
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
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What is Discrete Event Simulation?
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Host • MoreSteam
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.

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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.