Industrial Communication Display - People in the lines to know their performance

[quick_silver]

hi to all,
I was assigned in a department responsible in gathering data from the production. Now we wanted the people in the lines to know their performance so that appropriate actions can be done and the problems be solved. My boss was asking me to make a proposal on this matter. i was thinking of making using white board whose contents will be updated regularly. Do you have any idea or how did you display your numbers in the shop floor?

Thanks

 

[Ninja]

I worked through that one not too long ago (~2 years). It is a great idea if done well...and a poor one that can frustrate the line workers if done poorly. MAKE SURE you get feedback before final implementation from the folks on the line!

We wanted this system not only for performance feedback for the line, but also for production planning (do we have rawmats soon enough but not too soon?), customer interaction (when will it ship?), etc.

I looked into a database system, and it worked very well, but it was overkill and we didn't need so detailed a system for the cost.

We ended up pretty low tech with a white board with the additional ability to hook up a webcam so sales could see it from wherever.

Since, we've actually moved to the Dbase approach since we outgrew the whiteboard.

Key points:
- Make sure the line workers understand how this system benefits the performance of the company (faster communication), else it may be perceived as one more burden mgmt places on them.
- Everyone owns the whiteboard and is responsible for updating. The updating of it is one of the performance metrics folks will be measured on. Communication of inaccurate information can be worse than no communication.
- It's easier to recognize the value if you are involved in the development of the system...as above, involve the people who will be affected/measured by this in the design of the system, not just in final implementation.

 

[Jen Kirley]

What is the purpose of the performance data?

What a silly question, yes? But the people providing the data would more willingly and truthfully do so IF they are certain the data is used to improve, not punish for things not in their control.

If data, which could be displayed in a simple green-yellow-red manner (go, caution, stop) alerted responsible people to rush to that area and remove some constraint to good performance, the system can be seen as positive. Operators can be convinced it is intended to improve their lives.

If, however the data is used to make people feel they are in competition with each other and one group has a systemic advantage, the effects on productivity and morale can be worse than the intended benefits.

And so it is not enough to just describe that data are to be collected and understood. A really effective organization will make sure the people are made partners in the data. It both represents and serves them.

I hope this helps!

 

[quick_silver]

Thanks for these ideas. I will see to it that the people will be involved not just in the final implementation and help them see that the system will be placed to help them in running the lines.

the idea of making green-yellow-red to inform the people about their performance is also good.

the idea of using whiteboard with a webcam seemed to be interesting to me..If I will make use of a whiteboard, I wanted to convey the information through graphs but I need to do it in such a way that it can be easily updated. Do you have any more ideas or have you seen how other companies deploy displays of performance in the shop floor?

thanks a lot