Your Process is TEXTING You!

Did you get that text from your most important manufacturing process?

It said the process will “break” (yields plummeting with no obvious fix) this afternoon, disappointing your major customer.

I am kidding with this example, obviously.

However…

If your process is not robust, it may still break, and it may break VERY SILENTLY.

Interestingly, and non-obviously, our processes are largely invisible and do not speak for themselves. The equipment largely speaks for itself, but not the process.

So, what’s the best way to deal with this process “invisibility”?

The first step is making the process “visible” and the second step is making the process trustworthy.

Step 1:

Making the Process Visible…Helpful Approaches

• Generate and use a Process Flow Diagram.

• Create and use an IPO (Input Process Output) Diagram.

• Use real time plots with control limits to understand the short and long-term process output.

• Track and understand the raw materials being used.

• Calculate Process Capability Statistics: Cp and Cpk.

• Document the methodology in detail in a Standard Operating Procedure.

Step 2:

Making the Process Trustworthy…Helpful Approaches

• Track performance real-time and learn as much as possible from disturbances.

• Do sound and statistically designed experiments, all experiments should have a plan.

• Understand why the process works and does not work.

• Be ruthless in not deluding yourself with periods of good performance.

• Look for clever opportunities to simplify and improve the process.

• Try to turn problems on and off. The ability to do this demonstrates deep understanding.

• Test the impact of meaningful/dramatic raw material changes.

The two step process outlined above is versatile: it works for both new and for existing manufacturing processes.

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My main learning from this line of thinking is that making the process visible is a pre-condition for making the process trustworthy. Once the process is defined and made explicit, the work of making it more robust and trustworthy can begin in earnest.

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CHALLENGE FOR READERS

Please think about your most important process development efforts over the past 5-10 years using the Make Visible-Make Trustworthy framework…

• Was the process made “visible” so that you could truly understand the real situation? Find and share examples of this work in your organization.

• Rank your processes in terms of trustworthiness. Do you have important processes that are not trustworthy? How do you plan on resolving this undesirable situation?

I’m very interested in your experiences making processes “visible” and trustworthy. The purpose of MPES Consulting is to help our clients build robust and trustworthy processes that delight their customers. Please call us at 508-410-8081 so we can chat about your specific situation.

If you email me I’ll get back to you promptly, thanks.

All the Best,

Marty

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