Improving financial project coordination workflows in a contract research organization: a case study of Charles River Laboratories Groningen
Kombora, Vimbiso (2025)
2025
All rights reserved. This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120733369
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120733369
Tiivistelmä
This thesis looks at how Lean Thinking principles can be used to improve financial project coordination workflows within a Contract Research organization. It is a case study of Charles River Laboratories Groningen where there have been changes to the Project Coordination team. The team has become globalized, meaning that there is a need for standardized financial processes. The goal of the thesis was to analyse the current workflow, identify inefficiencies and then propose an efficient workflow more in line with global standards.
To achieve these goals, a qualitative research approach was used together with semi-structured interviews. The main tools applied from Lean Project Management were process mapping with Value Stream Mapping. After analyzing the current workflow, it was discovered that there were several non-value-adding activities that came from using multiple Smartsheets, and site-specific system workarounds.
Using Lean Principles, a future workflow was proposed that focuses only on the value-added tasks. This included consolidating the number of Smartsheets into one in order to reduce manual data transfers. Other changes included changes such as updating SAP material lists, improving AFO reports, and investigating whether automation can be increased by using macros.
The findings show that Lean tools, such as Value Stream Mapping, can be used to effectively identify inefficiencies in project coordination workflows. These tools allow the implementation of a more efficient workflow which will support the company’s goal of global standardization. Applying Value Stream Mapping also lays a foundation for continuous improvement which is another principle of Lean Thinking and important part of sustaining efficiency in workflows in organizations.
To achieve these goals, a qualitative research approach was used together with semi-structured interviews. The main tools applied from Lean Project Management were process mapping with Value Stream Mapping. After analyzing the current workflow, it was discovered that there were several non-value-adding activities that came from using multiple Smartsheets, and site-specific system workarounds.
Using Lean Principles, a future workflow was proposed that focuses only on the value-added tasks. This included consolidating the number of Smartsheets into one in order to reduce manual data transfers. Other changes included changes such as updating SAP material lists, improving AFO reports, and investigating whether automation can be increased by using macros.
The findings show that Lean tools, such as Value Stream Mapping, can be used to effectively identify inefficiencies in project coordination workflows. These tools allow the implementation of a more efficient workflow which will support the company’s goal of global standardization. Applying Value Stream Mapping also lays a foundation for continuous improvement which is another principle of Lean Thinking and important part of sustaining efficiency in workflows in organizations.