Are You Heading Into a Data Trap?

If your goal is to improve manufacturing productivity but you’re primarily focusing on perfecting your data, you could be heading into a “data trap”. 

You can always capture more data. You can always strive for better data. And you can always create more reports. But if you're spending more time collecting, analyzing, perfecting, or automating your data...than time spent taking action with the information that you already have, then you are probably heading into a data trap.

 When is Your Data Good Enough?

Excellent (and actionable) information is the foundation for continuous improvement. It needs to be accurate, relevant, easy-to-understand, and (most importantly) identify your losses.

• Data without action is waste. Your data is good enough if you can use it to:Identify your top loss
• Talk with the right person
• Take action

 It doesn’t matter if you’re using a flip-chart stood next to the equipment or if you have an automated reporting tool; if your data is good enough to create a conversation, that leads to action….then your data is probably good enough.

In a conversation, first identify known losses (Look Back), then identify potential losses (Look Forward), next agree your plan (Prioritize), finally go and improve productivity (Act).

Prefer Quality Over Quantity   

It's easy to capture information, but much harder to ensure that captured information is accurate and actionable. Many companies capture reams of information on pieces of paper and expensive databases but much of it is unused or incorrect.

Instead, measure only what you need to make effective decisions now. Audit and improve accuracy. Eliminate everything else. Data you don’t use, is waste. Eliminating waste is the essence of lean manufacturing.

1. In practical terms this means three things:Accurately track OEE with a breakdown of OEE losses into the Six Big Losses
2. Capture down time reasons
3. Validate your Ideal Cycle Times to ensure OEE Performance is accurate

 Add TEEP (Total Effective Equipment Performance) if you would like insights on capacity.  

Capture Manually or Automatically?   

Manual data capture is a great way to start. It reinforces underlying concepts, and most importantly it holds people accountable for their productivity. But the data has to be used. If your people are completing spreadsheets, but you don’t talk to them to change the manufacturing process based on what they’ve captured…then you’ve wasted their time.

Automated data capture removes the waste and inaccuracies of human data collection. It can provide the ‘feel good factor’ that you’re monitoring your production. But if you’re not using the data…then you’ve wasted your money.

Use your data to drive improvement!