A Process BUILDERS Manifesto

A manifesto is defined as “a public declaration of policy and aims…”. I’d like to offer a manifesto for those building great manufacturing processes. This Process Building endeavor can be grouped in two buckets:

1. Commercialization of R&D ideas and projects.

2. Step-change improvements in existing manufacturing operations.

This manifesto applies to both of these types of projects. My manifesto for Process Builders, in no particular order:

• Build margin into the process, the way airplanes are designed

• Committees don't build great processes, small teams do

• Effective researchers care about commercial impact

• Engineering fundamentals must be solid, quantified, and understood

• Equipment must serve the process needs (and the process needs must be known)

• Great processes are consistently profitable

• Great processes are liked by the operators

• Great processes are reliable: for both the customer and the “process owner”

• Manufacturability must be relentlessly checked

• Problems are really understood when they can be turned on and off

• Respect production, it is relentless and unforgiving

• Robust processes tolerate input variations gracefully

• Shiny and fancy equipment can still be (functionally) a boat anchor

• Someone must own the process, analogous to the equipment

• Strong stomachs are required

• Why the process works must be understood

---

My main learning from this line of thinking is that the building of great processes requires a certain mindset or approach. This mindset can also be described a skillfully doing “whatever it takes” to build a great process.

---

YOUR CHALLENGE THIS WEEK

Please think about your own efforts to build great processes (either creating a new process or improving an existing one):

• Does reviewing the above manifesto generate useful discussion or reflection about an important project currently underway?

• What is the manifesto that your most successful process builders use?

Please send your thoughts to me at marty@martyschad.com, or call me at 508-410-8081. I would enjoy discussing this manifesto with you!

All the Best, Marty

---