relationship between OpEx, Catena and Lean Manufacturing?

19. What video camera should I buy?

20. What is the difference between a Process Analysis and an Activity Analysis?

21. Can I use the same video for a Process Analysis and Activity Analysis?

22. What is the purpose of a PQ Analysis?

23. When do I use a Value Stream Map (VSM)?

24. I don’t understand why I have to go to this level of detail. Isn’t there an easier way?

25. We don’t have any data (demand, supplies, etc.). What do I do?

26. If when following our process and I come to a waiting operation, do I have to keep the camera rolling and record the entire waiting operation?

27. Is there an ala carte option for services? What if I start with Option 1 and want/need to add services?

28. Can I talk to a live person?

29. Do you offer onsite set-up?

30. How complex is the software? What is the required skill level?

31. I received an error message in Catena, what does it mean?

32. Does Catena require internet access? How secure is my project data?

33. Where does the Catena software system reside? Does it require a "server"?

Catena was developed by OpEx Improvement Specialists working in just about every environment imaginable. In each situation the system achieved dramatic results. The question is, if your company takes information or raw material and adds value or transforms it into something your customer, patient or client needs, then Catena and OpEx consulting can help. Catena improves your "value delivery systems" no matter what they are.

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OpEx takes the security of your data very seriously. We take appropriate security measures to protect against unauthorized access or disclosure of data. These measures include software security measures as well as physical security measures designed to guard against physical access to systems where personal data is stored.

Access to personal information is restricted to OpEx employees, contractors and agents who need to know the information in order to operate, develop, and improve our products and services. These individuals are bound by non-disclosure and confidentiality obligations and may be subject to a variety of penalties including termination and criminal prosecution if these obligations are not met.

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Catena is a Microsoft Windows desktop based application that takes advantage of Microsoft Office (Professional Edition) to reduce the learning curve. An internet connection is required only during product licensing.

To use our virtual consulting services, you will also need to install a Microsoft Office Live Meeting client application. System requirements for this client application can be found here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/livemeeting/HA102415191033.aspx.

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Most virtual consulting is a component of an improvement project. An improvement project will be custom designed to meet your process improvement goals and budget. Most improvement projects include the following Catena System License(s), web based consulting/training (virtual consulting) and in many cases onsite consulting/training. To purchase a customized improvement package please click visit our online store or call. If however you have already purchased your Catena System License(s) and desire to schedule your first hour of virtual consulting please contact your implementation specialist. If an implementation specialist has not been assigned yet please contact us or call our toll free number.

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When your virtual consulting time is scheduled with your Implementation Specialist you should receive a meeting planner message via email. Within the body of that message there is a paragraph entitled "First Time Users" simply click on the link provide in that paragraph and a quick system diagnostic will be performed. If this is your first time using Microsoft Live Meeting, then after the system diagnostic is complete, live meeting will prompt you regarding the necessary downloads before joining to the virtual consulting session. As always, if you have any problems please contact your Implementation Specialist or the technical support desk.

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When you supply us your contact information you will be forwarded an invitation to join the webinar containing the necessary instructions. Please keep in mind that if you have never participated in a webinar using the Microsoft Live Meeting platform you should allow an extra 5-10 minute to download the necessary system drivers.

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Because our clients are so diverse, from fortune 500 companies to sole proprietorships and large university health system to critical assess hospitals the answer varies considerably. With that said most improvement projects that implementation substantial improvements that are sustainable range from are 6-15 weeks. For an Assessment of what is possible at your company click here to contact by email or call us.

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Please contact us and request to have your username and/or password reset.

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We love it when our customers want to share these tools with others. Catena is generally licensed so that anyone with login access to the computer it’s installed on can use the software. To share with users on another system, additional licenses can be purchased. We also offer site and multi-site licenses. Just contact us to learn more and obtain a trial copy.

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Please fill out our contact form or call us.

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Please fill out our contact form or call us.

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The Catena Improvement System is the unique combination of services and software tools used to help our client dramatically improve their business performance by eliminating waste. Catena has years of improvement experience and know how assembled in a relatively easy to use package. The Catena System allows OpEx Implementation Specialists to provide high quality improvement services at a greatly reduced price. You can learn more about the Catena Improvement System here.

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OpEx Service Group is a process improvement consulting firm founded in 1999 to improve our clients quality, service and profitability through the elimination of waste. Through the years while working with clients OpEx developed an internal system for our consultants to use to ensure successful implementations. Soon we found clients asking to purchase this powerful tool we had developed through years of experience and lessons learned. To accomplish this request, we assembled our tools and experience into what is known today as the Catena Improvement System.

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Picking the right team to improve your business is very important and you need to keep in mind this team will be designing the new way work will be performed by all. Because of this, as part of the Catena Package (Sustain level and above) we have developed an explicit process to follow when choosing your team that includes personality profiles, interview questions and other information to assist you. In general however we recommend you choose the best, and brightest. Your critical thinkers who have demonstrated the ability to self start. Known management problems should not be considered for such an important assignment.

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Some considerations when choosing a project are: is it representative of companies mainstream (80% of cost or volume), how does it contributes to the key competitive strengths of the business, are the solutions transferable to other parts of the business, is a strong leadership staff in place with a desire to change/improve, does innovation have a chance to succeed? These are some important general considerations when choosing a project. For more specific information consider an OpEx Operational Assessment that can help you prioritize projects based on criteria that are important to you, such as return on investment or time to implement. To inquire about an OpEx Assessment please contact us.

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OpEx Inc is a consulting firm and Catena is the system OpEx Implementation Specialists developed where originally designed to implement the improvement principles and methodology now codified as Lean Manufacturing. "Lean", "Lean Manufacturing", "Lean Healthcare" and "Lean Service" can all trace their root to the Toyota Production System.

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For best results, a miniDV camera with IEEE-1394 (Firewire/i-Link) output is recommended. Although not required, we also recommend that the camera be able to take still pictures in order to capture before and after pictures. Catena can also read video files from Hard Drive based camcorders in MPG and AVI format. A selection of cameras can be found in our on-line store.

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A process analysis focuses on the flow of the product you are building or the service you are providing while an activity analysis focuses on the tasks people must accomplish to make this happen.

This is the first step in improving flow from customer order through delivery. This means you could be following a production order from release through delivery to the customer (internal or external), following an order for labs in the laboratory from order entry through reporting of results, or following an administrative process. There may be a flurry of people activity, but if the process you are following is waiting on those people that is all with which you are concerned.

An activity analysis on the other hand is concerned with the activity of the people. If after performing your process analysis you noted that the process waited while a person performed a task, the activity analysis is now following that person and trying to eliminate waste so the process can progress forward. The process analysis is at a higher level and typically faster to perform. For example your process analysis may simply note a single step that a patient waited 10 minutes while the nurse gathered supplies. The activity analysis for the nurse gathering those supplies may contain 200 steps as you follow everything he or she does.

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Sometimes, if there is a single person acting on the process and you know nothing will be missed from either the process flow or the activity analysis, the same video footage can be used. However, if there is any doubt or you know you missed part of either, you will need to video each separately.

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The PQ (Product/Process Quantity) Analysis also referred to as Group Technology has several functions. First it allows you to focus your energy using the 80/20 rule. This dictates which processes and activities you need to video. It is also used to identify commonalities or groups between different processes that may not have been previously known. It may show that what was thought to be totally different processes are really so similar that the processes can be combined on a mixed model line. The combination of commonality and frequency provides the data required to optimize the physical layout since interactions and their frequency are known.

The PQ Analysis can be used to build your staffing to demand profile. If you know the processes, the activities required to complete those processes and their frequency, you can calculate staffing requirements. This is the philosophy behind the scheduling system in Catena.

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OpEx believes in using the VSM for two purposes. The first is a high level visualization of the overall process and the frequency of each path. By knowing frequency, you will be able to focus your efforts and doing so visually is a great tool. This information can then be used to form the basis for your PQ Analysis. At this point, you will not have all the information to complete the VSM such as working in process (WIP), cycle times, number of people assigned, etc. This information will be captured when performing the process analysis. After which you can complete the VSM. This may be beneficial to further visualize the process, but the process analysis and connecting time analysis will form the basis for the actual improvements. Just remember the end goal is to improve the process and not simply create a VSM or the process. The Current State VSM is also an excellent visual representation of the process and inefficiencies that exist. An Ideal State VSM is an excellent representation of the direction an organization needs to move toward. All improvements should focus on getting closer to Ideal State.

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No. The successful implementation and sustaining of lean is a lot of detail and hard work which is what makes the levels of achievable improvement so significant. If there was one single simple thing that could be done to dramatically improve the process it would have already been done. However, there are a million little things that are buried in the work we do everyday that can be eliminated or changed to realize profound improvement. That is the foundation behind the Catena Improvement System which helps you see and thus be able to improve upon these “million little things” (and the big ones when you find them).

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Bottom line, you need data to make informed supportable decisions. First make sure you have explored all avenues for the data. For example, a department may not keep a history of items used, but the financial system may have a record of items charged to a department or purchasing may have order history for an item.

Next check the area for manual logs that someone may keep as part of their own “system”. If all of this is unsuccessful, you will need to obtain the needed data. One method is to start a log in the area to record usage. People may not like the “extra work” but you will need accurate data to make informed decisions. Sometimes, in the case of supplies, you can “back into the number.” For example you know an activity is performed 10 times a day and you know the supplies and quantity required for the activity. From this you can calculate the total supplies required. Also the greater the level of detail the greater your ability to understand of data.

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No, in this situation you have two options if the wait is going to be excessive. The first option applies if you are using a miniDV video camcorder. The second option can use used with any type of recorder.

Option 1: You can turn off the miniDV camcorder and wait. Coordinate with someone to let you know when the process will start back up again so you can resume recording at the appropriate time. The miniDV format will pass the date and time stamp information to Catena and Catena will calculate the correct waiting time automatically.

Option 2: You can note how many products/people are waiting, note when the next product/person reenters the flow then follow the product/person after that (you can’t follow the next one that reenters the flow because you don’t know how much of the wait time you have captured). You now know the time each product/person has to wait which multiplied by the quantity of product/people waiting in front of this one will approximate the wait time. This time can then be entered manually into Catena in the new start time field.

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Yes, we have 4 basic levels of our system to meet various client needs. We custom create a package of virtual consulting, on-site consulting, training and the Catena System, to meet your specific needs. Choose the solution that will meet your needs and budget without sacrificing needed materials.

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Yes. Please call our toll free line found on our contact us page. Our office hours are 7am - 5pm, Pacific Time.

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Yes. Please contact us to arrange the details.

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Catena is an integrated Windows desktop application that makes use of Microsoft Office applications to reduce the learning curve. If your staff can log on to Microsoft Windows and use basic Microsoft Office functionality, they have all the skills they need to learn the Catena system.

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Please visit our software support area for a list of common error messages. If your error message is not listed, please fill out our contact form and inlude the error number and dialog text along with a description of what you were doing when the error occurred.

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Catena only requires internet access to perform licensing verification. During licensing, the program generates an encrypted site code key based on the hardware configuration of the workstation. This alpha-nuemeric code is then set to our licensing server which generates and returns a software licensing key. The following information is retained: date and time of request, the alpha-neumeric site code key, and the workstation name.

Your project data is stored on your own computer or file server. No project data is stored on OpEx servers. Should you use our virtual consulting services, you may elect to send or share data with a virtual consultant. This information is protected by our security policy (see FAQ "Is my information secure?").

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The Catena software is a desktop based application that resides locally on computer workstations. While project data files can reside on the workstation, most customers will place data files on a file server on their existing network so that data can be shared among team members. Catena makes use of the Microsoft Jet database engine to allow team members to access and edit project data simultaneously. For small organizations without an existing Windows/SMB network or larger organizations looking for inexpensive team based storage solutions, we recommend purchasing a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. Contact OpEx sales for additional details.

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