Report Series Update
January 2019
Report Series Summary
Over the past decade, several tools have been developed to increase organizational efficiency and reduce backlogs, including process mapping and Lean Six Sigma (LSS). In 2011, a variation of LSS, named Lean Design was introduced as a novel approach to health facility design (Mersereau & Jimmerson, 2011). While the Lean Design approach has been successfully implemented in a number of health care research and development and quality management laboratories, it has not yet been applied to the planning and construction of forensic facilities.
Conducting a Forensic Facility Needs Assessment Using Lean Facility Design: A Case Example
January 2019
Report Summary
This report details the steps for using a lean facility design (LFD) approach to conduct a needs assessment in a forensic facility. LFD is a strategy that is used to optimize the flow of information, work, and people through a facility. In addition to detailing the steps for conducting an LFD assessment, this report also provides a short case example. The National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) collaborated with the Midwest Forensics Resource Center (MFRC) to conduct an LFD needs assessment at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO), in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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Development of a Lean Facility Design Roadmap for Design-Bid-Build Forensic Facilities
January 2016
Report Summary
In an effort to incorporate Lean Design thinking into the planning, construction, and relocation of forensic facilities, the National Institute of Justice’s FTCOE initiated a project to develop guidelines and checklists for Lean Facility Design (LFD). This document reports on the development of these LFD guidelines and checklists and their integration with the guidance in the White Book to develop an LFD roadmap for planning and constructing 21st century Design-Bid-Build forensic facilities.
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Other Resources
Forensic Science Laboratories: Handbook for Facility Planning, Design, Construction and Relocation (2013)
In 2013, NIST published an update to its widely acclaimed Forensic Science Laboratories: Handbook for Facility Planning, Design, Construction and Relocation. The “White Book,” as it is often called, was developed by a group of 16 professionals with expertise in laboratory management, planning, architecture, and engineering. It offers advice for law enforcement agencies on 21st century planning, design, construction of, and relocation to, publicly funded forensic facilities. Click here to read the full report.