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My answer (which I have to send, awaiting your thoughts):
<*firstname*>, everyone from management to maintenance staff is responsible
for ensuring quality. This is a key component of kaizen, as espoused by <*his
parent company*> (âKaizen is <*groovy*>â [w/link]).
I have spent additional time looking over both <*company*> and <*parent
company*> websites. Other than the reference above, I didnât see any
mention of ISO 9001, Six Sigma or TQM (all related to kaizen and the
teachings of W. Edwards Deming). I think certification may be of
significant value in moving <*company*> to the next level. Only if
*everyone* pulls together can <*company*> expect a breakthrough in quality
improvement, and full adoption of the kaizen way (through company-wide
certification) would ensure this.
I am not a quality control expert, nor have I yet to be associated with a
company for which ISO 9001 or Six Sigma certification is important.
Therefore I am not qualified to make a formal assessment regarding defect
rates vis a vis operator training. However, perhaps a logical starting
point at a low levelâif it hasnât already been undertakenâmight be to
interview operators.
*Why arenât the PPTs effective? What do they think would be more useful to
them?*
I can tell you this from train-the-trainer courses Iâve completed: the more
senses or learning modalities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile)
we can activate, the more learning will take place. But without complete
operator buy-in, coupled with full accountability, there isnât a
deliverable I could ever createâusing any medium (laminated quick guide,
video, CBT, interactive testing, et al.)âthat would guarantee 100% operator
uptake and yield zero defects.
One of my correspondents offers this:
In an IT environment, and sometimes in warehouse environments this is
accomplished
by having interactive checklists on tablets, where, in setting up a server,
or filling an order, or whatever, the technician or whomever clicks off
checkboxes on a form customized to the specific process they are doing, and
initials it when it is completed. The application software automatically
dates and timestamps the entries as they are made, so the instructions, the
steps in the operation, and the signed record are integrated into the same
interactive tablet form, and the completed forms are automatically saved on
a serverâI don't know if this is possible for machinists, but as more and
more manufacturing equipment becomes computer controlled, I don't see why
it couldn't be applied there, too.
Not being an analyst, not being privy to <*company's*> present direction
and full mandate regarding QC, and not having yet visited there and spoken
to a number of staff, I can only guess at what may be the most effective
solution to guaranteeing 100% operator uptake and a zero defect yield.
Company-wide embracing of ISO 9001/Six Sigma may be a great starting point.
In the interim, perhaps <*company*> could engage a ISO 9001/Six Sigma
consultant to perform a full analysis. Once that is complete, then my job
may be to produce|integrate whatever delivery vehicle is deemed best to
achieve the end result.
> Chris
On Wed, Dec 31, 2014 at 4:14 PM, Chris Morton <salt -dot- morton -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
> Here's a whopper (abridged):
>
> Aside from the daily grind of preparing user manuals I see this position
> as an opportunity to take our company to the next level when it comes to
> developing *effective* work instructions. The management team is held
> accountable for...external quality...As we discussed, [company] cannot
> guarantee that operators are formally trained. We rely on Power Point work
> Instructions to aid assembly operations. This is not effective enough...
> Can you elaborate on how you might lead efforts to elevate [company] to a
> breakthrough quality improvement?
>
>
> This was not the original job req. and only came up during a phone
> interview with this person. Now I've completed train-the-trainer courses
> and understand the three learning modalities. I also have a modicum of
> instructional design under my belt. But I never claimed to be the guru of
> this specialized niche, nor was I expecting to have to take the lead on it.
> As for any final aide (whatever its form), you can lead a horse to
> water.....
>
> What would you do? I've never seen their shop floor, never interviewed any
> of the mfg. personnel, etc., so am clueless as to why their existing
> procedure is breaking down (other than PPT not being an optimal delivery
> vehicle, perhaps). I really think this is the realm of a consultant who
> specializes in such matters, don't you? Once the consultant develops a
> plan, I'd be happy to carry it out. But no way do I want to be on the
> chopping block if they can't raise their QC metrics.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Thanks and Happy New Year
>
> . Chris (who feels like he's getting blindsided)
>
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