NonConformances as a Tool to Measure Employee Performance

T

thbohnsack

Hello,

I am looking at ways to connect our non-conformance system to a new employee performance management system. Taking in to consideration quantity of non-conformances issued and certainly the severity of the non-conformance (either neglegence or significant dollar value), these issues need to be structured so that one can be compared to peers and also disciplined in an equal manner.

Does anyone else have a similar connection between non-conformances and employee performance? If so, may I ask how you tied the two together, and what metrics did you select to rate/rank employees?

thanks,
 

Wes Bucey

Prophet of Profit
Hello,

I am looking at ways to connect our non-conformance system to a new employee performance management system. Taking in to consideration quantity of non-conformances issued and certainly the severity of the non-conformance (either neglegence or significant dollar value), these issues need to be structured so that one can be compared to peers and also disciplined in an equal manner.

Does anyone else have a similar connection between non-conformances and employee performance? If so, may I ask how you tied the two together, and what metrics did you select to rate/rank employees?

thanks,
Are you familiar with Deming's Red Beads? If not, why not read through these by our own Steve Prevette, an ASQ Fellow?

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  1. [PDF] A Script for Dr. Deming's Red Bead Experiment - - DEAD (404) LINK UNLINKED

    www. efcog. org /wg/esh_es/Statistical.../Red_Bead_Script.pdf - DEAD (404) LINK UNLINKED
    File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
    The Experiment on Red Beads, the British Deming Association. This is an ... Authors: Steven S Prevette, Fluor Corporation / Savannah River Nuclear Solutions ...

  2. [PDF] The Tyranny of Targets - - DEAD (404) LINK UNLINKED

    www. efcog. org /wg/esh_es/Statistical.../tyranny_of_targets.pdf - DEAD (404) LINK UNLINKED
    File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
    to make three or less red beads (defects) each shift. But the process does not allow ... interested, contact Steve Prevette, 803-952-9803. A litmus test phrase Dr.

  3. [PDF] Lessons from Dr. Deming's Red Bead Experiment

    www .efcog. org /wg/esh_es/.../SPC.../2b_Red_Bead_Lessons.pdf - DEAD (404) LINK UNLINKED
    File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
    Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC. Steven S Prevette ... The number of red beads produced is determined by the process, not by the standard.
 
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I

iamtroll

This is just a personal opinion, but I can think of no reason to tie non-conformances to employee appraisal. That is like trying to tell your customer that your corrective action for a non-conformance is that you fired the offending employee. If you even believe in Deming's approach just a little, then you must believe that non-conformances are system failures and system failures are management failures not individual failures (so measure your managers first for system failures if you must). If you need to tie performance to non-conformance then the only way is to approach it from the contunuous improvement side. Placing team membership and other improvement activities in your evaluation system and rewarding them for it is a positive approach to your workforce that will pay off rather than trying to punish them for failures that are to often beyond their control.
 

Bev D

Heretical Statistician
Leader
Super Moderator
thbohnsack: I doubt you will find much support for this approach here.

disciplining and blaming the operators for what are almost always system failures is counterproductive. modern quality, business and management theory have all rejected this approach.
 

John Broomfield

Leader
Super Moderator
Hello,

I am looking at ways to connect our non-conformance system to a new employee performance management system. Taking in to consideration quantity of non-conformances issued and certainly the severity of the non-conformance (either neglegence or significant dollar value), these issues need to be structured so that one can be compared to peers and also disciplined in an equal manner.

Does anyone else have a similar connection between non-conformances and employee performance? If so, may I ask how you tied the two together, and what metrics did you select to rate/rank employees?

thanks,

thbohnsack,

Do not do it. It is not the employees who come to work want to inflict nonconformity on you.

The employees want to do a good job but the system stops them.

It is the system that causes the nonconformities.

A bad system will defeat a good person every time.

If you have examples contrary to this rule then post them here and you will learn what parts of your system caused the problem.

Instead you could try linking your nonconformity reports to the types of causes such as:

A. facilities and equipment (from process design and infrastructure)
B. methods and procedures (from process design and monitoring)
C. skills and knowledge (from recruiting, training, communications and controlling documented information)
D. care and coordination (from leadership and work environment)

John
 
L

lfrost

Hello,

I am looking at ways to connect our non-conformance system to a new employee performance management system. Taking in to consideration quantity of non-conformances issued and certainly the severity of the non-conformance (either neglegence or significant dollar value), these issues need to be structured so that one can be compared to peers and also disciplined in an equal manner.

Does anyone else have a similar connection between non-conformances and employee performance? If so, may I ask how you tied the two together, and what metrics did you select to rate/rank employees?

thanks,
April 3, 2012, Jennifer Kirley responded to a simular question:
"Welcome to the Cove!

I regret to hear of your negative experience. When you mentioned sabotage I was reminded of "Don't Feed the Hog." I am not affiliated with VitalSmarts.

But it made me wonder about the circumstance of your employment. Do your employees resent your being hired as manager with no education or experience in ISO management systems? You say you were hired because management wanted a strong leader. That has happened to me, twice. But my new managers are good guys and I support their success - for the limited time I have left there.

I especially enjoyed the article "Don't Feed the Hog" and I think that is what you would be contributing to if you start to attach nonconformance to the employees' evaluations. You really need to re-think this line of thinking, and if you proceed, all of the progress you have achieved with your employees will go "down the drain" and you will need to start over with a group of people who will not trust you anymore. This is something that you really do not want to happen.

Just my :2cents:
 
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R

Reality99

What about trying to give small promotions or prizes with consecutive days without non-conformances? Similar approach but positive.

If a operator fails and a non-conformance is detected because his/her fault, then the only "punishment" would be his/her score will be zero'ed, which means no prize at the end of the month.
 

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Leader
Admin
Such good responses so far. :applause:

Of course I agree that punishing individuals for nonconformances - or even rewarding them for lack of nonconformances - is doomed to fail because we so seldom operate completely independently. Even when it's not clear, we very often depend on another person or process to some extent.

It seems you are trying to improve employee engagement while reducing errors. While it's important to find and address nonconformances, I suggest the Texas Nameplate Company (TNC) got it right when its leadership put the employees in a position of power for improving the processes.

It's a big step. TNC's president felt like he was taking a big risk when he started his initiative. But he did it right and it paid off in a big way.

So I suggest you do a few smallish projects that help eliminate the possibility for nonconformances, and hopefully improve the people's work lives at the same time - most employees really do want to do a good job.

When people get used to changes, ask them for input - what would help them get their work done faster, with less effort and better accuracy? Work together to do the ROI math - the employees must be involved in that step for the sense of partnership to take hold.

Then share a healthy portion of the gains in the form of transparently distributed bonuses and repeat in a new cycle, with more ambitious and meaningful projects.

This approach doesn't work for everyone, but in my view rewarding and punishing based on nonconformances works for almost no one.
:2cents:
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Absolutely the worst thing you could do and would contribute about as much to improvement as cops writing tickets for speeding 26 in a 25 would for traffic safety
 

somashekar

Leader
Admin
To err is human
To repeatedly err is incompetence
To allocate incompetent personnel on job is management fault
To go ahead and measure incompetency of incompetent personnel is a management sin

To err is human
To repeatedly err is incompetence
To allocate jobs to personnel matching to their competency is management skill
To go ahead and measure competency and improve OR reallocate jobs to match competency is management technique

You pick the choice ~~~
 
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