Production Orchestra Conductor

Imagine the thrill of attending a live music concert where musicians play in perfect harmony under the guidance of a conductor. This experience becomes even more exhilarating during a jazz concert, where musicians constantly improvise under the direction of their ensemble leader. Unlike a traditional orchestra, jazz musicians do not rely on prepared notes.

Now, let's draw a parallel to a production shop floor. Who is directing and conducting the operations there? Is it the operations manager, the production manager, the production planning and control team, or someone else? Or perhaps, no one at all?

In my view, it should be the production planning and control team that directs and conducts the production process. However, it is also possible for the operations or production manager to take on this role, especially since they oversee the production planning and control.

The role of production planning and control is complex and multifaceted. Let me illustrate this with an incident from one of the delivery meetings I chaired as the top manager. I began the meeting by stating that the production planner, a junior management executive, would be the sole decision-maker regarding what needed to be produced. Everyone else, primarily middle or senior management, was responsible for determining how to produce it efficiently and implementing their decisions swiftly to deliver on-time and in full, as directed by the production planner.

Initially, there was complete silence for a minute or two. Then, a production manager voiced his concern, arguing that the production executive did not understand the intricacies involved and thus could not decide what to produce. He suggested that production managers, who ensure efficient resource usage, should make these decisions. I reiterated my point, emphasizing that it was beneficial that the production planner did not know the intricacies because their sole job was to ensure demand was met on-time and in full. The production managers' job was to find ways to achieve this efficiently. It took some time for my team to adapt to producing only what was defined by the production planner.

Regular communication of the production plan and full-kit status for the coming days is crucial. This ensures everyone is on the same page and prepared for what lies ahead. We established the practice of daily standing meetings to reinforce this principle and provide updates on the status. Additionally, having a standard Plan B is essential for when things don't go as planned. This contingency plan allows the team to quickly pivot and address any unexpected issues, ensuring that production goals are still met.

We also established golden rules and monitored for any violations. One golden rule stated, "The plan defined by the production planner, in discussion with everyone, can only be changed if the production planner, in the presence of everyone, approves the change after the requester gathers everyone for discussion." Any slight deviation from this was considered a violation.

Why doesn’t this happen in an orchestra where each musician wants to play what suits them best? Perhaps it's because the music would not sound good. Similarly, in production, delivering customer demand on-time and in full requires a clear plan, regular communication, adherence to the plan, and a well-defined contingency strategy, along with a synchronized schedule for every individual.

I have a dream of creating an individual minute-by-minute schedule sequence for every person, both in the direct and indirect area, in an organization using technology. This would enable the most optimum synchronized way of working, much like the music notes used by everyone in an orchestra. Each person would know precisely what to do and when to do it, working in perfect harmony to create a symphony of productivity on the shop floor. A real-time journal with a timeline, additionally can visualise the progress by each either in absolute terms or relative to the system generated minute-to-minute schedule. This would be like the musicians in an orchestra listening to themselves and correcting as the concert progresses. This level of synchronization and precision would ensure that every task is completed efficiently and effectively, contributing to the overall success of the production process.

Who is defining what to produce in your organisation? What is your dream for creating a symphony of production in your organisation?

Happy Reading!