What do you do if your Plant Operations team's performance needs evaluation?

Every process needs to be evaluated. If evaluations are not carried out, we cannot know if we are doing our job well. Of course, to carry out adequate evaluations you need to be clear about what to evaluate and how to evaluate. Hence the importance of Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) give us team members a clear idea of how our activities contribute to company objectives. They also provide valuable information to make strategic decisions that allow the company to optimize its resources.

In my experience in plant operations, tracking KPIs alongside production timelines has been vital. Assigning resources and responsibilities clearly to the team ensures smooth operations. However, I have faced performance gaps due to communication issues, supply chain disruptions, and resistance to new technology. Overcoming these challenges involved establishing effective communication channels, providing comprehensive training on new technology, and fostering adaptability among employees. It's crucial to address these issues promptly to optimize performance and ensure the plant's success.

When my Plant Operations team's performance needs evaluation, I see it as an opportunity to drive significant improvements. I believe that assessment is essential to identify strengths and areas for development, enabling us to grow and reach new levels of excellence. I embrace the challenge with determination and commitment, always striving for continuous improvement and the pursuit of operational excellence. Together, we can overcome obstacles and achieve extraordinary results.

This is why communication is key because maintenance often involves coordination with others: permit to work; isolation,lock off, tag off, try out; liaison with production to say equipment is out of service and find out antecedents to failures; stores; planning: progress reports; completion of works order and coaching of colleagues. Communication is definitely key when working towards improving your plants performance.

When I recognize a need for evaluating my team's performance, I first assess what specific outcomes we aim to improve. This involves understanding the key drivers of performance within our operations and identifying any gaps that may exist. This foundational step is crucial as it sets the stage for a focused and effective evaluation, ensuring that we address the right issues. On the other hand, I am also against constantly looking for flaws when everything is working fine, and results are being obtained. While I understand the need for continuous improvement, using the later approach can sometimes be detrimental to the morale of plant operations personnel.

Use data to make your case for improvement. For example, asking salient questions such as how long has it been out of service? How much production does this equate to? How much does this cost?

In my experience, to ensure your assessment is based on solid evidence, I recommend you gather quantitative and qualitative data about your current operations. This includes production metrics, quality control results, and feedback from team members and your clients (All KPI's). Collecting this data systematically allows you to have a comprehensive view of your performance across various dimensions, and not only on a production-based factor.

In this case, a Root Cause Analysis(RCA) to identify and eliminate causes can be employed. The best way to deal with recurring fault or major incident is to do a multi disciplined root cause analysis to enable you to identify a cost-effective, long term fix. It is important to note that there may be multiple causes.

After you collect your data points (KPIs), with the data in hand, proceed to analyze the findings to pinpoint specific performance trends, both positive and negative. This analysis will help identify root causes of inefficiencies and areas where the team excels. It’s important to approach this step with an open mind, recognizing both achievements and areas for improvement. As much as taking quick action on process improvement initiatives is important, remember to also celebrate your team wins to keep the morale and motivation always high.

Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Determine These could include efficiency, productivity, safety records, maintenance schedules. Collect Data: .This might include production output, equipment downtime, incident reports, and employee feedback. Identify Areas for Improvement: Analyze the data and feedback to pinpoint areas where the team is excelling and where there may be room for improvement. Develop Action Plans: Create actionable plans to address any performance gaps and capitalize on strengths. Monitor Progress: Continuously monitor the team's performance using the established KPIs and adjust strategies as needed to ensure ongoing improvement.

After implementing changes, always continue to monitor progress against the set objectives. This involves regular check-ins, additional data gathering, and adjusting strategies as necessary. Monitoring not only helps us gauge the effectiveness of our interventions but also keeps the team motivated towards continuous improvement.

Conduct annual review of Work Performance System (WPS) based on KPIs performance per candidate to assess strength and weakness and implement personnel development goals where applicable.

Document maintenance history. To help you build your data to support your improvement plans, being able to quantify the significant costs like spare parts and labor is essential. A computerized maintenance management system also holds your asset register and maintenance plans. For each job, you need to input:asset identification and location; potential cause(s) of failure; work order duration;spare parts used etc.

In addition to the operational and performance metrics, I also consider team morale and engagement as key indicators of our overall health. It’s important to foster a positive work environment where feedback is encouraged, and achievements are recognized. Ensuring the team feels valued and understood is crucial for sustaining improvements and driving success in the long term.