NASCAR: Every Second Counts Helping Win From The Pits.
By: Mark Appolloni:

Introduction to the case:

NASCAR, The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, is the largest approved body of motorsports in the United States. In 2006, after 15 years of working in NASCAR racing as an athletic director for HMS, Andy Papathanassiou (known as Papa) began searching for the next breakthrough to improve pit crew performances and times. His innovative techniques and determination had successfully cut pit crews performance times in half because he introduced athletic training and much like chapter 3 in our book standardized (organized) practices to the process thus turning crew members into athletes. The introduction of pit crewmembers training as athletes revolutionized the motorsports industry and has made the sport what it is today. When Papa worked at HMS they were known for having one of the most intensive training programs in racing history. In addition to having athletic team members they also sought out motivated individuals who could transition their skills from athleticism into observation and skill under pressure in a competition. The pit crew team is much like the book we are reading in class where a cell in a manufacturing company works like this team to lean out their process and gain throughput but also cut down Muda or waste and improve cycle time. Crews have been known to train hard in the off-season over the winter. Team members lose weight and get physically fitter in the process just to obtain their goals. Some guy’s even train in the gym continuously. Whether it was the person or the machine Papa studied ways to enhance the performance of the overall process. He introduced new improvements one after the other, one improvement might be less dramatic than the first but it may not necessarily be less important in the overall result or