A Compliant Process That Was Still Too Slow
How an aircraft engine manufacturer used process mining and Lean analysis to uncover hidden delays in supplier contracting.
The Challenge
An aircraft engine manufacturer was experiencing production pressure because supplier commitments were not consistently aligned with production schedules.
The unusual part was that the contracting process appeared healthy. Procedures were being followed, quality controls were in place, and workflow SLA violations were relatively rare.
Different teams had different explanations for the delays. Procurement pointed to approvals, Legal focused on contract quality, while IT data suggested that the workflow was operating largely as expected.
The company needed an end-to-end view of how contracts actually moved through the organization.
The unusual part was that the contracting process appeared healthy. Procedures were being followed, quality controls were in place, and workflow SLA violations were relatively rare.
Different teams had different explanations for the delays. Procurement pointed to approvals, Legal focused on contract quality, while IT data suggested that the workflow was operating largely as expected.
The company needed an end-to-end view of how contracts actually moved through the organization.
What We Did
Six months of operational data were converted into a process model covering almost 47,000 events and 59 process steps.
The process was analyzed using both process mining and Lean methods, separating value-added work, administrative work, and waiting time.
Only 41% of the current-state value stream was classified as value-added. The largest single delay was supplier signature time, which accounted for more than 19 days and roughly 30% of the process duration.
The Opportunity
The team developed targeted countermeasures, including risk-based approvals, standardized supplier follow-up, simpler routing, and removal of unnecessary administrative work.
The resulting target state reduced the median contracting lead-time goal from 58.8 days to 34 days, while preserving required governance and control points.
The resulting target state reduced the median contracting lead-time goal from 58.8 days to 34 days, while preserving required governance and control points.
Impact by the Numbers
- ~47KEvents
- 59Process Steps
- 58.8 → 34days target median
Find out where your process is really losing time
Alberta, Canada
© All Rights Reserved. Ampelus Inc.
CustomerSupport@ampelus.ca
CustomerSupport@ampelus.ca