11
• Organization Background
– Organization Background : Part of the Zurich based Kuoni Travel Group, VFS Global was established in 2001, in Mumbai India, as a specialist partner for diplomatic missions worldwide. VFS Global serves diplomatic missions by managing all the administrative and non-judgmental tasks related to the entire lifecycle of a visa application process, enabling diplomatic missions to focus on the key tasks of assessment and interview.
– With an employee strength of 4000 (+), as on date, VFS serves diplomatic missions of 35 countries through its 425(+) offices and has operations in 52 countries across 5 continents. and processes in excess of 36 million visa applications (contracted) annually.
• Process Excellence at VFS Global
– Process excellence is at the core of our business; the objectives being to deliver quality and value add to our customers (applicants) and clients (Embassy), improve productivity and ensure consistent performance of processes. It is critical to provide the agreed level of service to our client (UK mission) and not only meet but also exceed clients’ expectations.
– Process Management, Quality Assurance and Process Improvement are the three key components of the process excellence model and Six Sigma is one of the major initiatives contributing to the overall framework in the Organization since March 2008. This framework is supported by a team of over 80 YB (Yellow Belts), 25 GB (Green Belts) and team of 3 Black Belts (BB) comprising of people having relevant Process Excellence experience and certification from various companies .
– A robust governance process, the Business Quality Council (BQC) ensures the prioritization and successful delivery of the identified initiatives.
Introduction
22
Project Charter
Problem Statement
Based on Sep ’10 to Nov ’10 overrides data in Mumbai Visa Application
Center’s (VAC) it was at around 12% on an average which is too high and it
defeats the purpose of Biometrics Enrolment as it becomes a bypass to
Immigration Safety measures. We are targeting overrides below 7% of
fingerprints enrolled.
Scoping
Starts : Applicants come to
enroll fingerprints through
Biometric Enrolment System
at UK Visa Bio-Booth counter
Ends : Once fingerprints are
enrolled.
Out of Scope:
• Biometric Exception and
Exemption cases
• Non-UK VAC in India, UK VAC
other than in Mumbai
• Process not related to Biometrics
Name Role
Jo Parry
(UKBA)
Sponsor
Murali
(Regional Head)
Sponsor
Om Sharma (VP -Process
Excellence)
Sponsor
Hariprasad Black Belt
Biometric Officers –
Mumbai
Team Members
Milestone
Define Dec 13, 2010
Measure Jan 07, 2011
Analyze Jan 25, 2011
Improve Feb 28, 2011
Control May 30, 2011Goal Statement
To decrease Overrides to 7% from the current 12% by Aug’11
Business Case
UK Visa had come up with the process of capturing fingerprints for secure immigrations. This is an extremely critical step as it becomes a bypass
to Immigration Safety measures and failure (override) could result in fraud, terrorist activities and other grave security concerns in UK. By reducing
the overrides it not only does it improve Mission/applicant satisfaction but would result in significant savings to VFS Global due to rework reduction.
D M A I C
Team roles
StakeholdersStakeholders
Jo Parry
Om Sharma
Murali
ResponsibilityResponsibility
Champion ©
Steering Committee
Steering Committee
� Report progress & support initiatives
� Review performance and strategy
� Change Management and Decision on Key Issues
� Resource Allocation Murzban Steering Committee ©
Quality Auditors Members
Prajakta BB - Project Support
Hariprasad BB - Project Manager
Key ResponsibilitiesKey Responsibilities
I
A/I
A/I
A/I
R
M/I/R
M/I/R
� Project Management
� Report progress
� Decision making
RoleRole
� Report gaps� Action Planning
Operations team Members © R
Minal BB - Project Support M/I/R
A R IMApprover Resource Member Interested Party
D M A I C
SIPOCSUPPLIER OUTPUTINPUT PROCESS CUSTOMER
• Applicant
• Submission
counter
• Application
docket
• Applicant
• Biometric
equipment
• Processed
application
• Fingerprint
captured with
specified
quality
• Applicant
• Embassy
UK Visa Applicant
pays fees for the
relevant visa type
Applicant submits
documents at the
Submission
counter
VAC staff checks
forms and
documents for
accuracy
Applicant sent to
Biometric counter
Staff captures
fingerprint of
specified quality
Does the
fingerprint
quality meet the
standard?
Tracked as
Biometric
override
End
N
Y
The overrides is
captured on a piece of
paper by the Biometric
counter staff which is
then consolidated at the
end of day
D M A I C
5
CTQ Drilldown
5
Overrides
Quasi - Continuous
Overrides are the occasion when an attempt has been made to take fingerprint to the standard required, however it fails the system threshold for quality
Average = 7%
0%
8%
Project Y / CTQ
Type of data
OperationalDefinition
Target
USL
LSL
%Unit of Measurement
Defect Definition
taken as the final fingerprints.
System not able to take the predefined fingerprint quality of applicant in three attempts. The best of 3 attempts are then taken as the final fingerprints.
Total number of overrides/ Total number of applicantsFormula
D M A I C
6
Normality Test
6P value (> 0.05) indicates data is normal
Ove rr ides data
Perc
ent
0.160.150.140.130.120.110.100.090 .08
99
95
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
5
1
M ean
0.586
0.1197
S tD ev 0.01378
N 31
A D 0.291
P -Valu e
Normality test for O verr ides dataNorm a l
P value (> 0.05) indicates there are no clusters,
mixtures, trends or oscillations in the data set. So
the process is statistically stable.
Observat ion
Overr
ides d
ata
30282624222018161412108642
0.15
0.14
0.13
0.12
0.11
0.10
Number o f run s abo u t med ian :
0.42514
17
Expec ted number o f run s: 16.48387
Lo ngest run abo u t med ian : 5
A pp ro x P -Valu e fo r C lu ster in g : 0.57486
A pp ro x P -Valu e fo r M ixtu res:
Number o f run s up o r d o w n :
0.84716
18
Expec ted number o f run s: 20.33333
Lo ngest run up o r d o w n : 4
A pp ro x P -Valu e fo r Trend s: 0.15284
A pp ro x P -Valu e fo r O sc illatio n :
Run Chart of O verrides data
0.150.140.130.120.110.100.090.08
USL
Process Data
Sample N 31
StDev (Within) 0.01228
StDev (Overall) 0.01390
LSL *
Target *
USL 0.08000
Sample Mean 0.11969
Potential (Within) Capability
CCpk -1.08
Overall Capability
Z.Bench -2.86
Z.LSL *
Z.USL -2.86
Ppk
Z.Bench
-0.95
Cpm *
-3.23
Z.LSL *
Z.USL -3.23
Cpk -1.08
Observ ed Performance
PPM < LSL *
PPM > USL 1000000.00
PPM Total 1000000.00
Exp. Within Performance
PPM < LSL *
PPM > USL 999385.42
PPM Total 999385.42
Exp. Overall Performance
PPM < LSL *
PPM > USL 997859.02
PPM Total 997859.02
Within
Overall
Process capability for Overrides data
Z-bench: -3.23
DPMO: 997859
D M A I C
Gage R&R
Study Var %Study Var
Source StdDev (SD) (6 * SD) (%SV)
Total Gage R&R 0.401988 2.41193 86.94
Repeatability 0.391948 2.35169 84.77
Reproducibility 0.089281 0.53568 19.31
Operator 0.089281 0.53568 19.31
Part-To-Part 0.228416 1.37050 49.40
Total Variation 0.462351 2.77410 100.00
Repeatability is high, hence,
a. Instrument is improper –Maintenance of equipmentneeds to be standardized
b. Method of measurement is notOK – It was observed that staffwith low Overrides% followeda practice of attempting threetimes to capture the fingerprintwhich improved the successrates
The above mentioned solutions with be
included in the Improve Phase
D M A I C
Target settingTarget Setting
Overrides
0.150.140.130.120.110.100.090.080.07
_X
Ho
Boxplot of Overrides(with Ho and 95% t-confidence interval for the mean)
As the p value is less than 0.05, the target is statistically
significant.
O ne-Sam ple T: O verrides
Test of m u = 0.07 vs > 0.0795%
Lower
Variable N M ean StDev SE M ean Bound T P
O verrides 30 0.119190 0.013722 0.002505 0.114933 19.63 0.000
O ne-Sam ple T: O verrides
Test of m u = 0.07 vs > 0.0795%
Lower
Variable N M ean StDev SE M ean Bound T P
O verrides 30 0.119190 0.013722 0.002505 0.114933 19.63 0.000
Mean
DP
MO
< 11.92 % >
< 7.0% >
< 997859 >
< 99785 >
Baseline Target
Baseline Target
D M A I C
Quick Wins
99In case of overrides the data was captured manually onsheets of paper by the staff. This additional activitycontributed to nearly 5 mins/ override
Current Process
To have a drop down included in the software itself with themost frequent reasons for overrides.
Proposed Solution
1. NVA step reduced which resulted in nearly savings of 4 minutes/override
2. Real time report extraction resulted in more focus.
Benefits
Application screenshot
D M A I C
Pareto AnalysisPareto : Reason-wise
1: Aged Applicant (> 40 years)2: Children between 5 - 7 Years3: Scanner problem4: Medical Issues5: Too Moist Fingers6: Too Dry Fingers7: Low Sensitivity of scanners8: Too Dark Or Too White Fingers9: Others
Count
Perc
ent
Defects CategoryCount
38.9 34.0 11.1 4.7 3.8 3.6 3.8
Cum % 38.9 72.9
214
84.0 88.7 92.5 96.2 100.0
187 61 26 21 20 21
Percent
Other938561
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
100
80
60
40
20
0
Pareto chart for OverridesSequence
D M A I C
Root causes
Image1: Fingerprint Samples
Image 2: Application Snapshot
Defect Definition
D M A I C
Field Names Field Definitions
Total Overrides
On biometrics, overrides are the occasions when attempts have been made to take fingerprints to the standard
required, but all attempts fail the system threshold for quality. The poor quality fingerprints are nevertheless recorded.
Check the Biometric Captured image on extreme right.
Medical IssuesArthritis patients who have problem placing their fingers on the scanner in right position. Skin Infections where the
ridges and whorls are indistinct. Burnt Fingers
Aged Applicant (> 40
years)Due to old age, the whorls and the ridges are indistinct refer to 4th image from left leading to overrides
Children between 5 -
10 Years
At tender age the fingers are too tender hence the whorls and ridges are again indistinct refer to second image from
left which leads to overrides
Scarred and Cracked
fingers
Burns or cuts in childhood leaving marks on the fingers. Check the 6th image from left.
Lady applicants who do household work regularly, sometimes we find cracks or burns on their finger tips. Chose this
section only for age between 10 to 40
Too Moist FingersVery Rough or Coarse Finger tips. Check the 1st image from left "Too Much Pressure or we" and Chose this section
only for age between 10 to 40
Too Dry FingersPeople from cold regions have poor prints genetically and hence overrides becomes a must. Check the 4th image
from left "No Moisture". Chose this section only for age between 10 to 40
Too Dark Or Too White
Fingers
Fingerprints are indistinct due to fingers being too white or too dark, due to which the machine is unable to distinguish
between the ridges and whorls. Check the 4th image from left "No Moisture". Chose this section only for age between
10 to 40
Low Sensitivity of
scanners
Apparently despite the fingers being good (clear ridges and whorls and with no scars) the machine isn't able to
capture good quality fingerprint chose this option. Chose this section only for age between 10 to 40
Ridges and whorls too
thin
Finger texture is such that the whorls and the ridges are indistinct. Too dark fingers where the whorls and ridges are
all black and white in case of pale fingers. Chose this section only for age between 10 to 40
Root causesD M A I C
13
Solution Design Matrix
13
Solution Design Matrix 1 2
3 4
Impact
High Low
Feasib
ility
High
Low
Root cause Brainstormed solution Ratings Target dateResponsible
teamStatus
Dry Hands
1. Moisten Hands by rubbing them over
cheeks/forehead
2. Apply cream and incase it becomes too moist dry it
using a tissue
1 15th Feb 2011 Project team Closed
Standard
process
1. All staff to attempt 3 times before escalating it to
the supervisor1 15th Feb 2011 Project team Closed
Old Aged
applicants
1. Complete the cycle once and see which hand has
the problem and then try to recapture the same
hand rather than doing entire transaction again
1 15th Feb 2011 Project team Closed
Moist Hands1. Request applicants to clean/wash hands with wet
tissue1 21st Feb 2011 Project team Closed
Children
between 5 - 10
Years
1. Ask applicants parent to put pressure by placing
their fingers on the child's fingers. The fingers
should be pressed below the nail so that equal
pressure is put and the impression is not too dark
1 21st Feb 2011 Project team Closed
Finger not
being read
properly by the
scanner
1. Try changing the booth and recapture the
transaction
2. Regular maintenance of the biometric equipment
3. Biometric staff to have short nail to ensure no
scratches on the equipment
4. Fingerprint capturing plate should be covered
during non operational hours to avoid accumulation
of dust
1 24th Feb 2011 Project team Closed
D M A I C
14
Revised Process
Capability
14
New Process performance
0.0800.0640.0480.0320.016
USL
Process Data
Sample N 36
StDev(Within) 0.01181
StDev(Overall) 0.01629
LSL *
Target *
USL 0.08000
Sample Mean 0.05534
Potential (Within) Capability
CCpk 0.70
Overall Capability
Z.Bench 1.51
Z.LSL *
Z.USL 1.51
Ppk
Z.Bench
0.50
Cpm *
2.09
Z.LSL *
Z.USL 2.09
Cpk 0.70
Observed Performance
PPM < LSL *
PPM > USL 83333.33
PPM Total 83333.33
Exp. Within Performance
PPM < LSL *
PPM > USL 18349.28
PPM Total 18349.28
Exp. Overall Performance
PPM < LSL *
PPM > USL 64947.55
PPM Total 64947.55
Within
Overall
Process capability for Overrides data
PPM: 64947
Z value: 2.09
Mean
DP
MO
< 11.92 % >
< 7.0 %>
< 997859 >
< 99785 >
< 5.5 % >
< 64947 >
Baseline Target Improved
Baseline Target Improved
DPMO reduced by 93.5%
D M A I C
Control ChartControl Chart
After implementation of counter measures process control limit became narrow
O b s e r v a t i o n
Indiv
idual Valu
e
3 63 22 82 42 01 61 284
0 . 1 0
0 . 0 8
0 . 0 6
0 . 0 4
0 . 0 2
_X = 0 . 0 5 5 3 4
U C L = 0 . 0 9 0 7 5
L C L = 0 . 0 1 9 9 2
O b s e r v a t i o n
Movin
g R
ange
3 63 22 82 42 01 61 284
0 . 0 4
0 . 0 3
0 . 0 2
0 . 0 1
0 . 0 0
_ _M R = 0 . 0 1 3 3 2
U C L = 0 . 0 4 3 5 1
L C L = 0
I - M R C h a r t o f A f t e r O v e r r i d e s
I-MR Chart: Post Improvement
D M A I C
1616
Control MeasuresPlan
DoCheck
Action
Sl.
No.
PLAN DOCHECK ACT
Action Plan Description Responsibility Frequency
1 Internal Audit
Regular Internal Audits
to be conducted to
ensure SOP adherence
Regional Quality
Manager
1 audit every
monthInternal Audit Report
Corrective action to
be suggested by the
Regional Quality
Manager
2Escalation
Matrix
Any probable override
case to be informed to
the supervisor and
supervisor to handle that
case and share the
learning with other
officers
VAC Manager As applicable Day End Report
Feedback provided to
the staff &
performance
monitored to prevent
recurrence
3Monitoring
Plan
Control chart published
for overrides data
MIS to circulate
report
1st week of
every month
VAC Manager to escalate in the
event report not published as per
defined timelines. Also review
performance with the officers
Corrective action to
be taken by the VAC
supervisor
4 Staff KRA
Reducing Overrides
added as a KRA of the
Biometrics Staff, Center
Supervisor, Operations
manager and the Unit
Manager
MIS to circulate
reportWeekly
Staff to check their own
performance on a weekly
basis Perfor
mance to be discussed with staff
in the monthly review meeting
with supervisor
Supervisor to take
corrective action if
required
5Inter - VAC
Competition
Inter Visa Application
Center
Competition initiated
(overrides - 25% weight-
age and target <= 4% as
a qualifier to get into the
competition)
MIS to circulate
reportWeekly Global Performance Report
VAC Manager to
review performance
weekly & suggest
corrective action (if
applicable
D M A I C
1717
Project Closure
• Process Learning : Putting more focus on those overrides cases which are happening because of dry hand,
moist hand , old age applicant, child below 5~7 years age group. Learning shared with all VACs across the
globe.
• Change Management: Mission resistance observed initially when suggested the need for a maintenance
plan for the Biometric machines. Mission agreed for a regular machine maintenance & replacement
• People Management: Inconsistency observed in the number of attempts made by the staff to capture the
biometric. SOP designed and Internal Audits conducted to ensure adherence
• Client Recognition: Team received appreciation from Mission for taking the initiative to reduce overrides
• Internal management Recognition : The project bagged the an internal award from the Process Excellence
(received from the management) in the Quarterly Quality Summit
• Case study published in the Quarterly company newsletter
Learning
Team Recognition
1818
Project Benefits
Solution
deployed
Time
saved
Average number
of overrides per
month
Man hours
saved/monthFTE’s saved $ savings (annualized)
Drop down
included in the
software rather
than updating on
sheets of paper
4 mins/
override8885 592
{1 FTE works for 8 hours
in a day for 22 days in a
month.}
Hence 592/(22*8)
= 3.5
{1 FTE receives on an
average of
$333/month}
3 * $333 * 12
= $12,000
Overrides %
decreased from
12% to 7%
3
minutes/
override
8885 444 Hence 444/(22*8) = 2.52 * $333 * 12
= $7992
Improved
Mission and
applicant
satisfaction
Soft savings
Hence in 2 VAC’s in Mumbai, the savings generated is $19,992. If the learning's of the
project are implemented across the globe the savings would increase exponentially
19
Summary
A.Methodology Used- DMAIC
B.Please indicate why this project is an excellent improvement example.
19
Biometrics is a relatively new concept introduced by a few missions in the Visa processing process. It is also a
very critical step in ensuring secure immigration. More missions are in the process of including biometrics in
their Visa processing process .The project aimed at reducing the overrides (Overrides are the occasion when
three attempts have been made to take fingerprint to the standard required, but all three attempts fail the
system threshold for quality) from 12% to <7%.. The improvement project helped in ensuring better scores
from missions & saving penalties. Moreover, the best practices could be successfully deployed for other
missions thereby, ensuring secure immigrations. The improvements realized from this project have been
globally applied attracting appreciations from mission helping us gain competitive advantage.