Are You Actively Seeking Ways to Make Problems Visible?

If we are not seeking ways to make problems visible who are we fooling? I once worked with an organization that ran three shifts. Like most three shift operations, non-conforming material was produced on all shifts. This material was later evaluated for disposition. Either the material was scrapped and removed from the facility, or is was rework that needed repair before getting reintroduced into the production process. This non-conforming product was pretty much out of sight, and out of mind for most all of the production employees that produced it. There was a huge disconnect between the problems and the operators. If the operators were not aware of the problems they would continue to produce the same issues over and over again. They clearly needed to make the problems visible.?

The answer in this case was to place a non-conforming rack right next to a main aisle. This would certainly make the issues more visible, but the improvement did not stop there. We needed a way to make the operators aware of the issues in a positive way. The non-conforming rack was divided into three sections, each painted in a different bright color. Each of the three shifts was assigned a different color to further improve the visuals of the rack. Parts produced that were in question were placed on the rack according to the shift that produced them. This immediately let everyone know what problems the department was experiencing. This was the first step in solving some of these issues.

It’s not the person, it’s the process! Never has this statement been more important than when dealing with this non-conforming rack. It was imperative that we explained to each team on each shift that while we were making our problems visible, it was the failure in the process we were interested in, not a failure of the operator. While each part was traceable to an individual, we needed that individual to help us determine what happened during the production process. We sought to use the operator as a partner when determining the failure. There were many possible causes for the issues. Bad material, improper temperature, careless handling, and yes, maybe a lack of training. The key was visibility, accountability, and respect for the operator. Make your problems visible and use your team to solve the issues. They are, after all, the experts!?

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