Quality:

The pragmatic plant manager simplifies the quality system to the point the average production associate easily understands what is required to do their respective job well.

 

The foundation of the pragmatic plant manager's quality system is simply understood process control of attributes that impact the customer's experience. The system defines quality attributes for each step of the production process and documents how to control each. The system validates associate's understanding through routine audits.

 

The pragmatic plant manager recognizes the need to remain focused on the customer's current experience while installing this quality system.

 

pragmaticplantmanager.com will be your prefered website  for resources, free and fee-based, to assist you on your Quality journey.

 

 

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Protect the Customer – Quality

 

 

After decades of implementing “elegant” Quality Systems that required persistent monitoring for compliance, the Pragmatic Plant Manager came across a  quote from General Colin Powell. This was the “ah-ha” moment that proved to be the cornerstone of a Pragmatic Quality Management System (QMS).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FUNDAMENTALS of a Pragmatic Quality Management System:

 

• Simplicity

• Design for the Production Associate

• Act, Learn, Plan-then-Act-Again, Repeat

• Process Control

• Process Flow Map

• Failure Mode Effects Analysis

• Control Plan

• Visual work instructions

• Leadership Audits

• Recognition

 

 

SIMPLICITY

 

As the reader digests the rest of this content, the simplicity concept will come into more focus. For now the reader is asked to consider the audience that must use the system to assure the product delivered to the customer meets expectations. The quality system must be easily understood by the production associate and presented in a format that is easily related to their specific job responsibilities. Consider the average education and reading level of your workforce.

 

 

TARGET THE PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE:

 

ACT, LEARN, PLAN-then-ACT AGAIN, REPEAT

 

Allow this short-story to gain perspective. A Quality Manager was hired for our facility that had been away from the quality function for some time. This individual was an internal hire, but from a sister-plant. The value to the organization was a fresh perspective of our facility as well as a fresh perspective on quality. Our careers had followed similar paths through quality with similar convictions regarding what success looked like and what it might take to get there. The Safety initiative was well entrenched; it was time.

 

We believed we knew where we were headed. The intent was to build a quality system based on process control, documented with a quality control plan constructed from a Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA). Historically this approach has failed to provide a sustainable system in many organizations. With the passion, the conviction, and alignment we had amongst us it was simply understood this was the journey we needed to pursue. We would be successful.

 

 

THE FALSE START:

 

You need a control plan. You need the critical product characteristics that influence customer quality. You need the design engineer’s knowledge. This cooperation does not come. You proceed, despite them. You know your products. You know your processes.  Act.

 

Construct a process map. Develop the FMEA’s with the knowledge you have. Document the Control Plan. Revise the Standard work to include Quality Work Instructions. Train the production associates. Audit daily. It’s highly probable you will find little compliance. You’ve acted, now learn

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Consider the inertia of the past culture that had to be overcome. In the past, associates were expected to understand, but likely not taught which product attributes assure product quality.In the past associates were expected do a quality job, but it’s importance was probably only emphasized when there was an absence of quality - product failed a functional test, product is scrapped or customers complain.

 

The prior culture was a reactive system. You’ve assumed a proactive system. The organization had not been conditioned for this. This is part if the journey. The organization needs time to change their thoughts and habits.

 

 

PROCESS CONTROL:

 

It’s safe to assume many readers are well versed in the quality engineering perspective of process control and failure mode effects analysis (FMEA). This is the first significant learning. This perspective works well for the engineer as the plans are developed, but it does not translate well to the shop floor.

 

Process Map:

 

The process map must provide enough specificity to show the flow, but too much detail will overwhelm most associates and deem the document useless for its intended purpose – to educate the associate and motivate them to do well.

 

Control Plan:

 

The FMEA serves as the inputs to the control plan. For the engineer a control plan contains 12 columns or more, documenting the attribute, the characteristic, the failure mode, the probability, the impact, the severity, the rpn, and the reaction plan. More information than the associates need. The associates need to know what is critical, what ‘good’ looks like, how to control this feature and what resources (tools, gages, references, etc) are required.

 

Work Instructions:

 

The work instructions should be brief, yet communicate all pertinent information. Digital pictures of the workspace and product are the most effective. Vocabulary should be at the appropriate level for the respective workforce and consistent amongst all documentation

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A sense of urgency is encouraged. You are looking to establish new habits and new thought on your shop floor. This does not occur in a training room. This occurs best through experience. Develop the documents referenced above, but get them done and on the shop floor. Train the associates on the system first – how the map connects to the control plan and the work instructions refer back to the control plan. Train the associates on their respective work station. Confirm their understanding through non-threating supervisor audits. Integrate learnings from these audits to enhance the training and revise the documentation.

 

 

LEADERSHIP AUDITS:

 

Eventually, do not wait too long, expose the system to leadership audits conducted by the plant manager. The quality manager and production manager should also be involved. With this fresh perspective, more learning will surface. Revise the system again. These audits do not stop. They will become more efficient as the organization more thoroughly understands the expectations.

 

 

RECOGNITION:

 

You are changing behaviors. Desired behaviors have to be reinforced. Develop a simple method to recognize associates that

• demonstrate an understanding of the system,

• know what is critical at their workstation

• were observed adhering to the control plan.

 

A simple method is on-the-spot recognition. A dollar for the vending machines may be enough combined with the public recognition of a job-well-done. Undesired behaviors must also be reinforced. If any of the three attributes above are missed, it’s an opportunity to refresh their understanding with additional training. Do not elect to use negative reinforcement and make this experience unfavorable to the associate.

 

 

THE JOURNEY:

This is a journey that does not end. The journey itself is your destination. The journey provides the experiences that create a learning environment. The learnings change the habits of your organization and become its DNA. The habits are observable and give your system credibility as customers visit your facility.

 

While you are on this journey, you cannot neglect the basics. As you develop the Quality Management System and implement throughout the facility – the customer experience must be maintained at a satisfactory level. Metrics must be monitored. Problems must be resolved. Customer complaints must be answered. www.PragmaticPlantManager.com will serve as a resource to assist before and during the journey toward excellence in product and process quality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why The Pragmatic Plant Manager website:

 

 

There is a proliferation of literature and firms prescribing lean, operational excellence, manufacturing excellence, lean-6s, and other derivatives of manufacturing systems and continuous improvement. These all come at a cost; each slightly different. How does an operations leader know which to choose to satisfy their current need? 

 

Underwhelming results may be the fault of an executive at a critical inflection point of the business or the vision of the lean consultant. Perhaps the expectations are too ambitious regarding the magnitude of the expected results in a rather brief period of time. The Pragmatic Plant Manager prescribes to reasonable expectations that are scalable as a function of effort and commitment. 

 

“Are you better today than yesterday, will you be better tomorrow than today?”

 

“Better” is subjective and scalable.

 

“Today” is also subjective. One could move as quickly as the organization can absorb the change or as quickly as business conditions require.

 

The production philosophy is not as important as the conviction to succeed. The discipline of execution leads to success. Therefore, you, the leader, must decide what makes sense for the organization and how quickly change is necessary.

 

The objective of the Pragmatic Plant Manager website is to present a framework that is simple to understand and relevant to most. It will not be prescriptive. PragmaticPlantManager.com will:
 

• Educate

• Summarize to create awareness for executives

• Have specificity to utilize as an implementation roadmap

• Suggest standard work for the leaders of the organization

• Refer to widely-available, well-documented, free resources and tools to assist with your journey.

• Enable the reader to develop a “personalized” plan.

 

 

The Website:

 

PragmaticPlantManager.com will evolve over time to become a complete source supporting your journey toward operational excellence. What you need will be found through the pragmaticplantmanager.com portal. PragmaticPlantManager.com will provide references to widely available, well-documented free resources. It will also provide sufficient content to stand on its own.

 

The vision for The Pragmatic Plant Manager is to become a recognized brand in this space. Books are anticipated to provide detail for specific topics. The books will not be required to be successful but will serve as training tools and reference-guides for managers and associates. They may accelerate the operational excellence journey by reducing trial and error discoveries.

 

 

Operating Principles

 

The pragmatic plant manager protects the team, the customer and the shareholders. These serve as guiding principles for an operation. Or are these values? For the sake of clarity let’s discuss what a principle is, and what a value is. After this discussion, you should not be concerned with the terms you use. You should simply understand the relationship between the two so they become a part of your organizations DNA.

 

Principle:

A basic truth, law or assumption

A predetermined mode of action (check)

A standard or rule of personal conduct (ah ha)

 

Value:

Values are “whats” - that fail to answer the question “why?”

The principle answers the question “why?”

 

 

What might we do, should we do, to protect the team?

 

We should measure and improve employee morale.

We should possess an unrelenting focus on Safety.

We should create the proper environment assuring safe conditions for your associates.

Expect and motivate safe behaviors

Model, then demand leadership behaviors regarding safety.

 

 

What might we do, should we do to protect the customer?

 

We should produce quality products.

We should deliver these products when the customer requests them.

 

 

What might we do, should we do to protect the shareholders?

 

We should continuously improve the operating cost structure.

We should responsibly manage cash-flow.

We must meet the financial obligations of the organization.

 

 

Policy Deployment

 

PragmaticPlantManager.com presents a roadmap to consistently meet these operating principles. Even with this simply understood roadmap, distractions occur and it’s easy to lose your path. You are strongly encouraged to consider this a journey.

 

The pragmaticplantmanager.com will not provide all of the answers to the challenges you may face. Each journey is different – but we can all reach our destination. Use pragmaticplantmanager.com as a forum to share your experiences and learn from your peers.You will make mistakes and you will learn along the way. You, as the leader, need to understand the capacity your team has for change. 

 

We encourage you not approach this as revolutionary change. Your team needs time to understand the new philosophies and techniques. 

 

 

Enjoy the site.

 

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