More on “Making a Process Completely Foolproof”
| by Steve Flick | ||||
In the last two weeks we discussed an Olympic skater’s disqualification and came up with a possible root cause; in this case, human error. Specifically, everyone assumed everyone else was keeping track of the number of laps and, as it turned out, no one was.
Finding a root cause was the easy part. How does the skating team eliminate the root cause? How do they eliminate carelessness and inattention? How do they eliminate the possibility of even a momentary lapse in concentration? What’s the best corrective action they can take?
Carelessness and inattention being uniquely human qualities, the best corrective action, or countermeasure, is to do what you can under the rules to eliminate them. The first thing that comes to mind is an automated signal — for instance, a voice — triggered as a skater goes through an electronic gate.
They already have start and finish gates for all racing events. It wouldn’t be difficult to include a lap counter that would also prompt a skater, aurally or visually. Tell or show them what lap they’re on and when to change lanes. Wireless in-helmet communicators have been in use in the National Football League (NFL) for several years. The NFL ensures that no team has an unfair advantage. Everyone’s quarterback gets an in-helmet communicator.
While some, I expect, will say that communicators remove the “human factor” from the sport. What about body suits? Or the changes made to skates? Everyone has the same opportunity, so that it comes down to who is the better skater.
Better training under race conditions is another possibility. For instance, work on exercises that sharpen one’s mental acuity – concentration – during an event.
What does this have to do with your organization? Plenty. Take a look at your best and worst processes in terms of performance and consistency. Look at the numbers generated and determine where your weak points are. Why are those your weak points? What’s causing them?
Where is waste occurring, and how much? What kinds of waste are there?
Now, how do you reduce or eliminate waste? How do you prevent root causes of error and waste from recurring? Once you determine what corrective and/or preventive actions to take — and you take them — you’re on your way to making the process in question as foolproof as it can be.
Remember — inflated expectations are the worst form of sabotage. No process can ever be made completely foolproof. Nevertheless, you owe it to your customers — and your company — to try.
Categories:
Process Management
Tags:
Communications and Training • process improvement • root cause • waste
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Originally published in 2010 by Bizmanualz, Inc. under the title More on “Making a Process Completely Foolproof”. All rights reserved. Reproduction permitted with attribution only. www.bizmanualz.com
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