90 Days to Professionalize Your Machine Shop: Problem Solving (Part 9 of 12)

It's human nature to avoid making the tough decisions, but that's never a good business strategy.

The truth is, problems are a byproduct of work being accomplished. This is especially true in a machine shop setting where issues present themselves on a regular basis. When we're slow to solve problems as they arise, they snowball into something much bigger, and ultimately more harmful.

Shop owners looking to make 2023 their best year yet will be quick to identify the things that are holding their business back. This might include bottlenecks in the production process, issues with personnel, difficult customers, or a lack of resources. Your ability to act quickly and decisively in response to those issues will play a key role in the growth of your business.

Growth is often stifled when the business owner avoids dealing with the problems that plague their business. When avoided, problems multiply like rabbits, making the initial problem much worse. Conflict avoided results in conflict magnified.

Successful machine shop owners eat problems for breakfast. It's normal to encounter roadblocks and challenges as your business grows. Every time you embark on an important initiative, outside forces seem to work against you. Progress is always met with resistance. Your ability to gain momentum is directly correlated with your ability to overcome problems as they appear.

How many unsolved problems have you allowed to exist within your business, and how much are they costing you on a recurring basis?

That might be a scary one to answer for some of you, but its not an uncommon problem to be dealing with. All too often, when shop owners are overwhelmed with the operation of their business, there's simply no time left to deal with the issues that arise. The result? Mole-hills become mountains.

So, how does a machine shop owner begin to tackle the problems which hold their business back??

Step 1: Identify.

Fear of conflict and personal pride aren't useful here. Create a list and identify the real problems. All too often we mistake a symptom of the problem for the problem itself. Drill down to the root cause. This might get a bit uncomfortable, especially if the problem is actually a person on your team. Get to the bottom of the issue and do not rely on second hand information to do so.

Step 2: Prioritize and discuss.

In the event that you've identified a plethora of issues, focus on the three biggest ones to start with and put the others aside for later. The human brain can only focus on a few things at one time. If you have a leadership team, have a collective discussion and get everything on the table. This is an opportunity to be constructive, not engage is company politics. Avoid rabbit holes.

Step 3: Embrace the obvious solution.

Many problems, once identified, have a simple and obvious solution. What's important to note is that that while the solution might be obvious, it might not be easy to carry out. Problems are messy, especially when they involve people. More often than not, the obvious solution is the right one.

Step 4: Assign accountability and a deadline.

This problem needs to get solved. If you don't pick a date, it simply won't get done. Once you've identified an issue and an appropriate solution, assign someone to implement it. If you're a small outfit, it's probably going to be you. If you have a leadership team, assign the right person. The temptation to delay the solution is natural but must be avoided. While painful in the moment, solving an issue will ultimately pay dividends across the business as you eliminate the blockers that hold back progress.

Maintain Specific Goals

In the second edition of this series I wrote about the importance of having a meaningful mission and goals for your business. Beyond something that sounds aspirational, I suggested setting goals that were time bound, specific, and measurable. To illustrate that point, here are a couple examples:

A vague and illusive goal:

"Make more money this year than we did last year"

A time bound, measurable, and specific goal:

"Increase machine shop revenue by 40% by the end of the calendar year".

Here's my point:

When you establish a clear goal and timeline, you're able to clearly identify and overcome the issues standing in your way of achieving it. When you put aside the egos, emotions, candy-coating, and politics, you will make quicker and better decisions.

Manufacturing Leaders don't operate in a fog.

Don't delay in solving the problems that are holding your business back. Stop allowing yourself to operate in a fog for fear of uncovering the real problem. Indecision often comes at a higher cost than making the wrong decision. If you make the wrong decision, you'll notice pretty quick or someone will let you know. When that happens learn from it, and take the next right step.???

Remember, problems are the byproduct of work being accomplished. When you create clarity about how issues are identified and solved in your machine shop business, your entire team will notice and a collective effort will be made to effectively overcome issues on an ongoing basis. Embrace the process of solving problems in your machine shop business to make 2023 your best year yet!