There are huge, and growing, opportunities to improve what we do in the workplace, including, among other things, safety, productivity, quality, efficiency, effectiveness, equipment performance, and reliability. But the desire to improve and the words “improve it” by themselves will rarely lead to sustainable improvements.
Real sustainable gains come from a simple process of standardizing how things should be done. Think about it. When two competent people (Skeeter and Larry) are expected to complete a task, it will usually get done in about the same time. However, Skeeter and Larry will likely not perform the same steps, in the same sequence, or use the same tools and materials. That’s what we call “human variation.”
When task complexity increases, the human variation increases. Thus, Skeeter may take longer to complete the work than Larry because of the tools he chooses or the arrangement of the work area. Larry, on the other hand, might make small errors and need to rework a step in the task. And, each time these two perform the work, they may change they way they do things. All of this is not wrong. They’re just examples of human variation between Skeeter and Larry on the job.
As an observer, how would you approach improving the work of these two people? What’s the starting point? See how it can quickly become personal. Is Skeeter’s method the starting point? If so, Larry will most likely take it as a personal slam. After all, he’s been doing this work for 14 years, three months, and two days.
In your workplace there are many more than these two people. Beyond your own Skeeters and Larrys, there are dozens more who are expected to perform the same type of task, on the same piece of equipment, to get the same results.
MARCHING TO THE DRUMBEAT
When a band, drum and bugle corps, or military unit marches in formation, there’s a cadence, i.e., a drumbeat that sets the pace for all members to follow. This cadence is the standard for everyone in the group. A person who gets out of step is easy to spot. When the cadence is changed, everyone is taught or coached to follow it.
Standardizing work is the same as a drumbeat. The standard work procedure sets the expectation for all to follow. When someone doesn’t follow the standard work, human variation creeps in and causes errors, delays, and other types of problems. Improvement is fleeting, not sustainable.
When a standard work procedure needs improvement, it’s up to the group to identify possible ways to accomplish it, then pick one change to try. A small team of workers must then agree to try the provisional (temporary) procedure to see how it works out. If it’s proven to be a better way, then the entire work group must then be trained and coached, and subsequently be expected to follow the new standard procedure. Improvements can then be observed and realized by the organization, and the people involved in making those improvements.
BOTTOM LINE
Where there’s no standard, there’s no improvement. Instead, there are only attempts to organize chaos and temporarily minimize penalizing effects.TRR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob Williamson is a long-time contributor to the people-side of the world-class-maintenance and manufacturing body of knowledge across dozens of industry types. His background in maintenance, machine and tool design, and teaching has positioned his work with over 500 companies and plants, facilities, and equipment-oriented organizations. Contact him directly at 512-800-6031 or b[email protected].
