NO Shortcuts

“There are no shortcuts”.

That was my answer to someone in the audience who recently asked me what my main learning was from the many different process engineering projects I have worked on over the years.

---

Put another way…

There is no shortcut.

There is no hack.

There’s only one way.

So get after it.

– Jocko Willink, “Discipline Equals Freedom Field Manual”

---

Shortcuts and hacks are not inherently bad. However, big problems can arise what we are taking shortcuts without knowing it. We are in dangerous territory, but we do not know it!

Bad things can happen in this dangerous territory, such as:

• Management being blindsided when a new production process doesn’t work as hoped and expected. This happens because: the pilot phase has not been handled rigorously enough, there have not been careful enough production type runs with solid preplanning, and, the process has not been made explicit and visible enough.

• Thinking the process has to work smoothly because the equipment is new and shiny and looks like it just has to work.

• The new shipment of raw materials does not work the same as the earlier samples. This can have tremendous repercussions when things get to full scale volumes. This can easily happen because in pilot scale the quantities of materials being tested are small, and just a few batches from the manufacturer may satisfy all the needs to make samples.

• Unexpected or unexamined safety and health regulations surprise us.

• We cannot explain why the process has stopped working because we never understood what made it work deeply enough in the first place.

• We have problems with the customer because our measurement system is not up to snuff. We have to look carefully at our measurement systems to be sure they are measuring capably and that they are measuring what is truly important. This is something that can really blow up if it is not managed proactively.

It seems as if all of these things are quite stupid and therefore easily avoidable, but they are really not. Many things can happen “in the heat of the battle”, because there is so much other stuff to take care of and because the process is generally invisible.

Process Stewardship helps with all of these issues. Process Stewardship forces us to think like process owners: we know that we will have to make it work, warts and all. The realism that comes with true and extreme process ownership is imperative for pulling off difficult process projects without excessive drama.

---

My main learning from this is how problems are so much more visible in the rear-view mirror than they are in the windshield. We want and need to be optimistic to make bold progress. However, we still must look for and prepare for the storms and problems that are over the horizon. This does not happen accidentally or naturally, it happens only with diligence and consistent attention to detail.

---

CHALLENGE TO READERS

Think about your efforts over the past 5 to 10 years to develop new and improve existing processes….

• Do any of the above shortcuts ring true with you? Can you think of other shortcuts that surprised you and ended up being problematic?

• Do you know what your main process risks are and how they are being mitigated? When was the last time you drilled down into the details with your process experts?

I’d like to know what you have learned about shortcuts, hacks, and being in “dangerous territory”. Please call me (508-410-8081) and let’s compare notes and learnings.

If you send us an email, we will get back to you promptly, thanks.

All the Best,

Marty

---