Dividing Calibration Work Equally in a Calibration Laboratory

Hershal

Metrologist-Auditor
Staff member
Super Moderator
#11
Re: Dividing Calibration Work Equally in Calibration Laboratory

Hi all

First, I wish everyone a great New Year. These forums have helped me quite a bit this year, and I hope to contribute more in the coming year.

For the matter at hand - we're running a commercial calibration lab. Since I've been here, we've had several ways to process orders. Until recently, technicians took work based on what they are capable of. With a more computerized system, I've seen that some technicians do dramatically more work than others. (accounting for the fact that some work naturally takes longer.) I've started assigning work to technicians to try to equalize the load, but it's proven to be more difficult than I expected. Does anyone have any tips on this to reduce the disparity?
Next week I'm going to lay down the law a bit more for timeliness in completing the work. One thing I don't want to do is cause undue pressure to get the work completed so as not to sacrifice quality. But there's got to be a limit!
TIA
First.....some of the productivitiy is in fact discipline related.....not too much you can do about that without significant cross-training.....for some however it seems to be "cherry picking".....that is where a "FIFO" system (first in first out) can help.....understand in cal that is not a perfect approach, and to accomodate customers you may have to cherry pick to complete a customer's equipment.....but this is an observation that I hope helps......
 
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MIRCS

#12
Hi all

First, I wish everyone a great New Year. These forums have helped me quite a bit this year, and I hope to contribute more in the coming year.

For the matter at hand - we're running a commercial calibration lab. Since I've been here, we've had several ways to process orders. Until recently, technicians took work based on what they are capable of. With a more computerized system, I've seen that some technicians do dramatically more work than others. (accounting for the fact that some work naturally takes longer.) I've started assigning work to technicians to try to equalize the load, but it's proven to be more difficult than I expected. Does anyone have any tips on this to reduce the disparity?
Next week I'm going to lay down the law a bit more for timeliness in completing the work. One thing I don't want to do is cause undue pressure to get the work completed so as not to sacrifice quality. But there's got to be a limit!
TIA
If I'm understanding you, it sounds more like a training issue more than a performace based one. If they were doing the work that they're capable of and now you are assigning them equipment that the aren't highly capable of then you would see a dramatic difference.

It's hard to have standard times on calibrations as every piece gives it's own problems, but there should be a ballpark time frame.

I have found in my experience that putting a quota on the amount per tech always degrades the quality and puts under pressure on them. As another poster said FIFO, within that technicians capability. Example a person who does meters only shouldn't pick up the 40GHz sweeper because it's next on the list.

Automation does make this easier and sometimes a person without the experience can get through the cal, but they usually don't catch little glitches that the program will pass and fail as they don't know what they are looking for or at on the report.

Training, training, training. Though some people are just slower than others.
 

ScottBP

Involved In Discussions
#13
Example a person who does meters only shouldn't pick up the 40GHz sweeper because it's next on the list.
We have the exact opposite problem here in that the person who normally takes all day to finish up a 40 GHz sweeper would then go grab a couple Fluke 87s in order to bump up their own production numbers, while the person who is relegated to meter duty and can crank out ten Fluke 87s a day complains if the last one on the shelf (next to another 40 GHz sweeper) gets taken. "Don't be a biscuit looking for some gravy!" they would exclaim. :mad:
 
E

Elynn

#14
My Opinion - This is management issue... Before I comment, consider the followings:
1. Are the employees performance measured?
2. Are the different calibration tasks duration measureable?
3. Are the employees capable to be multi-trained in different calibration work?
4. Did the Management set expectation to these employees?

We use a scheduling system to allocate jobs to individual employees. The system tracks the various tests time needed per request so the jobs are very much in order. The test personnel cannot run away since the test volume is so high that we can hardly have a day without test requests / other duties.

Next, if we can forecast period when test volume is lower, we cross train the personnel - between test area of low load and high load (would prefer to say - more tedious or less tedious) and equalized the job with job rotations. This planning is not short term but will plan over a year, subjected to changes to cater different situations. This enable the employees to visualise what is ahead.

As a supervisor, keep an open mind to personnel who would request to be cross train in a station that interest him /her. Consider the personnel's suitability as well as the job is suit him/her. Well, so far this work well for our test Lab. We have trying to achieve above 50% employees multi-stations trained in the midst of the high test volume. In fact, some our better test personnel feel good to be trained in more test areas - this shows their ability too.

One thing I learnt - it's not totally a surbordinate's incapable to do a task but the Superior's incapable to plan for and manage. :agree1:
 
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