Episode 41: Simulating Success with Dr. Lars Maaseidvaag

On this episode of Quality Time with MoreSteam, Dr. Lars Maaseidvaag joins the show to talk about one of his areas of expertise, process modeling and discrete event simulation. Lars has worked in continuous improvement for over 30 years. He's also from Ann Arbor, Michigan, which creates some good natured tension when he talks to Ohio State graduate (and your host) Dan Swartwout.

In easy-to-understand terms, Lars explains discrete event simulation and why it’s such a powerful problem-solving tool. He shares an example of working with a large hospital that faced a massive screening bottleneck, with hundreds of people waiting in their cars. By quickly building and running a simulation model, Lars and his team identified practical solutions that streamlined the process and saved the hospital thousands of dollars per day, without requiring any new equipment. Read the full healthcare case study here.

Most Lean Six Sigma tools handle stable processes just fine. But what happens when you've got fluctuating demand and everything depends on everything else? Lars walks us through how simulation helps with these messy situations. He also talks about MoreSteam’s own Process Playground, which lets you run simulations without learning to code or buying expensive software.

Lars and Dan bond over bratwurst and argue about the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry. They also discuss George Box's line that all models are wrong but some are useful. As this episode shows, some podcasts are useful, too.

In this episode, you will hear about:

1:16 - Meet Lars

5:20 - What is discrete event simulation?

8:02 - The process at a coffee shop

11:58 - How process modeling helped reduce wait times at a hospital

15:39 - How simulation reveals solutions that other Lean tools might miss

20:10 - Interdependencies and interactions in simulation modeling

23:04 - Examples of interdependencies in blackjack

25:15 - Using Process Playground in EngineRoom

28:45 - The building blocks analogy

32:27 - Pitfalls to avoid: analysis paralysis

36:22 - Process modeling and roller coasters

42:09 - All models are wrong, some are useful

Additional Resources:

Lars Maaseidvaag on LinkedIn

MoreSteam's YouTube Channel

Quality Time With MoreSteam on Facebook

Quality Time With MoreSteam on Instagram

Quality Time With MoreSteam on LinkedIn

Subscribe to MoreSteam's Newsletter

MoreSteam on LinkedIn

Dan Swartwout on LinkedIn

What is Discrete Event Simulation?

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How Discrete Event Simulation Drives Process Transformation

Reflections on How Far Process Modeling Has Come

Dan Swartwout Headshot
Dan Swartwout

HostMoreSteam

Dan Swartwout is the host of Quality Time with MoreSteam. A lifelong Central Ohio resident, Dan is a double Buckeye. He earned both a BA and a law degree from The Ohio State University. Before joining MoreSteam, Dan had a long career as a host, comedian, and master of ceremonies. For 17 years, Dan was the studio audience host for the Ohio Lottery game show Cash Explosion. Dan was also the host of CBuzz, which was a collaboration between the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, WWCD 92.9, and the Columbus Dispatch. On CBuzz, Dan interviewed some of the most prominent entrepreneurs in Central Ohio. From 2002-2020, Dan toured the country as a standup comedian. Tracks from his comedy CD have been played over 5,000 times on Sirius/XM satellite radio. Now, Dan brings his experience and enthusiasm to Quality Time with MoreSteam -- it's business and fun, together.

Lars Maaseidvaag
Lars Maaseidvaag

MoreSteam Client Services

Dr. Lars Maaseidvaag continues to expand the breadth and depth of the MoreSteam curriculum by integrating the learning of Lean tools and concepts with advanced process modeling methods. Lars led the development of Process Playground, a Web-based discrete event simulation program. Before coming to MoreSteam in 2009, he was the Curriculum Director for Accenture/George Group and has also worked in operations research and management consulting.

Lars received a PhD in Operations Research from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Prior to his PhD, Lars earned a M.S. in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering as well as an MBA from The University of Texas in Austin.


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