Posts Tagged "Manufacturing Blog"

Video killed the verbal instruction star

January 10th, 2011 admin

Check out the inspiration for this blog title  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8r-tXRLazs
 
Remember the Eighties when music video clips just started to emerge and then proceeded to take over the music industry ? Well the second coming of videos is upon us after 25 years and its all about improving our communication productivity.
Do you like to be shown how to do something rather than be told? Well, it’s time to show unto others as you would like to be shown yourself. Fortunately all the tools to do this are now readily available and cheap (or free!)
Have you heard about YouTube or have you been on Mars for the last few years? You Tube is a great resource for finding how to do just about anything. Can’t work out how to reject a call on your iPhone , go to YouTube, type in the question and bingo you have a video of how to do it. It’s quick and easy so in this post I wanted to get you thinking about your own company YouTube for training staff, passing on important information or simply keeping reference material available for anyone who needs it.
The first part of the process is CAPTURING the content, the second part is TRANSFERRING the content to a central storage area and the third part is PRESENTING the content.
CAPTURING content.
1. Take a video on your phone – these days the quality is good enough to get most messages across. Its great for those spur of the moment issues that you want all of your people to see and hear.
2. Flip video camera. – The Flip camera is more purpose built than a phone but is not much bigger and the quality is by all accounts far superior to most phones. You can mount them on mini stands or similar for hands free operation and the best thing is the USB attachment built in that lets you transfer direct to your PC in the correct format.
2. If you are needing to capture software functions on your PC use a program like Fastone or Snagit ( my preference is FastStone  www.faststone.org) so capture all the screen clicks and windows along with a audio commentary. This is great for training staff in new software programs or for capturing the processes required to get perform a task in any software program.  For example ,your company back up procedure; Don’t write out a laborious Step 1. Open  folder \\XYZ  etc etc, Step 2 . Right button click here,copy etc etc  document when you can record the process in a video along with a spoken commentary. It’s quicker ( increases productivity) and its FUN ( increases productivity )
 
TRANSFERRING
The main function here is to get the content from the capturing device into a place where it can be accessible for your audience. The considerations are:
* Do you have a filing structure on your server / PC etc that makes sense
* Does the content need to be stored on your company server or can it all be hosted using web based services like Google, YouTube etc.
* My next post will detail some of the specific methods for transferring and storing the content.( my best sources are still on holiday !)
 
PRESENTING
Ok, I’m just going to go for the ultimate solution here and you can use your imagination or budget to scale back. What about a number of iPads positioned around the workplace that play your  video instructions/messages on demand via a web browser. Relatively cheap to purchase and setup(they are wireless), easy to use by anyone and the content can be managed and updated daily if necessary.
Again I will post some details when my experts are back on deck
 
I hope this gets your imagination running with how your communication productivity can be improved.
 
Save some time…and spend it doing something you love.
 
Tim
 

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Wiki, Wiki everywhere

January 10th, 2011 admin

Wiki , Wiki everywhere. Whats the productivity motivation?
You probably need to be living under a rock at the moment not to have heard of Wikileaks so I thought
some topical commentary wouldn’t go astray. However, I don’t want to disappoint but there will be no moralising
about Mr Assanges moralising. So to wind things back to my obsession with Productivity we will cast some light on the
wiki bit , not the leaks.
Some definitions:
Wiki:
a website that allows multiple users to create, modify and organize web page content in a collaborative manner.
Some examples of popular Wikis
Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.org
Wikihow: www.wikihow.com
WikiFAQ www.wikifaq.com
Wikileaks: www.seeifyoucanfindmenow.somewhere

Some uses & how it can improve your productivity:

Create an easily accessible knowledge base.
As most Wikis are web based this enables authorised staff to access data from anywhere and they don’t need
to rely on finding documents on either local PC’s or via a server. The data is live and can be updated
at any time by group members. There has to be some time and frustration savings here.
Knowledge Base data may be in the form of  FAQ’s ( Frequently Asked Questions) about your company
products/services or more detailed technical information recorded during troubleshooting and implementation.
Imagine the benefits of being able to get all the accumulated knowledge of your people added on a regular basis
that can be accessed in one place. 

Manage Meetings.
Post meeting minutes and actions in the wiki to improve communication and reduce distribution management.
Collaborators can use the Wiki to clarify actions, confirm completion of actions and attached supporting information
where applicable. Productivity opportunity ?…….less time spent chasing & following up meeting members.

There are other applications such as Project and document management but the level of complexity rises and the first two
uses would be a good start for new users.

Check these resources for advise on how to set up your wiki.

http://webtrends.about.com/od/wiki/a/getstarted_wiki.htm
http://webtrends.about.com/od/wiki/a/guide_to_wikis.htm
http://webtrends.about.com/od/wikireviews/fr/wikidot_Review.htm

PS - ’don’t forget to check out Evernote  which can also be used by multiple people for a very
reasonable monthly fee and requires very little set up.  Check out an earlier post on Cloud Magic for more.

Save some time…….then spend it doing something you love.

Tim

 

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Delegate to improve Productivity

January 10th, 2011 admin

For those of you with have direct reports and always feel overwhelmed with too many things to do consider improving your delegation skills. Rduce your own workload or improve your productivity to leave more time for higher level work.

Obviously not everything you do can  be delegated but a quick review of your daily ,weekly and monthly tasks should give a starting point for picking some of your work that can be delegated.

Consider the following filters

1. Is there sensitive information included in the task?

2. What level of skill is required to perform the task?

     a. Technical

     b. Computing

     c. Physical

Create a simple matrix of the tasks with details as above with the view to assigning specific staff .

Decide who you will delegate the task to and get them  involved in the process. Discuss the reason for the task, frequency and why you  believe this staff member is best placed to perform  it ( maybe you need to ask about current workload as well !)  Then …..And this is the really important part, document what you currently do to complete the task now and then when you have done that , pass it on to your delegatee for them to review and suggest improvements.

Once you have both  reviewed the process and  agreed on the how,what and when of the task pass it over and start thinking about the other things you can catch up on.

Save some time ….and spend it doing something you love !

Tim

 

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5 Simple Steps to power productivity – Step 3 and beyond

January 10th, 2011 admin

5S for the office – Step 3 : Shine
Refer earlier posts for 5S steps 1 & 2
 
The Shine step is a little more than the cleaners emptying the bins and vacuuming( hoovering for all you Brits) the floors but I don’t think it needs too much explanation. Suffice to say that a decent clean of all the surfaces and a general spruce up gives you a baseline for when you move into the next 2 steps.
If you think your staff can get into a “Cleaning Bee” without causing problems ( “but i used to be a french polisher!”) then go for it, otherwise get your cleaners to do it.
Step 4 – Standardize
This is where the hard stuff happens much like when you start at the Gym and after a few weeks find that the lure of a Chardonnay/XXXX straight after work overwhelms your desire to do an hour on the exercise bike! The key is to “Schedule in” 5S activities into the normal work day/week.
Once your team has agreed on the tasks that are needed to:
1. Have a place for everything
2. Keep everything in its place
3. Keep the office neat and tidy.
then you will need to document what they are and how they are done plus create a timetable/roster for these tasks.
An example of these tasks would be to: 
1.Check desktops for samples and store/dump weekly
2. Review paperwork/drawings for Jobs in Progress and file into folders
3. Wash your coffee cup – properly!
 Maybe a rotating Champion to monitor and check off the task lists is an equitable way to spread the responsibility.
In our office, Sheridan has the “Check list to rule them all” and each week/month emails out the routine tasks we are responsible for completing.We can check them off and return at the end of the week. I believe this gets the mix of pride in accomplishment and fear of consequence ( ask Sheridan about this one!) just right.
Step 5 – Sustain
Ensuring that the 5S system works month after month and becomes an ingrained culture ultimately comes down to one person;  The Owner/Manager.
 Get your assistant to put a 5S item on your Monthly Checklist . You can start with three simple tasks.
1. Do a walk around and LOOK at the workplace.
2. Ask the current Champion if they are getting good feedback from staff.
3. Check your own office and make sure you are leading by example.
In these posts I have focused on the Office environments of Small to Medium business as I feel there is plenty of low hanging productivity fruit there, however for those wanting to implement 5S in more depth or company wide the following resources are worth a look.
5S Office Training Package           5S Office Facilitator Guide           5S Office Training Package
 
Save some time….and then use it doing something you love!
 
Tim
 

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5 Simple Steps to power productivity – Step 2

January 10th, 2011 admin

As we discussed in our first post, productivity in the office environment can be improved by applying the principles of 5S.

The second “S” – Straighten

The main points in the Straighten stage are: 

  • There should be a place for everything and everything should be in its place
    • This is the state of mind you will need to foster amongst staff to successfully implement your 5S system. Most important though is to Lead by Example.
  • Limits are set on the amount of work in progress (files, drawings, samples) at the desk or office space.
    • This is a difficult one to address in the office environment because many office workers have their own space ( as opposed to shopfloor staff who “share” their workstations with other shifts and rotating staff) and this ownership leads them to believe that they work to their “own” rules! So the key here is to go slowly , get everyone involved in the 5S game and don’t de-personalize their workspace.  For determining what your limits on Work in Progress are, start with the hardware. If you have the intrays and filing cabinets, agree that these are the places for WIP, NOT all over the desk!  If you don’t have the hardware , take the team to your local office supplies store for an hour and do some group shopping.
  • Improve the workflow to cut waste, improve efficiency and productivity.
    • In one of my earlier posts I talked about creating flow charts (Go with the flow) and this is good place to start. You will need to understand the current workflow to know what “everything” is and then “where is its’s place”.Once you know these two things think about how to improve it.( again, don’t try to fix everything at once). Try to use simple flow charts that everyone can understand. Don’t make too many steps per chart.
  • Work to be done and supplies needed should be near each workstation.
    • It could be debated that in the office you want people getting up from the desk and moving around regularly for health reasons but consider the layout of the office and focus on repetitive actions that are difficult or uncomfortable ( bending,twisting ,navigating obstacles etc) as these will tire and frustrate people very quickly.
  • Clearly label your common processing points and storage areas.
    • Once you have your hardware and decided what goes where, simple labelling of intrays and filling stations should be enough. Don’t go overboard with the Dymo labeller ( although they are addictive!), people need to feel comfortable and enjoy their individualism to be happy and productive I believe.   Read more on filing systems……
 

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5 Simple Steps to power productivity – Step 1

August 14th, 2010 admin

Hi All,

Since starting my productivity posts I am taking a little more notice of work environments and as I am on the road quite a bit I see many and varied offices that seem to be overlooked in the current improvement strategies that workshops and manufacturing businesses are undertaking. This is unfortunate as the “office” is where all the planning starts and the larger amount of staff the higher the opportunity to save time and money. Just think about the 3 estimators you may have , if you can save them 2 hours per week each , conservatively that’s about $11,000 per annum in wages or conversely the opportunity to organize/estimate/follow up on another 294 hours of jobs each year.

Dont forget that the brand new machine you may have needs to be fed and the quicker and more efficiently you can feed it , the greater the ROI (Return on Investment) !

So , for this post I want to focus on running a 5S program for the office. If you have not heard of 5S before this is a brief description form Wikipedia:

‘5S’ is the name of a workplace organization methodology that uses a list of five Japanese words which are seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke. Translated into English, they all start with the letter S and are:

Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain

The list describes how items are stored and how the new order is maintained. The decision making process usually comes from a dialogue about standardization which builds a clear understanding among employees of how work should be done. It also instills ownership of the process in each employee.

So the first S in the five is

Sort: Clear out unused or rarely used items from the work areas.

If you can , organize a sorting day or part thereof where all office staff, along with a manager do a walk around the office looking at everything asking the question; Whats this for , when was the last time we used it and , are we likely to use it again. This is a very deliberate process because I’m sure you all know that once you are familiar with your environment you can “overlook” certain things in your home and in the office  for years , they are just a fixture!

Use the sort process to throw out unwanted items , anything from old bits of steel used for measurement of a job 3 years ago to a stack of tender documents/drawings for a job you didn’t win !  While doing the rounds you can be tagging items with postits or moving  them into a specific place depending on how they are categorized. EG: Return to Material Rack or Tool drawer, Box up and store in 2008/09 archives, give back to the manager for him to decide on! The goal is to categorize and process.   Once you have done this take a break and reconvene next week for the 2nd “S”.

Be back in 7 days to discuss the second “S”

Save some time and spend it doing something you love!

Tim

 

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